BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

As Norbert looks like he’ll be shedding soon, he’s getting dull colour wise and he has that look of a second layer of scales slightly off the colourful ones (if that makes sense). I thought I’d try him with some sphagnum moss and give him a bit of a humid hide, just as an option to help if he needed it.

Anyway, I bought a bag of ‘live sphagnum moss’ and I guess I have two questions. The first is, should it smell? The one I have smells quite strong when I opened it and wanted to check that’s ok. It says wash it thoroughly and when I did it’s pretty scentless so I guess it’s the moisture inside the bag in the store that does it. The second question is; do your BTS eat the moss? I put some in with Norbert and the first thing he did was pull some off and eat it, just a couple of strands so I’m not really worried but I’m not sure about leaving it in with him if he’s going to munch on the lot! After I removed the clump of moss he spent five minutes digging round for the tiny strands I missed so I’ve had to dig with him and grab them before they disappear inside him too! I guess he does seem to be a fan of greens but I didn’t expect him to eat the moss as well Should I be leaving it in anyway and hope he doesn’t eat more and it was just a taste test with the first bit or just let him have it under supervision?

lifesagame wrote: After I removed the clump of moss he spent five minutes digging round for the tiny strands I missed so I’ve had to dig with him and grab them before they disappear inside him too!

Haha what a little crazy guy.. We've found the moss can smell very 'earthy' or have near to no smell - depending on the brand and how it's prepared (though seems no set rule - we've had different moss bricks that vary; our current one smells like a tropical jungle, and the other had no smell). Additionally real moss I found outside didn't smell of much - but wouldn't recommend this route for a viv, as unexpected critters hide in it so well!

We've seen ours lick the moss (especially when it's new, mleming every second as must be very interesting) but he's not tried to eat it intentionally. I would say to keep trying him on it, but maybe for the first few days keep close watch - perhaps the novelty of a new thing/smell will wear off over a few days

Thanks, I thought the smell would be normal but wanted to check in case. I did consider using moss from outside, our lawn has been taken over by it in some areas, but wasn’t sure about the things that may be hiding inside it. I guess I could try baking some of it to kill anything but not sure whether that would work or just destroy the moss. If he’s still after the sphagnum I might give it a go as our moss is a lot less stringy in the garden.

I’ve given it another wash today and it’ll probably get another rinse before I put it in just in case there’s any of that smell left on it. I’ll just make sure I take it out when I’m not around. Maybe I’ll make a little hide with a box that I can take in and out with the moss so I’m not leaving it in there all the time and there’s less likely to be the odd strand left in there accidentally if he still wants to eat it. I suppose at least the fact he likes green things means he’s getting all his greens when he eats.

Editing to add another question, I thought I'd stick it in here rather than filling the board with one off questions! But how long can baby BTS go without pooping? To start with he was regularly every day, sometimes a day in between, but it's been four days now and no poop. He's still eating happily and not bothered by it. He's starting to look a little round but he's not solid so I'm not worried yet, just thought I'd ask so I don't start to panic if he's not gone in a couple of days time but a week is ok.

I tried the search on here but most are for adult skinks or the BTS isn't eating either so they don't really fit. He's currently sitting and watching me from his basking spot and a bit annoyed about me removing his big box of moss that he still wants to eat He's definitely going into shed as he sneezed earlier and the nostril and scale around it shed and flew off, he looked a bit surprised at that

If the moss has a relatively “earthy” smell it’s normal, just be sure to check if there are any artificial dies or additive fertilizers, etc.

The removable box is a good idea - you could use a clear plastic shoebox (like the sterilite kind) with a hole cut out into it, this way you can keep an eye on him and easily remove the box if you’re not home to supervise. It’s a pretty versatile option, if the moss ends up not working you can put damp towels in it. Just make sure there is adequate humidity options whether you’re home or not.

I’d say any longer than a week without pooping is cause for concern for a baby skink that’s eating regularly. HOWEVER if your little guy is about to shed (which seems like the case!), no need to worry! Skinks tend not to poop for a bit before a shed, so that’s completely normal. Typically skinks will not shed for a few days, sometimes a week or a bit longer, pre-shed.

Now, for future reference, if he did indeed eat some moss he could be a bit constipated. It happens, and so long as it’s not HUGE quantities of substrate and your temps are husbandry are otherwise correct, it’s nothing that can’t be fixed. If you are still worried at any point going into the future, a bit of applesauce, mashed banana, and egg (scrambled or hard boiled) are all good foods to get bowel movement going.

A shallow, warm bath will often help them poo as well, but this is something I only recommend if you know the skink won’t be terribly stressed out by it. Just make sure the water is very shallow, only just at chin level, and the skink isn’t floating around.

I tried the removable box, the breeder brought him in one that he fits nicely in at the moment but he’ll need bigger when he grows, and the smell came back and worse when it got warm. It isn’t really earthy, it’s actually a bit acidic, so I think the bag may have been sat in the store for a while and it’s starting to go off. I’m going to rinse out the container and disinfect it to get rid of the smell and try paper towels today. He’s already shedding fine but I think I’ll give him an option and it might help his feet if he needs it. I’ll leave the moss to soak and try washing it a few more times, if the smell doesn’t go I’ll buy some more. I do have a large fake rock thing I did as a humid hide but as I don’t trust him not to eat the moss the little box will do until I know as it’s a lot easier to remove and I can watch him if I need to.

I thought he might not poop when shedding, he’s definitely shedding today as he’s wandering around with big chunks hanging off, but wasn’t sure with him still eating so good to know. He only managed to get those first two tiny strands of moss, maybe less than an inch and the fine bits rather than a whole chunk, so I’m hoping it’ll just pass through him. The last meal before he stopped pooping he had some boiled egg as protein so hopefully that’ll help move things when it’s time.

Editing to add: definitely just the shedding with the poop situation, not a problem any more and he’s very hungry now he’s empty Also shed pretty much all of his scales and has only poked his head into the humid hide so I’m not going to rush with getting the moss as he seems ok with the kitchen roll for now. I think I’m just finding things to worry about with him being new, now it’s his heavier breathing though it’s probably just all the extra exercise with the shedding.