Introducing...Gronk!

[joan]

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At long last, my intro. I got to pick up this little guy from Susann a few weeks ago when I went down to Utah. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING SUSANN!!

He looks like what I imagine a dinosaur could have looked like and I named him Gronk, after the dinosaur from the comic, B.C. http://www.gocomics.com/bc/2010/03/14#.U6PPgdq9KK0 not that he looks anything like B.C. Gronk, heh.

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I gave him way, way, waaaay too much food the first time, lol! I'm used to feeding much bigger animals.

He's a hissy little thing and at first I was trying to handle him every day. Then I came upon this article: http://reptile%20revolution.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-tame-your-reptile
...and it made me re-think everything I've been learning the last couple of months. I thought back to the past, when I would keep frogs and toads for short periods of time. They were wild caught (which I released again) but they became "tame" enough to where I could feed them by hand. I never handled them though, unless I was cleaning the tank. Eventually I think I even had them voluntarily hopping onto my hand (sweet little grey tree frog)! That's the gist of the article. Let them associate you with food, and then slowly start letting them come to you. I wouldn't take this approach with snakes though, as they are known to strike if you only ever reach into their tank to feed.

So this whole having a handleable pet lizard is a very new idea to me! I used to have a leopard gecko too, but I never handled her. Herps in general have always just been pets I enjoy feeding and observing! Honestly, it never occurred to me that it could be fun to hold and carry them around.

Now I'm changing my approach for little Gronk...mostly. just need to be. More. Patient. after all, we've got 20+ years together! I hope. I've elevated his basking spot now, so he has to climb up to get there. I've been feeding him with a spoon, so I suppose that's a good sign that he's eating from me? I suspect he wouldn't take anything straight from my fingers but I haven't tried. So now, instead of picking him up, I've been putting my hand down at the edge of his basking spot when I see he's trying to get off. I might be cheating here (article recommends at least a month+ of not handling!!). He doesn't necessarily want to crawl onto my hand, but since I give him no choice, he eventually does. I let him crawl back and forth my hand/arm for a bit, then I put him back on his basking spot. He doesn't run and hide right away, so I'm hoping that means he wasn't too stressed. I'm going to stick with letting him crawl onto my hand (willingly or unwillingly?) as opposed to picking him up/nudging him into my hand.

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I think this is different for everyone/every skink. Gronk just seemed way too unhappy with my attempt at regular handling. I know I haven't had him for long but it has been a few weeks now. The last few days of NOT picking him up seems to have calmed him down more than my previous "forced" handling once or twice a day!

Also, weighed him the other day and he was 52g and approximately 8.5 inches. He doesn't eat much but he is gaining weight. Honestly, I'm looking forward to him getting bigger.

I'm horrible at keeping up with forums and whatnot but I'll try to update Gronk's thread every now and again with new pics.

[StaceyLeigh]

He is so cute, congrats! I think giving him some time to settle in without too much handling is a good approach!

[joan]

He is so cute, congrats! I think giving him some time to settle in without too much handling is a good approach!

Thanks! Yes, I am soooo impatient now! About a week after he got here, he was coming out of hiding and basking a lot when I was around, so I figured, he's all settled in and comfortable, I can start handling him (and I was around a LOT because I work from home and his tank is right near me). Then he started coming out less and less...obviously stressed, so I felt really bad. I hope I haven't traumatized him. I guess I was a little overzealous because now I am purposely wanting him to become tame so I can take him out for people to meet and learn about reptiles, and just feel comfortable in general to be out and about!

It's funny because I had to remind myself, you never used to hold them and you had loads of fun anyway! My leopard gecko was definitely handleable, even though I never handled her. I even let other people handle her!! I also used her as part of a reptile/amphibian workshop, where people asked to hold her. And now that I actually want to hold my lizard, I feel like I'm having to wait forever!!

[joan]

Do BTS actually like bugs much??

I just want to increase his variety of foods and bugs would be nice because I have them around for my beardie! I'd like to find some snails to "farm" but I don't think they are in my garden. I'd have to go by a creek and dig around in the leaf litter or something.

A little Gronk anecdote:
I gave him a cricket once, partially maimed and moving pretty slowly. Gronk moved in slow motion and could not catch the cricket, which kept moving just out of reach, also very slowly. finally, I held it out with a pair of tweezers and Gronk reached out and successfully grabbed him in slow motion, after a few tries.

[Mimo]

gratz on your bluey, really beautifull ^^
and i understand the feeling it's always hard to leave them alone when you can't get enough of them

[StaceyLeigh]

Mine, are not much into crickets-too much work I think They do all like snails, meal worms and silk worms. I give these occasionally.

[joan]

gratz on your bluey, really beautifull ^^
and i understand the feeling it's always hard to leave them alone when you can't get enough of them

Thank you! I am looking forward seeing how much he'll change after each shed!

I have a baby beardie too, just a plain ol' normal one but he's actually been getting a little brighter after each shed, which is a pleasant surprise. I've been handling him since day one but now I realize I probably shouldn't. He keeps still and doesn't run off but maybe it's because he's scared enough to not move? but, he will run onto my hand to get bugs, so that is promising...

[joan]

Mine, are not much into crickets-too much work I think They do all like snails, meal worms and silk worms. I give these occasionally.

Can they eat mealworms as babies (he's maybe 3 weeks old) or would I have to worry about impaction, like with beardies? Or is it okay as just a small treat once or twice a week? I've wondered if "small" superworms would be appropriate too?

[Lexilou]

He is gorgeous

[Susann]

Good to "see" you here, Joan!
Meal worms aren't the best as far as nutrition goes, so I wouldn't feed a whole bunch as a meal, but some now and then to keep him eating a variety of foods is a good idea. Dubia roaches are really good, for nutrition, but you'd have to stick with the small ones while Gronk is little. Small superworms would be fine too.
http://bluetongueskinks.net/foodchart.html

Sounds to me like you have a very good approach going. I know it's hard to be patient, but going slow and steady generally never backfires. It just takes longer Seems to me like you're very observant of him, and are already reading his signals well. I have no doubt you'll both trust each other before long.

[Roarschak11]

My guy absolutely goes crazy for hornworms or Phoenix worms. If you can get ahold of them they are great! Not much for protein but great for dehydrated animals and as snacks!

[sacs4010]

Susann's BTS babies are great!

[Susann]

Aaaw, I wish there was a like button!

[joan]

My guy absolutely goes crazy for hornworms or Phoenix worms. If you can get ahold of them they are great! Not much for protein but great for dehydrated animals and as snacks!

I tried giving him some Phoenix worms.... He looked at them like he was interested but then went, Meh! And didn't look at them again. Maybe if I introduce them with his dog food... I'd really like to get him eating live insects, just for variety.

[joan]

Good to "see" you here, Joan!
Meal worms aren't the best as far as nutrition goes, so I wouldn't feed a whole bunch as a meal, but some now and then to keep him eating a variety of foods is a good idea. Dubia roaches are really good, for nutrition, but you'd have to stick with the small ones while Gronk is little. Small superworms would be fine too.
http://bluetongueskinks.net/foodchart.html

Sounds to me like you have a very good approach going. I know it's hard to be patient, but going slow and steady generally never backfires. It just takes longer Seems to me like you're very observant of him, and are already reading his signals well. I have no doubt you'll both trust each other before long.

Thanks for the link! I generally have crickets, dubias and Reptiworms around. Perhaps I'll add in small superworms too. So far, the issue just seems to be getting him interested in the bugs, lol.

[joan]

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Gronk is doing well and eating with more enthusiasm (while I'm feeding him)! He still huffs whenever he sees me approach. But if he sees me holding a dish of food, he'll actually move towards me quickly. And he'll even walk onto my hand to eat! Today he walked onto my hand completely for food, so I put him on my lap to eat. A couple of times now he's also walked out of his tank and onto my hand with no food (so nice having a front opening tank). no other reason I can think of other than wanting to come out (he could have ignored me or walked off somewhere else). So even though he's huffing and puffing at me still, I like to think that he's starting to see me as a source of food and exploration.

So far, he's been pooping about once a day and always outside of his hide and easy for me to clean out. What a good little skink! I left him for 2.5 days this weekend and came back to 3 poops all around the same area. I love that he's making it so easy for me to clean! I was worried about keeping it clean, with all this substrate business (hard to see the poop).

Oh yeah! I'm noticing he likes to get up (or get out of his hide) at about noon or one, but he goes back in for the night at about 5:30 to 6pm. So Monday night I came back from the weekend at about 7pm. He wasn't out of course but I went over and said HI GRONK and changed out his water/food dish. Few minutes later, I saw him out!! I didn't have time to feed him then and within 10 minutes or so, I came back hoping I could feed him or take him out and he had already gone back to his hide. I swear it almost seemed like he came out hoping I brought him fresh food, since I hadn't been around for a few days. I have otherwise never seen him come out again after he's gone in for the evening!

I can't wait to get to know this little guy more. I just wish he was out for longer each day! Just seeing him out and basking makes me happy enough, even if I don't interact with him. He seems like he is getting ready to shed again too, been rubbing himself all over everything!

[Noah H.]

Glad you're having so much fun with Gronk! Also, I absolutely love his name

[joan]

Glad you're having so much fun with Gronk! Also, I absolutely love his name

Oops didn't see this. Thanks! my plan is to make a little graphic like this

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Perhaps a yawning pic
Lol!

[joan]

So I had to go away mid-week for work. I left on Wednesday morning, leaving Gronk some moistened repcal pellets and veggies, plus some separate dry mazuri pellets. He had also been stuffing his face every day, for a few days prior. He wasn't actually left completely alone, as my husband was around but I just didn't make him feed Gronk. I figured he could skip a day or two.

I came back early this evening and he was out basking. He had eaten all of the mazuri pellets and had only a little dried up veg and repcal pellets left. He seemed very hungry though. When I opened up the doors, he came right to the edge and crawled into my hand, slowly but willingly. I was thawing some food out for him so I took him to the bathroom to roam around a bit. He tried to eat the toilet.

Anyway, once the food was thawed out, I sat down on the bathroom floor. I lured him closer to me with some food. Then he climbed up higher and higher into my lap to be fed (without coaxing). He was darn adorable!!! I kind of wish they ate more so I can do this more often, lol. I swear Gronk seems to like me more when I go away for a few days. But perhaps only because he's hungry. But that's good enough for me!