Relatively new owner, Skink is terrified of me.

[Dandy]

Hello everyone, I'm a relatively new owner of a blue tongue skink. I got the little guy as a baby of about a month old and I've had him for almost three months now. He's been eating happily and growing rapidly but unfortunately little Kamui is absolutely terrified of me. He huffs and hides whenever he sees me and spends most of his time burrowed underneath the substrate. I know he explores the explores the cage when I'm not around thanks to how he typically leaves stool by the basking stone, but if it weren't for that I could just as easily assume he's always in his hide. I've read that I should try handling him gently every once in awhile and offer food by hand, but he refuses the food offered and I feel he only grows more and more terrified by me with every attempt. I'm a new skink owner so I really don't want to stress him out. What should I do?

[xXxBORISxXx]

Hi there! I've had my skink for a year now. The first few months he was very wary of me, especially since he was just a baby. It takes time for them to be comfortable. What helped was taking him out everyday on my bedroom floor, and sitting near him, but not too close to him. I'd let him explore and crawl over to me.
I've noticed they really don't like when your face is close to them, or you make too much direct eye contact, so maybe avoid those things while they're getting used to you.
Sometimes I'll put my skink over my shoulder and carry him around
It all comes with time. Regularly handling your skink really helps

[7.62]

There are several different methods of "taming" your BTS. (A good thread on it on this site) For me personally I have found that handing him regards of his temperament every day has got my little guy used to me pretty quickly. I too got mine at one month old and he is about 3 months old now. I handle him everyday, no matter what. Whether it was hissing, running, hiding, etc. Now to be fair he was pretty laid back from the start for a reptile. I try to not keep him out long so he doesn't get to thinking he isn't going back home but I at least take him outside to potty (9 days out of 10 he goes outside instead of in his home). I then like to offer him food during or right after so hopefully he associates getting handled with being fed. He now never hissings, barely runs/hides, and seems much more comfortable being out. He still is a juvenile and shows that but is making great progress. I'm confident by the year mark he will be as comfortable as a reptile can be with a human. Just keep trying and be patient, it will come. Good luck and keep us updated.

[kingofnobbys]

OK …. if skinky backs away …. take the hint .

Don't ever chase a skittish scared little skink about it's tank with your hands …. all it sees is looming monster and two five headed snake creatures chasing it …. this will only reinforce it's distrust / fear of you.

Wait until it's relaxed and basking , it's likely to me more amenable to being picked up (gently - slip your hand under it's body and lift it out and deposit skinky on your chest / tummy and I find the little ones settle if you lift the bottom of the shirt over it so it can hide under cover , a t-towel or little blankie will do as well.
When it's toasty and settled , you can uncover skinky and gently pet it.
Handy have some delicious food treats on hand , ie some small (1") or medium (1.5-2") silkworms , or BSFL , or crickets or roaches or locusts , offer these by hand or by placing where it skinky can easy get them without moving far ….. little skinks are very fast on the uptake and will soon learn that when you get them out they will get a yummy treat or two or three …. battle is half over by then ….
Trust building and lots of patience are the keys …. everything is going to progress at skinky's pace , the skink has it's own agenda and will not follow your's unless it learns it's beneficial to do so.

Also helps to spend a lot of time hanging out near the skink's tank so it can observe you , and I find it pays to talk calmly to them.

BTW I've used this approach with many lizards (mostly befriending wild skinks and dragons) and it works so well that I can handfeed my local wild lizards and even pat them, and they seek me out and come when I call them.

[Dandy]

Thanks everyone! I'll give the advice given a shot.
Unfortunately I can't really interact with him on his demand seeing as the scared little guy will run into his hide whenever he sees or hears me approach, and is certainly not going to sunbathe with me around. I've been doing a little research on my own and I hear that just never interacting with nervous skinks doesn't particularly help either (just from what I've read-- I'm no expert!!)

Here's a picture of his enclosure. I'm not sure what species he is, I got him from a local pet store who got their skinks from a local reptile expo. The owner claimed that he's a northern but... I have an itching feeling that it's probably not the case.

((Edit, the photo won't go through from my phone so I'll try uploading it from my cpu

[Machan]

Hi, I have a very nervous skink too ( a wild caught Hamahera). I do many research and follow the handling and hand feeding one. After a month I realize that she recognized me but still very scared of me. I now change my method and just leave her a lone for about a month, she still very caution but I don't see her nervous and intense like before. She even let me put my hand near her without immediately hiding. So I think if interactive method doesn't work you could try this one. I'm also new to BTS but I have experienced the same thing so hope I can help

[kingofnobbys]

for you two with wild skinks - the key to trust building is food bribes / treats …. let it see you deposit a food you know it likes where it can see it, sit quietly nearby and eventually the draw of a tasty treat will draw it out to take the food , repeat this every day.

Eventually (will only take a week or two) it will come straight out to accept the food offering , then you can try placing your hand in the tank (open upturned hand) with the food treat sitting on the hand, if it wants the food , it'll mosey over take the food right off the hand , repeat this routine every day .... for a while .... eventually it'll to your hand right away when it sees it in the feeding position , try patting skinky in the top of it's head, trickling under chin , if it allows this , it time to try slipping you hand under it and depositing it on your lap, chest or tummy .
I've done this will all my resident wild skinks and dragons who visit / live about my house .... some become so tame they seek me out and crawl onto my hand or leg (when I'm sitting cross legged on the path, grass or steps , or garden bed) of their own volition and literally beg me for food.... so I know this approach will work with your captive skinks.

This I've done with all the species of wild lizards I have and see in my suburban yard and garden, ie
eastern water skinks,
southern rainbow skinks,
copper-tailed skinks,
delicate garden skinks ( aka Ground Skinks, Little Brown Skinks) ,
eastern 3 lined grass skinks,
eastern bluetongues,
eastern water dragons,
eastern bearded dragons,
jacky dragons
and also velvet geckos and bell frogs and green tree frogs.

I also have similar relationships with wild possums, magpies, rosellas, doves, parrots and finches.

Is easy to earn the trust of wild animals if you approach it right....

[Machan]

I tried to do what you suggested before, but my skink always bites my finger nonstop without knowing that the food is somewhere else. I stopped hand feeding her for some time and tried again but she still bite my finger (of course I make sure my finger don't smell like food)

[kingofnobbys]

I tried to do what you suggested before, but my skink always bites my finger nonstop without knowing that the food is somewhere else. I stopped hand feeding her for some time and tried again but she still bite my finger (of course I make sure my finger don't smell like food)

Just takes a little while for the skink to work out fingers are not easy to eat , they do get the hang of it , and being such a little skink her bites are not going to draw blood or break the skink (like those accidential finger nips from a bearded dragon will, beardies have better armed mouths.