Should I change the Substrate

[tignish99]

We have had Blue for about 1.5 months. She is about 7-8 months old. She is not too keen on being handled, but she does not bite and tolerates it. When she is in her tank, she buries herself and stays buried unless she needs to drink or go poo. She has decided that her humid hide is a great litter box. She will stay buried and not come up for food. I have to find her and bring her up. Then eventually she may eat before she buries herself. At the store she was not really socialized. I am housing her in aspen and she has several inches of it to bury. Aside from that, her temps, uv light, hides, basking area and everything else seems fine. I am wondering if she is maybe hiding because she can. In other words, she is not being social because she does not have to. I am wondering if temporarily I should take the aspen away and just put down ceramic tile with just a bit of aspen on top to absorb any waste. I do not want to stress her out, but on the other hand I am wondering if the socialization has come to a grinding halt because there is no need for her to be any more social. I hope this post kind of makes sense.

Thank you

[Dood]

I think your expecting too much companionship from a reptile.

I wouldn't remove the substrate as I think it will stress the BTS if they cannot hide and feel safe. Instead I would try and find a food they love. My guy, Scatha, goes nuts for snails and I started clicker training him to come. Now, after a month, I can offer a small mealworm or bit of meat and give him snails less often.

P.S. Scatha likes to use his hide as a litter box too, I find it convenient as I don't need to go search through his 4 foot tank for wastes.

[tignish99]

Thank you for the answer, Dood.

Please do not get me wrong, I do not expect a dog or a cat type companionship. I have other reptiles also. If that is all she is capable of, that is fine. I am more wondering if perhaps she is capable of more, but simply does not because she does not have to or because she was not socialized as a baby.

[tignish99]

P.S. Scatha likes to use his hide as a litter box too, I find it convenient as I don't need to go search through his 4 foot tank for wastes.

Ditto here. I am finding it very convenient too.

[Dakota]

Don't worry, they aren't as tame as people try to let on.. not in the terms of being dog-tame.. you can't sleep with them, you can't leave them sleeping on the couch while you go to the store, can't even shower with them (yes, this is normal). Typically they won't care for you at all, like dogs and cats would.. that is just reality. People expect too much from these guys..

Sounds normal, though..

[donkeybuff]

I think you're underplaying it a bit. Skinks definitely have preferences for certain people, and many skinks can be interactive like a mammalian pet.

[Dood]

I agree, Ive only had him a month but Scatha is way more interactive than my leopard geckos and any snake species I've ever had.

I'd say he's close to a mouse or rabbit in trainability and companionship, so more than a gerbil but less than a rat. I am quite impressed so far.

[BerserkApe]

Parker stayed burrowed for about three months till he really got used to being active. Though, what's your sleeping schedule like? You might just have an early bird skink who does all his running about and then hides.

Parker gets up around 6-7 takes a drink, basks, and then crawls into his hide at noon. If he's feeling the need for more heat he may come back out for more before hiding in the evening.

On feeding days he up and out waiting on me.


On a side note he always craps in this crevice between the waterbowl and this rock I use a ramp to the waterbowl. I'm guessing he's smart enough to not want to drag his tail through his own mess.

[Toria Dawn]

Sounds normal. They are burrowing creatures so staying buried isn't abnormal. A while ago I switched to a dirt bottom and aspen on top - about 4". I never saw my boy or his poop. I recently changed to all plantation soil, but kept a large container of aspen for him to burrow. He uses that but also comes out and about a lot more now. And he just poops in his water dish, ew but so easy to clean. Otherwise I have a few hides in which he spends a lot time, and he also comes out a bit more.

I guess what I'm saying is I didn't fully take away the aspen that he loved, but I compromised for a situation that works for both of us. I don't think changing things will stres your pal out too much, as long as you offer a few hides of different temps so it can feel safe when necessary. I have a big hollow rock that Roy seems to spend lots of time in - safe and secure.