Skink got MEAN.

[Meeper]

So I've had my beautiful skink for a while, and I've been leaving him be and feeding him really well, now anytime anything moves in his cage, he automatically nails it. Bites it HARD. I'm afraid to touch him... What do I do??

[Dakota]

Males can sometimes get very territorial this time of year. I can't stick my hand in most of my males' enclosures because I know they'll bite me.

Even if it is not male, sometimes either gender can become defensive/territorial. Your description is kinda vague, so I'm not able to guess if it caused by a feeding response, stress, hormones, etc. But overall, do not grow afraid of them. They'll take advantage of that.

[Meeper]

He is definitely a male, I've seen sperm plugs on his droppings. I feed him 2-3 times a week, generally an ice cube of greens, squash and dog food. He usually gets a snack of a blueberry or piece of banana throughout the week.. If I move anything in his tank, he bites the snot out of it. Rocks, plants, dishes.... Insanely grouchy. What should I do? Should I get him out anyways? Will he be as grouchy out of his territory? I feel like this all started after I gave him a snail... He was so excited that he grabbed it and almost alligator rolled with it in his mouth. It's almost like he is in autokill mode though.

[alichamp]

Sorry Meeper, I don't feel that I can usefully comment on this so hopefully you will get other advice. Have you read over this thread on taming?

[Susann]

If you are afraid of getting bit, put a pair of heavy gloves on, but I would still suggest taking him out to be handled if taming him is important to you. If he's in your collection to mostly be a breeder and you have other skinks who don't mind the "cuddling", then maybe just watch yourself when you put stuff in his tank.

If he is biting inanimate objects just because they're not where he is used to them, then my guess would be that he's grown territorial over his tank. It may not be something you can train him out of --I don't know as I have no experience with this. But my suggestion is to, still, confidently picking him up (hence the gloves if you can't be confident without them) and removing him from the tank. See if he still acts aggressive out of it.
Any skink I've had that's been cranky (I haven't had any aggressive ones, just ones who do not want anything to do with being handled), I always pay attention that their mouth is pointing away from any of my body parts, at least until I get a feel for what makes them nervous and/or what makes them flip out.

Make sure the first grip on him is right behind his head (like I show in one picture in this thread) so he can't turn around and bite you, and then quickly place your other hand so you pin his back legs --I have found this to be the best way to prevent them "crock-rolling" on you to get away. Once you've grabbed him, make sure to loosen your grip whenever you feel him calming down; open your hands when he's no longer fighting to get away --but make sure you are relatively close to the ground in case he bolts.

Once you know that he's not going to charge everything that moves when he's out of his tank, remove your gloves (if you used them) and handle him with your bare hands. It's easier to keep a safe hold on them without gloves, and you want him to get used to the fact that your hands grabbing him is not a bad thing.

Let us know how it goes.

[Meeper]

I think you guys where right about it being territory. I still get him out, I'll throw a towel on him and very gently pick him up and once he's out of the tank, he's quite the charmer. I quit feeding him while he's in his cage, whether that has helped or not I'm not sure. I've been leaning him be for a while, since he's getting ready to shed again.... apparently I'm feeding him too well and he's getting fat! I thought he was just HUNGRY. He used to be fed live feeders (crickets, dubias) but he doesn't get those now. I haven't fed him any snails in a while either.