Page 1 of 1

Why does she wave her silkworms around?

Posted: Sat Dec 21, 2013 9:32 am
by tignish99
I noticed that Blue waves her silkworms around, kind of the way a person would move their head when he says no and rubs them back and forth on the ground. She only does it with silkies and no other worms. She loves her silkworms. It is quite amusing. Does anyone else's skink do that? Any idea why?

Re: Why does she wave her silkworms around?

Posted: Sat Dec 21, 2013 9:57 am
by Linnea
:D to kill them for sure before swallowing. It looks very funny and it is very normal. some even try to do it with their waterbowl and vegetables.

Re: Why does she wave her silkworms around?

Posted: Sat Dec 21, 2013 12:04 pm
by donkeybuff
Silkworms and hornworms seem to be two worms that skinks love to beat up before swallowing. It might have something to do with their soft body being hard to swallow while still moving, unlike hard/smooth superworms.

Re: Why does she wave her silkworms around?

Posted: Sat Dec 21, 2013 6:42 pm
by Vengeance
Hehe, my youngest two blueys like to 'kill' almost everything before swallowing it. Funny thing, they didn't do this with snails I fed them yesterday. Culprits for inducing head thrashing 'must kill before consumption' are foods such as scrambled egg, dog food in slightly too large chunks and even towels! The towel was laid down for a hide, Ninja decided to try to eat it. :doh:

Gizmo would thrash with mealworms and woodies, especially if they were still moving. I suppose they do this to incapacitate the food item, so it doesn't go down kicking (or wriggling).

Re: Why does she wave her silkworms around?

Posted: Sat Dec 21, 2013 7:53 pm
by Lauriek
Very simply, she wants to 'kill' it.
It's an instinctive reaction.
:D

Re: Why does she wave her silkworms around?

Posted: Sat Dec 21, 2013 8:14 pm
by tignish99
:lol: Blue is such an amusing little critter. I like just observing her go about her daily business. I am not sure how many times I have had people tell me that reptiles are nothing more than paperweights that move once in a while and cannot make great pets because they cannot give affection such as furry critters. I disagree. My beardie loves to be picked up and petted and will actually demand it if I am near his tank. Blue has not gotten there yet, but she does come to see what we are up to and if we have some tasty stuff to munch on. I have the furry types too, and I find that each, furry and scaly, has its own amusing ways of doing things (including the feline one that has decided to try to walk on my keyboard as I type this).

Re: Why does she wave her silkworms around?

Posted: Sat Dec 21, 2013 11:36 pm
by Vengeance
tignish99 wrote::lol: Blue is such an amusing little critter. I like just observing her go about her daily business. I am not sure how many times I have had people tell me that reptiles are nothing more than paperweights that move once in a while and cannot make great pets because they cannot give affection such as furry critters. I disagree. My beardie loves to be picked up and petted and will actually demand it if I am near his tank. Blue has not gotten there yet, but she does come to see what we are up to and if we have some tasty stuff to munch on. I have the furry types too, and I find that each, furry and scaly, has its own amusing ways of doing things (including the feline one that has decided to try to walk on my keyboard as I type this).


Couldn't agree with your statement more.

We have six reptiles here, each of them has their own distinct personality. Gizmo, my first bluey, prefers to spend most of the day hidden away in his hide. During early morning he basks, before going to the opposite side of his enclosure to do his business. If I happen to be around during this time, I usually collect it, and by this time he might be wandering around inside his enclosure. If I open the glass doors, sometimes he'll try to climb out. I take this as a 'sign' that he wants to go outside. So out in the back yard he goes, under close supervision. Between basking, trying to eat grass and dirt or just plain trying to escape from me, he's got quite the character. Blueys are in my opinion, far from dull.

The two new blueys, Astro and Ninja have mostly settled in, although Astro spends most of his/her time hiding when not basking. Ninja's more adventurous and does wander around inside the enclosure at times.

While our cat seeks attention and seems to appreciate it, even if the reptiles don't, their different personas more than make up for it. Plus they are fascinating to watch!