Postby mb606587 » Sat Feb 23, 2019 1:04 pm
Most Blue Tongue Skinks will be somewhat inactive and shy for the first few weeks that you own them. Some may not even eat, so the behavior your skink is exhibiting is nothing to be alarmed about. Being that your skink is most likely wild caught, as Halmaheras have yet to be bred in captivity with regular success, it may need even more time to acclimate. Furthermore, some (not all) tend to become very inactive throughout the winter. As temperatures cool, it triggers a natural response in their bodies to slow their metabolism and remain in a state of inactivity until the natural ambient temperatures warm up. I've noticed with my skinks that nearly every winter, at least one will burrow and stop eating, sometimes for several months, while others seem unaffected, even in the same room with same temperatures.
Furthermore, not all skinks are wired the same with their behaviors. I think people that own multiple skinks will agree that you can observe a wide range of different behaviors and temperaments amongst even skinks of the same species and subspecies. I have some skinks that will spend all day out in the open and basking. If I were to pass the enclosure and notice them hiding for extended periods, I would actually be concerned that something was wrong. Then on the opposite end of the spectrum, I have a few that seem to enjoy staying out of the limelight. These skinks I rarely see and I leave them to their own and enjoy the rare occasions when I actually catch them out. The same goes with feeding responses. Some will only eat when left alone but others will actually barrel across the enclosure and dive head first into the bowl before I can even set it down. However, it is much too early to know exactly your skink's true temperament and natural behaviors, so I would suggest giving it time to acclimate to the sudden change in environment before it shows its true colors. In the mean time, research about wild caught skinks and ones that are captive born from a wild caught gravid mother to learn about health issues that many of these skinks possess as a result of the importation process.
but when I put him in his enclosure he walked to the basking area for maybe an hour tops then went to the corner on the cool side and I have yet to see him do much of anything other than look around a bit and sleep. He is a little over a year old, has bright eyed, clean vent, and no discharge so what's the deal? Haha thanks guys and any other info you can think of would be great, I've done a lot of research but nothing beats info direct from people who've already been through this so we can eliminate any mistakes before they occur 
