Aggressive Blue Tongue Skink

[dragonqueen4]

I recently ordered a bt skink from a pet store in halifax. Its about 12 inches long, seems to be very healthy but is obviously not used to being handled. It hisses and jolts away from me in a very aggressive manner. Anyone deal with a bt skink like this before and is it possible to tame it?

 

[jor71]

Hey dragonqueen, I have never owned one, but did a ton of research on them. From what I have gathered they are considered quite docile and non-aggressive. But, like in any species, there are exceptions to the norm.

I do not think it would be fair by anyone here to answer "yes" or "no". You can try giving the Skink some space for the first few weeks and gradually introduce yourself to him/her. Allow him/her to get acclimated to his/her new home. I think it is most likely just scared.

On that day, did you handle any of your other animals before handling the Skink? I wonder if it perhaps smells the other animal(s) on you?

Nevertheless, I would take him/her to the vet (which you should always do with a new reptile) just to be sure that there is nothing physically wrong. If you are feeling ill, you too would be irritable if someone was trying to handle you.

Just my opinion, good luck!!

 

[nivek5225]

Do you know what species it is? If it is a tanimbar (not sure of spelling), I think they tend to be a little aggresive. Or maybe it was a wild caught BTS? How long have you had it? I think with some time and patience it will get better.

 

[dragonqueen4]

he fits the physical description of the tanimbar perfectly.. that must be it .. great.. im stuck with an aggressive blue tongue that i paid 260 for.. they stay small too like 15 inches... this really sucks

 

[Beazer]

Sounds like a blue tongue to me lol. Most of the gigas subspecies I have been around seemed really moody. I had a friend who had a few tanimbars and they didnt seem any different in tempered from the other indonesian types. The gigas I had been around were quite healthy, just didnt like people in the cage or to be handled. Don't get me wrong, a few were nice, but it seemed that most would be "nice" until they got use to their environment. Perhaps its just being terrotorial? But even the nice ones seemed to dislike handling. Theyd squirm a lot until finally giving up which isnt necessarily taming down or being broken, but rather a stressed out animal that just "gives" up.
Personally, I find hte ones that are grumpy and take cheap shots at my hand when I clean adorable. They are like little stubby legged grumpy pants lol. Oh, and yeah, the vet thing is always a good idea for animals from indonesian islands and west papua/new guinea. Fluke worm is very common and its good to get it treated asap. Just supply a warmer basking area and let it cool down for a few months and change water every day and clean poop out asap so it doesnt reinfest itself. Get fecals done about twice a year for the first 3 yrs. Then after that you can get away with 1 fecal every other year or every year if you want.

-Jon DeLong

 

[Beazer]

Sorry, just read my reply. By "cool down" I mean relax for a few months and dont handle it much (its the key to help the animal not get overloaded with parasites because of stress). Just make sure it has plenty of burrowing and hiding space and dont handle it (unless inspecting or transporting) for a few months. I cant stress enough how important that is for wc stuff.

 

[hndrsnbrn]

I have owned several BTS. If you just got him you need to leave him alone for a few weeks for him to get adjusted to his environment. Then calmly pick him up once or twice a day until he gets use to you. I have never seen a BTS that will not calm down. Some will always hiss a little when you first pick them up, but will calm down once being held. The best is a Northern or an Irian Jaya as far as a good size and temperment. My current Irian Jaya BTS as never hissed or even tried to bite me. I hand feed him too almost everyday. Go to <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.bluetongueskinks.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">www.bluetongueskinks.net</a><!-- w -->. This is a great site that will give you a wealth of information on Blue Tongues as well as good breeders. Most of the BTS in the pet trade or wild caught. If yours is wild caught it will take some time for him to tame, but with a little work it will be no problem.