Slinky is a bully!

[Shortie]

Does anyone else have a skink that bullies people? Slinky hates my boyfriend with a passion! He's bitten him, had him backed up in a corner trying to snap at his toes and today, my boyfriend was lying in my bed and slinky went right up to his face, sat quietly for two minutes tricking my boyfriend into thinking they're 'friends' and then hisses very loudly! As I took him away he tried to wiggle his way out my hands to attack him!

Ok, this is mean but I was wetting myself laughing! Tiny little skink vs a 6ft tall ice hockey goalie. I wish I got the footage on my phone!

[Laurenk]

Has your BF ever scared Slinky? Does he have his own reptiles?

[Shortie]

Has your BF ever scared Slinky? Does he have his own reptiles?

No he hasn't. He's just scared of him because Slinky hisses all the time and attacks him! I used to have a bearded dragon that he used to take out and handle all the time, but he passed away then we got Slinky and he's been scared of him ever since! I have a feeling Slinky senses the fear and just rips the *tick out of him!

[Laurenk]

Very interesting situation...

[Dakota]

I've never heard skinks have an aggression toward certain people, but I guess we can all learn something new!

Maybe they can be affectionate toward a certain sex?

[Shortie]

I've never heard skinks have an aggression toward certain people, but I guess we can all learn something new!

Maybe they can be affectionate toward a certain sex?

Neither have I to be honest! It's always my boyfriend who gets the worst of him! I mean Slinky lets out a hiss or two if others are around me, but the only time he'll jump and attack is when his tail is touched. Now my boyfriend knows better and doesn't touch Slinky at all but yet he still gets attacked for no reason! Slinky doesn't really act 'nice' around people apart from me. But I have never heard of a skink that's protective over their owners lol!

[Lea]

He sounds scared. I don't think it's bullying at all, it's your skink trying to tell you he's not happy with his environment.


I'd listen to your skink and let him enjoy time outside his enclosure without the presence of his perceived threats.

Yep. A scared skink.

[Laurenk]

Scaredy Skink!

[Katrina]

Agreed with Lea - it isn't aggression, he is reacting in fear. Your boyfriend likely doesn't know how to handle him or approach him. Can you teach your boyfriend and others how properly approach and handle reptiles?

[Linnea]

i agree with the others also, by that i mean that your skink sounds like its scared rather than aggressive.

Litchie (my first northern) is not comfortable with other non-herp interested people around, mainly since they will approach him oddly. my cousins (and their parents) for example tried to put their fingers in front of his mouth repeatedly, probably believing he could "smell" how nice they were. you can guess how that ended!

ive had time to know how to handle my reptiles well, and im definitely not claiming to be good at it, but teaching your bf of how to act around the skink is a good idea. carrying a skink for the first and tenth time may mean you do it without proper support to their legs and tail, making the skink nervous, or you may do some quick movements that are plain scary (which you as the reptiles owner learn over time). also, your skink is a very small animal. even a slightly larger human may have the ability to make a tiny skink extra cautious.

[Shortie]

The boyfriend won't hold Slinky and doesn't want to touch him. He's fine with other reptiles, just not Slinky. I can have Slinky sit on my shoulder then climb off onto my bed, but if Andy's there, he'll run right up to him and hiss as if he's telling him that he shouldn't be on my bed. He shows a different kind of scared towards him then that what he would normally do. For example, if my mum walks in and he's on my bed, he'll hide under my legs or in my armpit (?!) or under the laptop.. He'll do the same if he's in his viv and my mum comes in. He backs off away from the glass and hides in his tube or in his tunnel.

This is why I'm asking wether he's bullying my boyfriend or not since it's not the typical 'scaredy skink' behavior of his!

[Lea]

It's typical " fight or flight" behaviour. Some days they feel like Rottweilers and stand up to the threat for a standoff and hissy fit, other days they are more of a poodle and they retreat, either way it's their way of defending their territory and their well being.

Normal, natural, but alas, still a scared skink.

[Joeycamz]

Hey Kay, godzirra does that to one of my buddies every time he comes over. and it's gross and weird but majority of the time he/she (too young to tell sex) goes to the bathroom is when he's being held by my girlfriend no one else and not that much while in the enclosure