My skink suddenly bit me!

[Moirasaurus]

I have a 1 year old Northern. His cage is on my desk in my home office and he frequently comes out to explore while I work. Recently, when he's on the floor, he's bitten my toes twice. I figured he likes the smell of my feet, weird but okay. Just now I was working on my computer using my mouse and he bit my finger. It hurts and broke skin. This is not a fearful or aggressive skink who is being cornered or over handled, I'm very confused and sad. Any thoughts or advice? He's not underweight, just ate yesterday and has never been fed pinkies or anything that might look like a finger, what the heck?!?

[Janella]

So my guess, is the movement of your toes and movement of your hand on the mouse at work stimulated a bite/let me see what this is response. I would try to handle your skink for a few days and reinforce positive interactions with treats afterward. Then, be careful in the future of movements. My daughter got bite in the foot by our Northern also before because she went to block the skink from going in the direction it wanted to go. Also if they are about to shed or in season for breeding, they can be more moody as well.

[Moirasaurus]

Thank you. May be about to shed and probably going through puberty. Hoping this behavior is temporary and intermittent...we'll see.

[mb606587]

Skinks that are hungry will eat almost anything. A skink seeing a toe might not understand what it is, but still going to give it a taste.

[Rob]

you have 10 of them! Poor little skink.

[Moirasaurus]

It's still happening . i've been bitten three times in two days. Does anyone keep their skink on small frequent meals instead of intermittent larger meals? What is something i could feed him every day without him getting fat?

[Janella]

My adult Northern gets a tbs of food on Monday and Friday with treats here in there every day. He isn't fat and never tries to bite.

[splashy07]

No matter how we try to domesticate them, a reptile is still a reptile. They do not understand that it is a part of their caretaker and not something to sample to see if edible. Younger ones are more prone to this as they're always hungry. Motion is a stimulator, you should see my big fat lazy shingleback take off after something live. It's like someone put a firecracker behind her. Otherwise she is a pet rock.

[IvanDanko]

Second the above points. For now you may just need to remove the stimulus I.e. keep him away from your wriggling toes or moving fingers and handle him separately during work at the desk. Movement is such a strong trigger for BTS its ridiculous! Like the others have said. My male Blotched BTS will respond to a struggling wood roach trapped in feeding tongs from 5 meters away, the same thing for when I enter the room with the purple feeding cup I carry them in.