Skink eye problems

[Samclothier]

Hi my halemehara bts currently has a dry looking, weird shaped and crusty eye and have looked around but haven’t found anything that looks the same. He also blinks a lot from that eye and hasn’t eaten a lot in a while. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Sam

[mb606587]

How long have you had your Halmahera and are you providing the proper humidity levels of 80% and higher? My first impression is that the problem probably has to do with inadequate humidity in the enclosure.

[mb606587]

If you can, give some information about the setup. What are the temperatures in the basking and cool zones? What is the humidity at? What substrate are you using? What are you feeding? If you are not 100% sure you have a Halmahera, post a picture of the entire skink from above. IMO, Halmaheras are the toughest BTS to keep due to very demanding husbandry requirements.

[Samclothier]

The enclosure is 4ftx1ft7”x1ft7” ,the hotspot is 30oc and the cool end is 23oc. When we bought it it was being fed Arcadia I’m I pro and dusted locusts but now will eat beef mince grapes pinki mice peas and broccoli. For substrate we use coco, sphagnum moss and orchid bark. He has now stopped eating everything other than mince and hasn’t even eaten that tonight. He was sold to us as a halemehara.

[mb606587]

Yep that's a Halmahera. Your size of enclosure and choice of substrate are appropriate. The diet is okay, not great. I would try to get him back on the Arcadia or dusted locusts. Beef mince and pinky mice are fine once in a while, but they should not be a staple diet as they are both low in calcium and would need to be supplemented with calcium and multivitamin powders. Grapes are good treats but that's about it. Broccoli is great...never got any of mine to eat it but if you can get yours to, then keep it up. Try to give a bit more variety in the diet. Here is an excellent FOOD CHART. Your basking temperature is too low. You want to shoot for at least 37 degrees Celsius, which may jump start its metabolism to help it start eating more. Your cool side is at a perfect temperature. You never mentioned what your humidity is kept at, which is very important to this species. Halmaheras typically don't do well at anything less than 80%. And how long have had him and when was the last time he was eating regularly? Chronic low humidity frequently causes issues with the eyes, shedding problems, and all types of respiratory problems, including infections. If you can hear your skink wheezing or having difficulty breathing, or notice any discharge coming from the mouth, nose, or eyes, its likely a sign of respiratory infection, which would need to be treated by a vet. So hopefully that's not the case. But with Halmaheras especially, it is imperative that you have a way to monitor the humidity levels inside, especially in the drier winter seasons when humidity drops dangerously low. And don't look for hygrometers at the pet store. You need an accurate digital variety typically found at the hardware store. I would HIGHLY recommend some form of a humid hide filled with damp moss that your skink could completely burrow into. That would aid in shedding and help with the dry dehydrated scales. Many people find that spraying the enclosure with a spray bottle and water alone won't keep the humidity where it needs to be. Most people with Halmaheras find misting systems or reptile foggers the best solution if nothing else works.

[Samclothier]

Oh yes sorry about that the humidity is at a constant of at least 65+% and I’m finding new ways of keeping it higher for longer so I’m going to get a misting system. Regarding the temp I have highered it on the thermostat. Thanks for helping