BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Hello! So I just joined ;u;

And tomorrow I will be picking up my new skink. I am very excited but after some communication with the seller there were some concerns.
The seller has had the skink for a year and has stated that the previous owner did not feed/look after it properly.

And She has said that it is healthy but i have done my research and after asking for some photos I found that the poor skink has no heating AT ALL. And to make matters worse the picture of the tank had no substrate so the poor thing has nowhere to hide or bury. And it is apparently hissy and has not been handled in a while :c

Has anybody rescued a skink before? Are there any tips on how to make the im guessing not completely healthy skink happier, more comfortable and generally healthier?

Also does anybody have good heat mat or heat lamp brands? Preferably cheaper though because I am on a budget. I will be buying these tomorrow. And is hay a okay substrate? I have some for my rabbit but Ill be okay buying some aspen or carefresh.

Also Apparently the lizard lives on greens fruit pellets and crickets not a super varied diet, i might try giving the guy some raw egg but are there any other tasty treats that blueys especially like that i can eventually try to hand feed?

And considering this skink has not had the best history how should I treat him in the first few weeks to get him used to my presence?
I will update on this when I get my skink tomorrow night but I just want some info befofehand so I can be prepared c:

Do you know what species you are getting? Different species have different care. The diet it's being feed is not adequate at all. Most keepers feed their skinks HQ wet dog food. It's really the best balanced diet for them. Also supplement it with cal/d3 powder. A 100watt bulb with a reflector dome you can find at a hardware store. Also any reptile heat pad can be used for night time heat. Post a picture so we can better assess the condition of this skink.

This poor skink! Sounds aweful. I hope the poor thing is ok and not sick. Thank you for helping rescue it. Please keep us updated on it.

The buyer didnt know but by his appearance i am guessing that it might be an eastern?
Anyways i have attached the photo of basil eating an egg as i was cleaning his tank, im thinking of feeding proteins so can gain some weight because yesterday i was shocked when she showed me the skink. He was smaller than i expected considering im its THIRD owner and the previous owner had him for a year i was expecting him to be adult size and broader but he looks more like a couple of months old :c poor thing

And oh god i should have taken a before and after photo of the tank setup because it was so terrible i cried a little bit for the poor precious bby. The tank was a MESS and it looked like it hadnt been cleaned in AGES. There were dead crickets and old poop everywhere and rotten food in the feeding container and it smelled horrible. And when i picked him up the lil guy was so cold. Ive held blue tongues before and none have felt that cold.

But dw!!! There is good news yet. I bought him some comfy substrate heating and a uv light. And cleaned up the tank so its all shiny and doesnt smell! (Thank god because it is in my bedroom) and he loves loves eggs and the heat!! He was basking and pretty active, moving around a lot and after warming up he barely hisses, i tried to handle him but he didnt rly like it which is understandable because he is shedding. But im really happy with his temperament. Hisses rarely doesnt mind if i move him and hold him but hates being pet. Im trying not to disturb him too much so he can trust me

Hes also not skittish ethier. I spent a lot of time sitting with him today talking and observing and actually i put some cat food in a spoon, held it in my hand and he lapped it up happily. Though i think it made him full so he didnt eat his greens :c might try again in a few days to keep my lil boy healthy. I made him some healthy skink chow with greens rocket tiny bit of apple pellets chicken and mealworms and covered it in egg but he nibbled at it and didnt attempt to eat any more. Probably because of the cat food i fed him.

But i am in love with him already!!! And i think we are already making progress. He doesnt seem scared of me because i sit in front of his tank and doesnt go to hide at all and sleeps in front of me and eats with no care at all. He hides if other people come in noisily. Basil is a sleepy lil puppy, and falls asleep basking awh.

I will keep you guys updated but i rly hope he can gain some weight soon and look like a big ol happy skink <3

(I put him in a tub when cleaning his tank. His tank is a couple feet long so hes v happy in it hehe)

Yes he is a Eastern, his nails need to be cut ASAP, nails that long can cause health issues for him.

He doesn't look too bad - good pick up on the nails Nick, yes definitely need to be trimmed ASAP they are bending over not a good sign.

I think even just keeping him in good husbandry conditions will do wonders. Follow the Diet Chart and basic setup requirements. Basking lamp under the hot end of about 32-35 Celsius and temp gradient down the enclosure to low-mid 20s at the cool end is ideal. Feed him every few days with good solid staples and constant access to water.

Sounds like you are doing great. He may take a few weeks to settle in to his new environment with you, so he may not like handling much over that period, but seems like you are taking his cues anyway.

Only other thing I'd suggest is keep an eye out for mites - little black insects crawling on the skink, white spots on the body and raised scales are all signs. If there are signs, you should treat them aggressively early so that he doesn't deteriorate.

Keep us updated and we like lots of photos!

Thank you for all the advice!! Im planning on taking the guy to the vet to get his nails trimmed since i dont trust myself to do it haha. Hopefully all the climbing may help woth the problem before the vet visit haha.

Update: Basil is actually doing great!! I took the lid off and adjusted the lights (since previously the infrared was in the middle bc that was the only place on the lid where i could connect the bulb) but now he has a heat gradient using a lamp holder and basil is lovin it!!! I see the cute lil dude basking all the time and when i approach he turns around and stares at me awh

And hes burrowing too!!! It is such a funny thing, with his lil substrate hat haha and the lil sneezes

Also since basil is more active now he started crawling on the edges like he wanted to get out, so i took him out. He did really really well. There was minimal hissing and he relaxed in my hands very quickly. In fact he even let me stroke his back a lil without hissing. And AHHHH he crawled into my jacket and tucked himself against my side. It was the cutest thing ever.

Then i put him back but then he refused to get off. I was so sure he was going to run back in, but he rested his head on my hand and when i tried to move it away he grabbed on tighter. It was the most precious thing i have ever seen gAH i love this lil guy <3 there is a pretty bad photo of him just resting on my hand and refusing to get off hahah.

He has surprised me how much happier he looks in just a few days in a cleaner tank substrate and heating. This lil guy rly deserves the world after what he went through and im going to spoil him <3

Sprry for the double post but ahh it has been two days but his shed doesnt seem like it is nearly done, he is definitely shedding but only individual scales. Should I be concerned?

Awe, thanks for the update. Sounds like Basil knows you rescued him. It looks like everyone else gave you great advice and you got Basil all settled in nicely. Keep us posted. Thanks for saving Basil

Always amazing to read such happy accounts!

Shedding in mostly single scales is very normal, but if you're concerned, feel free to spray his substrate down on the warm side of the tank to help it along a bit. It can also be helpful to have a water bowl big enough for them to get into to soak if they so choose.

Good luck to you, and please keep the updates coming!

His shed is coming along nicely! It's taking a while but it is happening ^^ so excited so see him after the shed.

He also had a smol meal yesterday. I got some turnip greens blended it up and put some pellets cat food and blueberries. He didn't seem to like the blue berries and didn't eat much ethier. At least he ate though, hopefully he will build up an appetite after the shed. He looks different than the other more rounder skink pictures I see on here.

He gets a bit fussy if he's sleeping and I try to touch him but otherwise he's a pretty sweet lil guy. He's pretty active (except after a meal where he stayed in his hide for hours on end) So I take him out when he's clawing at the cages and poking his lil nose into the glass and he huffs at first but just then I was patting his head and he seemed fine.

Actually right now I'm watching tv with the lil guy while he basks, wrapped in blankets on my knee hehe. He was a lil antsy at first but is now chilling and let's me pat him. Trying not to bother him too much though. Also I saw him drink water and yawn today so coooooot!!

Ah there is a problem though, yesterday when I took him out he seemed pretty happy but then he nibbled at my hand. Not aggressively or anything, more like he thought I was food. It didn't hurt too much. Just wondering what I can do. Because I've never hand fed him, only with a white spoon?

Anyway here's a picture of the lil dude resting on my knee with some uv on his cute little head <3 thanks guys for all the advice though!!! I am so glad I found this forum hehe

Oh God you made me cry my eyes out! When I think about my own Easterns and how spoiled they are.... You are a saint to rescue this precious little one, and I wish you all the best with your adorable new pet. He so deserves your love and care! I did rescue many years ago, everything from macaws to iguanas, and it is very rewarding to watch the transformation! I'm still crying...

Awesome! Glad to have you on the forum

With shedding check and make sure that all the shed skin clears away properly especially from all the toes (and in between) and the very tip of the tail. Now he's in your hands hopefully your guy will grow nicely and if there's stuck shed it can cut off the circulation and cause problems.

Otherwise so glad everything's going well. Great job!