Will he be able to swallow these rocks??

[McBoredFace]

So I saw online that I can put scents on rocks and bury them in my northerns enclosure for enrichment. But I’m afraid with him biting them he’ll accidentally swallow them? They’re about the size of his head but he’s able to get his mouth on it. It looks like he’s trying to eat it but I’m not sure if that’s what the enrichment is. I thought they just dig the rocks up and kinda sniff them out, not try to eat it. Will he accidentally swallow it? I’ve taken them out in the mean time even though he looked like he was having so much fun

[mb606587]

What kind of scents are we talking about? If your skink is trying to eat the rocks, then yes I wouldn't be using them anymore. I'm honestly very skeptical about this idea in the first place and I wouldn't be putting scented anything in there with my skink.

[kingofnobbys]

Rocks that are small enough to be ingested is a very bad idea in any licky feely reptile's tank.

As to scents in or even near a reptile's tanks , I think this a bad idea and don't understand why anyone would want them . The idea sounds like a load of nonsense to me and I know of no one who does this.
You are aware many scents are actually toxic if licked.

[McBoredFace]

https://youtu.be/rEPMqp8NQGU

This is where I learned about the enrichment of scents

[McBoredFace]

I followed his rules to the T but maybe I need to watch the video again myself and see if I missed something. Or maybe try leaving a comment and asking him myself. But thank you for the input. I did take the rocks out after asking this question too.and I won’t put them back in until I figure this out.
Thanks again I love this website

[McBoredFace]

Sorry this is really the one I wanted to show too. Cause this tells you how the scenting process is and how to do it without the skink licking a spice that can kill them.

https://youtu.be/c5t7TP9SXQA

[mb606587]

Okay rubbing a food item that your skink will eat to create a scent is one thing and I don't see any issues with that. While perhaps safe, I personally am not going to advocate rubbing cooking spices or essential oils. I've heard of skinks attacking whiffle balls with food inside but anything small enough that your skink can actually ingest can be dangerous so removing those rocks is a good decision.

[splashy07]

I have no idea where people come up with this stuff. Very bad idea.

[mb606587]

Splashy the only reason I'm giving this even the slightest benefit of the doubt is because TC Houston published those videos. He generally knows what he's talking about and I don't doubt he's done all that with his skinks before putting it out there. Now am I going to start trying that or ever advocate some of what I read? No, seems like an unnecessary risk but if it was just about anybody else who put out that video, I'd completely discredit it. Haha just wanted to put that out there before any of his followers start bashing.

[mb606587]

On the topic of enrichment, since that seems to be a recurring trend today with reptiles, my opinion on the matter is that the best form of enrichment is letting a skink be a skink and do skink things. If possible, build a large outdoor pen and let your skink outside when weather permits and supervised. Allow it to dig, explore, bask, and hide. IMO, there is nothing better.

[splashy07]

One hundred percent correct. I have a heart attack every time I see one of mine accidentally (or on purpose!) eat a piece of substrate. The last thing on earth I would encourage is possibly ingesting rocks. One of my Easterns that eats anything and everything (and would constantly if you let her) tried to eat a decoration on a log hide that was green. She screwed up her lower jaw and lip for months. I thought it would never heal. They very often try and eat things they shouldn't.

[TC_Houston]

Using scenting for enrichment is common place in professional zoos. Practiced for decades. Don’t like don’t do it.

Certain natural scents are harmless and provide addition ways to provide stimulation to reptiles. The rocks or whatever used should never be small enough so be swallowed (I made a mistake of assuming that was a given).

[mb606587]

As I stated I don't doubt that you know what you are talking about having seen many of your videos. You state certain natural scents are harmless. Would you care to elaborate which ones are and which ones aren't?

[TC_Houston]

Scents from foods work well. Ive rubbed some cooked salmon over a small corner of some of my skinks hides recently. There was nothing that could be ingested and the hide wasn’t chewed on. They did seem to take interest.

Im not talking about putting Old Spice cologne on there. For the most part unless it has a VOC (toxic/harmful fumes) or is put on in excess most things in small amounts in a well ventilated enclosure should be fine. Like I said in the video it should be just enough to provide a small scent and not be so much that it would be ingested.

If you can smell it (whatever was scented) from 6 inches away it is too much.

We used to take giraffe hairs and put them in with the mambas, we rubbed some sticks on the elephant to give scent for red spitters. Ive heard of putting rhino pee on things. Or taking a dogs chew toy and rubbing some of that scent onto an animals cage components.

We gave the komodos shed snake skins to investigate. I will rub the shed of one of my snakes on one of the plants in the skink cage. Lots of natural scents are great options.

[kingofnobbys]

I personally find my skinks and dragons get loads of enrichment and stimulation from
>>> daily quality time with their humans
>>> being in the family area so they can see what we are doing and can watch the TV if it's on
>>> some free range time on the floor (beardies and BTs)
>>> they also get to smell human foods being cooked / eaten by us , some aromatic foods really tweak their interests.

Unfortunately it's not safe for my lizards to have free range time outside - too many free ranging cats about , and we have kookaburras and wedgetails about (natural predators for these lizards). Plus the next door neighbor is heavy handed with herbicides and pesticides and insects do travel so it's too risky if they happen across a bug or snail who's been nextdoor and is now contaminated.

I also regularly rearrange the lizards' tanks which helps too.