Angry skink

[ChristianH26]

Hi. I have an 18 month old halmahera blue tongue. He is always angry and very clearly does not enjoy handling or being out of his viv. My question is,- obviously I want him to be as calm and happy as possible- would he be more likely to be happier if he’s not handled very often but I’d fear he’d get cabin fever or should he be put through stress just so he can get out of his viv. It’s rather a dilemma as I feel pretty bad for him either way?
Thanks

[mb606587]

Some BTS just don't do well with handling. Wild caught skinks are occasionally more averse to it. In my experience, the worst I've dealt with is extreme huffing when initially picking up, but minimal aggression and striking. Sometimes the skink becomes better with time, other times not.

[ChristianH26]

Okay thanks I’ll just have to keep my fingers crossed that Stevie learns to calm down

[Janella]

As mentioned they all can be different. Keep working with yours and hopefully it will come around. Remember to offer treats and make sure you talk to your skink so it gets to know you.

[ChristianH26]

Good tips thank you

[Vindication10]

I've had my skink for more than 2 years and she hates me 90% of the time. She's huffy and strikes if I really make her mad by waking her up if she's deep into brumation. Mine is one that doesn't really chill out like most skinks. If I hold her, she wants to run around and explore. I think it just depends on your skink. Most like being handled while others don't but it is easy to fix this by constant handling. I have been bitten before by her and it doesn't hurt at all. In fact, getting scratched by her claws hurt much more.

[Kevin142001]

My Skink is Halmahera. Probably wild caught. I dont handle him every day but probably about every other day. If I go longer without handling him hes definitely more huffy. So constant exposure does desensitized them to some extent.

He doesnt strike but might defensively curl around to face my hand like he's going too.

What helps is feeding him outside of the enclosure. Because he knows he won't get fed if I don't take him out. But I dont strictly follow this. I feed him in the enclosure alot but try to give him nice snacks or treats when he is out so he's more tolerating of it.


When I take him out usually I sit him on my bed and bundle up a blanket on it for him to hide in. I dont force him to hangout with me ill let him do his own thing and come out when he feels ready so as to not overstress him so that he realizes more that I'm not going to eat him or do anything bad.

Mostly I think he hates hands because he hates not being on the ground. And my enclosure opens from the top so he has to "fly through the air" from his perspective to come out. He knows hands pick him up.

Dont make sudden movements near him be slow and deliberate you quickly grabbing a cup of water to drink can startle him if he's near your arm or hand.

I say hands because he's not opposed to running over me to get away from my hands. And im pretty sure he's cognitively aware that my legs and body are a part of me and not the environment. Could be wrong on that one. Not sure.

If I pick him up and have him onto of my arms (imagine a cross arms look) so he lays on my arm while I'm standing. He will try to climb my shirt and usually chill on my shoulder or sometimes get onto of my head. The height seems to bother him less than my hands do.

And I think it really comes down to. He doesn't hate me he hates the lack of control over his own body when I pick him up to remove him from the enclosure. And he associates my hands with something that can control and restrict him. Because in the enclosure he'll sometimes come right to the corner and just look at me. And often times it's look me right in the eye. So he's a very smart reptile. He knows my eyes are important. That I see him through them as he sees me. Maybe atleast instinctively he knows that.

I'm probably over thinking some of that. And im no expert there's a great post on here with handling fussy skinks and some of my interactions are probably less than ideal in that regard.

But just wanted to share my experiences because its very relatable. Hes probably about 8 or 9 months old now. And he absolutely always huffs sometimes very dramatically when my hand approaches him. He won't strike but sometimes he'll flee other times just the defensive posturing like he's going to but only huffy.

Definitely take him out though. Theres 0 environmental stimulation from being in an unchanging enclosure 24/7. They might not experience "depression" like a human would. But there has to be some kind of lower energy conciousness equivalent to the guy.

A lack of stimulation is bad for any animal. You dont need to stimulate him with interactions yourself nessescarily, you should give him safe places to explore on his own terms. And provide him little spots to hide in with thos places.

The world is so much bigger than his enclosure. And most definitely in the wild they would roam and forage a bigger area than that. And I feel like how big the lizards biology will want to take him will depend to some minor extent on how much he can move around. As he grows he'll have less room to roam in his enclosure and 1 of 2 things will probably happen. He'll move around less and will appear in my opinion depressed. Or you'll find him at the corner of the enclosed trying to climb the glass standing straight up on his hind legs. Presumably to get out.

If he's just had a big meal. Leave him be he wants to just chill. If you think he's about to shed leave him alone. It'll stress him alot more than usual.

Just my thoughts.

[ChristianH26]

They’re some very good points thanks for sharing. Not sure if you’ve seen some of my previous posts but just a word of warning, please be very careful when having your skink on your shoulder I don’t want you to have to worry like I did when he fell off my girlfriends shoulder onto a wood floor. Thankfully he was okay but please don’t make the same mistake I did

[splashy07]

If you have your skink on your shoulder (which i strongly advise not to do, they are not bearded dragons and not accustomed to climbing) please be sitting on your bed.
Also keep in mind that taking a lizard out of a 90 degree enclosure into a 60 something degree room for extended periods could be detrimental to his health. 15 second 30 degree temperature drops are not something that occurs in nature.

[Kevin142001]

Oh yes most definitely i am sitting down! On my bed. Thats the only place hes allowed to roam right now. We have a few other animals in the house and they arent allowed in my room. And he doesnt leave my room.