BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

I got a new blue tongue skink yesterday, for the first 15-20 minutes in his new enclosure he was very active and curious (a little over 24 hours ago). I think he got spooked by the noise from kitchen appliances (we live in a fairly small apartment) and has been hiding since then. I know burrowing is normal behaviour, especially for new, young skinks, but I can't see him at all, the only reason I'm confident he is in the enclosure is because I saw the substrate move a bit for about 20 seconds when I first noticed he was hiding. He also ignored food even when I left him alone with it.

I'm worried something is wrong since he hasn't moved and there's only one area that he could reasonably be hiding this completely but I don't know if I'm just overreacting. I obviously don't want to go bothering him or digging him up and stressing him even more if there's nothing to worry about.

This is completely normal behavior for a new skink. He is scared and has to get used to his surroundings. It is best to just feed and water him every day. Talk to him when you do so and let him know you are there. This way he will get to know your voice. It is recommended to give your skink 1-2 weeks before you start handling or anything of the sort. It should come out and look for food once it is more comfortable.

Also what type of skink is this? What size enclosure? Substrate? Temps? How many hides? All these elements need to be correct in order for your skink to thrive. Good luck.

Janella wrote:Also what type of skink is this? What size enclosure? Substrate? Temps? How many hides? All these elements need to be correct in order for your skink to thrive. Good luck.

He's a northern blue tongue in a 24x32x18 enclosure with aspen. He has two cork bark hides (one in each end) and his basking temp is around 95F and the cool end is around 75F. We want to get him either another small hide and/or a proper basking rock as well as some plants, but we're holding off until he's more comfortable.

How old is this skink? Your enclosure is a little small. The recommended width for a skink is 4ft. They need lots of floor space. Ideally 5-6ft are even better. I would bump the basking temp up slightly to about 100. Lastly I would get it off aspen. It has been widely found to be to dry for skinks. I would use either zilla jungle mix with reptibark on top, ecoearth, some people use just plain sterilized top soil, etc.

Please post a picture also so we can clarify it is indeed a northern.

Yes, I forgot to mention that. Please post a picture for verification purposes.

Janella wrote:How old is this skink?

He's still fairly young and not full-grown. He is around 5 months old.

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I have had this same exact problem when I got my skink yesterday (Irian Jaya). Thanks for the information on that I should talk to him a little bit and that it is natural for them to hide like this.