BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

We got our baby bluey Titus 2 days ago (not sure if he is Northern or Eastern or both, can't get a pic now because he's hiding).

When he arrived he was calm and inquisitive, moving around his tank and being very normal, pooped in his log and even ate some cat food and a small piece of broccoli I dipped in cat food gravy. That evening we took him out to watch TV on the couch with us. He got more active and quick and was moving around trying to escape. After 20 minutes we decided to put him back in the tank. This is the first time he burrowed. The next morning, early morning, he was still burrowed so my boyfriend gently dug him out. Titus was mad about that, he hissed and puffed and I made boyfriend cover him back up and leave him alone.

He finally came out on his own at noon, at which point I don't know what I was thinking but I took him out again and put him on the kitchen top to feed him. Again he got very active and was walking around quickly. He ate two more pieces of cat food but wouldn't touch any veggies or squash. So I put him back in his tank. He burrowed right away, and has remained out of sight for nearly 24 hours now.

Why is he doing this? Did we scare him by handling him so much before he got used to his new tank? I feel so bad because he seemed perfectly well-adjusted and unafraid at first, but he's now burrowed and won't come out. Boyfriend thinks his heating lamp might be too hot? But we've got cool rocks on the cold end of his cage he could lay on that he hasn't been near, as well as a shallow rock pond we made with aquarium silicone. He's just more interested in being underground, and I'm worried it's our fault for forcing interaction on him so early. We are resisting the urge to go looking for him again. Please advise, thank you all.

Hi there, I'm assuming that being in NZ you have an Eastern. They seem to be common over there.

Check temps where it is, could be a little on the cold side. Being in NZ he may also be sensing the change of season already and might be in a pre-brumation mode, especially if you are turning off heating at night and if he has been taken from a constantly heated environment to a more variable one.

Don't worry about offending him, it you want to see the bluey then just pick it up. If you are relatively new to reptiles it is easy to anthropomorphize. They don't get offended like we think.

Thank you for the quick reply. Temps here aren't too bad as I live up north, they go down to about 18 deg C at night, so yes we've been turning the heating lamp off at night. I read that leaving it on messes up their sleeping schedule, though we do plan to leave it on 24/7 in winter - speaking of which, would that be harmful or should we just let him brumate?

So is it okay to poke around gently in the substrate and unearth him to check? I just don't want him to think we are trying to eat him and learn to fear us.

I usually don't hold any of my baby skinks for at least a week when I first got them. Gives them time to adjust to the comings and goings around their enclosure. After that I handle them a few minutes a day to get them used to me. When they burrow its a way for them to feel secure. A few of mine stay burrowed most of the day. They usually come out in the morning for and hour or so to warm up and then again later in the afternoon. It's not an overnight thing to win their trust. I have 5 northerns and each one acts differently. 3 of them are very calm and seem to enjoy just hanging out on my lap with out a care in the world. The other two get kind of anxious after a few minutes. They tense up like they want to run and hide. They are very cautious as babies because they view everything as a predator. Just work at it slowly and you'll eventually win your baby over.

You can use a ceramic heat emitter to maintain warmth without a light messing up the light cycle.

Also it's nomal for them to foces on high protein food or sweat fruits,best way to feed veggies is chop them in bits and mix with things like chicken or dog food.

Thanks!

We use an infrared light that shines red as well as giving heat. Does that affect the sleep cycle?

I also have another question. Is our substrate okay: Dry coconut fibre mix with a fair amount of dust. He sneezes every 10-20 minutes when in his tank but it doesn't sound wet/flu-like, so I'm guessing it's the substrate dust. Am I supposed to wet it to keep the dust down? I didn't want to because he'd be an Aussie subspecies and Aus is mostly a dry deserty environment isn't it. But now I'm looking up his sneezing and some advice says to wet coconut fibre substrate, is that safe/correct?

Well the center of Ausland is dry desert but a lot of the coast is more humid and wet air instead of dry so it depends on what species your bluie is.

Infared heat lamps are generally for recuperating animals thats why its a soft infrared light but that should be fine to use on him, as far as i recall the most important part is getting the heat right not what type of globe it is

NickBrahz wrote: the most important part is getting the heat right not what type of globe it is

Not if we're talking about nighttime; at night anything that gives off light needs to be red, otherwise it will mess with their sleep cycles. Which is why red globes are used to supply nighttime heat.

Susann wrote:

NickBrahz wrote: the most important part is getting the heat right not what type of globe it is

Not if we're talking about nighttime; at night anything that gives off light needs to be red, otherwise it will mess with their sleep cycles. Which is why red globes are used to supply nighttime heat.

Yeah i know but i guess i didn't read the part where he asked about the sleep cycle i thought he meant in general my bad, though personally i would use a heat emitter instead of a globe at night time.

Susann wrote:

NickBrahz wrote: the most important part is getting the heat right not what type of globe it is

Not if we're talking about nighttime; at night anything that gives off light needs to be red, otherwise it will mess with their sleep cycles. Which is why red globes are used to supply nighttime heat.

So Susann, I have the light at night that is dark bluish purple and gives off a dark purple light. Is this really not good and should I change to red asap? My home gets to cool at night not to have a heat source for winter.

TY

Snowysmom wrote: So Susann, I have the light at night that is dark bluish purple and gives off a dark purple light. Is this really not good and should I change to red asap? My home gets to cool at night not to have a heat source for winter.
TY

Is it a proper night heat lamp? because proper ones give of a bluish colour which simulates the moonlight colour which is fine to use its designed for that.

Snowysmom wrote:I have the light at night that is dark bluish purple and gives off a dark purple light.

I think these are fine if, like mentioned, it is made for nighttime use, but I have no knowledge or experience with these personally.

So circling back to the question - just wanting to be sure - I /won't/ be making him more and more scared of hands and humans if he's dug himself into the substrate, and I dig him out anyway to handle him?

I would personally try my hardest to never dig him up or remove him from his hides in order to handle him, especially if he's very young. I know you barely got him, so I would let him get used to his new home for a minimum of 2-4 weeks without ever digging him up. If he's out in the open then give it a try for sure, pick him up and let him do some exploring in a safe place, but if he's hiding then just let him.

I don't think you've messed anything up, no need to feel bad about what's been, just now let him get acclimated to his new tank, his new home with all its new smells, sounds, and activity. Let him learn that nothing scary happens in his safe-zone (=his tank, especially the hides), and when you start seeing him out in the open more then you can start teaching him that something good, fun, and exciting happens when that big hand reaches in to pick him up (=yummy treats, fun exploration).

Just what I wanted to know, thank you very much. I haven't been digging him up since, and he's been out on his own a few times a day and eating well, but he always burrows when someone notices him and goes over to his tank to fawn. It's frustrating! Haha.

Lol Blue tongue getting offended is quite funny sounding actually. They hiss and you are lucky if they display their gaping mouth with their tongues! I personally never seen a tongue display from a Iranian Jaya I owned at as a teen or my Tanimbar I owned since 2009.

Just, btw, with BTS it is called huffing, not hissing.