BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Yeah, I know

Halmaheras sleep in circles

But I find it truly fascinating. I am aware that some individuals of other species sometimes sleeps in circles, but out of speculations of other Halmahera keepers, it seems to be pretty consistent with this form. I am led to believe T. nigrolutea sleep like this often, too.

Excuse the crappy cell phone picture, and Riley being in his pink-ish silver stage of shedding..

Practically every skink Ive owed has been observed sleeping like that, from northerns to tanimbars to keis.

Yup, my Northern does this too!

All the time?

Mine too, and they will squeeze themselves into the smallest possible place to do it. They think they are snakes sometimes.
My northern does not, perhaps because she is too darn lazy to even curl up...

My Halmahera does this as well. She'll curl up like that under her hide.

The only BTS of mine that ALWAYS sleep like a donut are my T. nigrolutea. Conversely, all my other species almost NEVER sleep like this.

The Meraukes and IJ's I've had only slept like this when they decided to get under the water bowl a handful of times. And I assumed the same for Northerns since Jeff was acknowledging how T. nigrolutea slept like this, as well. And he has a bunch of Northern.

I wonder what would cause such an innate desire to sleep like this, as opposed to "normal".

Dakota wrote:The Meraukes and IJ's I've had only slept like this when they decided to get under the water bowl a handful of times. And I assumed the same for Northerns since Jeff was acknowledging how T. nigrolutea slept like this, as well. And he has a bunch of Northern.

I wonder what would cause such an innate desire to sleep like this, as opposed to "normal".

What is considered normal? Is there some baseline standard which conveys normal for any particular animal or human? Your use of "normal" is a personal opinion based on an expected behavior or outcome. What seems abnormal to you may seem normal to somebody else. I prefer to avoid the word altogether since it assumes everybody is on the same page as the one who initially said it.

Of course statistically speaking "normal" has a meaning - generally that about 67% do it to some degree.

I've had Easterns that do it (actually all of them that I can recall), even stumpies (T.r.aspera) do it to a lesser extent (more of a semi circle). Blotchies don't know any other way. Pretty much all of the temperate species/variants do it. The fact that Indos do it probably means is it more of a normal trait than not. It would be interesting to see if there is a point of difference between more temperate T.scincoides and tropical sub species (Northerns). :-)

Sone of my blotchies curl up like that for close to five months with out moving,brumation period,others pop out and bask here and there but return to there position

Like scott ive seen all the aussie forms doing it,easterns,northerns,blotchies,westerns,centralians,rugosa aspera and rugosa rugosa,some do it more than others,in winter here,indoors and outdoors ones do it even more,making one wonder if it helps to hold a certain body temp,eg when its colder than they like,could be a kind if insulating thing,a larger round ibject would lose heat slower than a long skinny object

Northerns seem more prone to do it in cooler temp situations