Why is my blue tongue skink hissing at me?

[Dorosz0869]

I got my bts in the mail 2 days ago and ever since I got her she keeps being defensive end hissing at me

[Fatal_S]

Because it's small and you're big and scary.

Leave it alone for a week or so. All reptiles need time to settle in and get used to you. Only interact to give food/water and spot-clean the tank.

Check the FAQ section and read through the caresheet.

It may feel like it takes a while before the skink is calm and happy, but remember that skinks live around 20 years, so be patient now and look forward to an awesome life with your new pet.

[Dorosz0869]

Thank you,you have no clue how long I was looking for an answer to this until I came across this forum

[shingleback aus]

thats perfectly normal and expected.. hissing is just part off there deffense the first stage means back off he is threatend in some way just give him some time to settle in and he should calm down congrats on your new bluey!

[LarissaLurid]

As the others have said, it's pretty normal for many to act this way. Imagine if you were placed in a bag, bumped around and shipped somewhere, then some giant all the sudden you've never seen in some place you have no idea where you are suddenly grabs you out of the bag and expects you to love him. As they said, just give him some time to settle in without being bothered. Giving daily food, water, and spot cleaning without trying to touch the skink will help show him you mean no harm and are only there to provide good things. Another thing that would help is sitting near the cage and talking to the skink (no fast movements). Letting him see you are just going to sit and talk will help him realize that you being near him isn't dangerous and that you aren't just going to grab him out of the tank. It may take time, it's different for every lizard just like each human is different. Some people need to do a lot of work with theirs to show them it's alright and to calm them down, and with others like mine, he never hissed or was really scared. Just take it slow and do a lot of sitting near the tank talking, eventually put your hand in just to let him smell and leave it there for a while without touching or grabbing him, placing a small piece of your clothing in the tank for your scent can also help a little. Eventually you can try petting him gently and then later try to hold him. But like they said above, just take it slow and be patient, you have the next 20 years with your little guy so just make everything as comfortable and not scary as possible. :]

[Dorosz0869]

Thank everyone