Taming a BTS

[Ethroes]

Howdy all, I was wondering how you all go about taming your skinks and letting them become adjusted to you. Currently the skink I have owned for a couple of months has gotten better about my hand being around in the terrarium while he is out. However, if my hand goes near his tail or head regions he becomes disgruntled to then run off to his hide. Afterwards if my hand goes near his hide he does his usually "Huff" sound. So anyways, I was curious how you go about them becoming tame and even taming them to be held. Thanks (I'm also 95% sure that that he is a captive bred skink)

[donkeybuff]

Is he a northern? If he is northern, he is almost 100% CBB. If he is Indonesian/IJ/Merauke, there is a large chance that he is not CBB. You need to gain his trust for him to tolerate you. Use hand feeding, and give him treats only through interaction/handling. It's best not to bother them in their so that they feel secure in their surroundings. There is a very good section on this in the forum FAQ.

[UroFreak13]

Do you know anything thats irrisistable to hand feeding, i have a w/c who wont touch a thing if shes out, mouse blueberries insects... Nothing

[Toria Dawn]

Just keep trying a bunch of different things. I have great success with red peppers. You could try carrots or strawberries or watermelon. Keep trying and I'm sure you'll find your skink's weak spot.

[Apollo311]

Definitely utilize the hand feeding technique. Once he realizes you're not a threat he won't be so leary of you. The huffing is normal it just means he's scared, it's not so much a warning as it may seem. Mine will still run to his hide when I open his screen so I just remove his hide, talk to him and give him a little treat and he's usually calmed down by then. Blueys are totally awesome once they warm up to you. Hell come around.

[TJreptiles]

Just get him used to being out. I usually give mine a snack when he is exploring, I also try to not disturb him while he is in his hide because then it doesn't become safe. Also what kind of substrate do you use(if any?)

[maximumbuttitude]

My lizzbooty was very huffy and scared at first, but just keep trying - hand feeding is really fun when you can get them to wrestle a berry out of your fingers like a puppy. I try to always talk when opening the tank and approaching, and go slowly, approaching Pep's head from the underside with an open palm (it seems less threatening to skinky, but I'm not 100% sure).