Getting Discouraged

[brunetteoctober]

hi, i got my bluey in late September and he seems to not be getting any friendlier. he is constantly lunging at me when i put my hand in his cage, one day i was giving him food and he missed my hand and bit the ceramic food dish, cracking it in half! when i hold him i wrap him in a towel, but he still thrashes so much that i feel i am constantly juggling him. not to mention the constant (or so it seems) stream of pee and waterie poo he shoots at me. what more can i do? i've had him for almost two months and he only seems to be getting worse. i know taming is supposed to take a while, but he gets meaner every day.

[SailleSkinklover]

Yikes, what kind of Bluey do you have? (Tanny? Indo? Northern?)
How are you approaching? From above or from the front? (Above approach is quite threatening to them, especially if you are coming "out of the light" like a bird of prey would)
Is your Bluey a baby? (Babies tend to be more skittish and nervous because they have to be to survive in the wild)
When approaching, do you talk to your bluey to let him/her know you are there?
Do you have a radio or ambient human noise going on while you are away at work or school? (this helps them get used to human activity and noise so they're not as freaked out by you after sitting in the boring quiet house all day)
As for the poo/pee, thats a defense because they're frightened/threatened. Don't put him back after that happens! ( otherwise you'll train him that thats how he gets left alone!) Just wear a nice dark towel.
Hope this helps, keep up the good work!

[brunetteoctober]

i believe he's an IJ hybrid (from opinions on this site). he is 18 inches, i approach from the top, but turn off and remove his lights before opening the cage. he is in my room, but i share with three other people and there is always someone in there. i talk to him a lot. he only comes out of hiding when he thinks there is no one there and if he sees you he runs back to hide.
last night was kind of amusing, because he was shedding and i was trying to pick the loose stuff off. he would turn to bite but then half was around he would start scratching himself on my nails, then go back to biting. it was a constant circle of hate and relief until all the shed came off.

[Tattoo]

Is it possible that he could be offended by some scent (perfume or hand lotion)you are using or maybe fabric softener on the towel you are wrapping him in? Or could someone else be visiting him when you are not around and scaring him? I have never heard anyone say their bluey bit and broke a ceramic plate. I do know that the breeder I purchased from sold a lovely baby and when it got to the new owners it turned into the beast from hell. It took them months of trying but that critter got over himself and reverted back to the lovely sweet baby he had been. I think plodding patience is the key. And hey if you need moral support we're all here for you.

[SailleSkinklover]

Sounds like your Bluey is a Wild Caught. At 18 inches, he sounds pretty big, close to full grown. In that case, yep, he'll be freakish for a while, ( being a wild caught import) but he'll hopefully calm down with consistency and patience. Try feeding him when you take him out, so he can associate you with yumm yumms instead of the terror of being scooped up and man-handled.
Where did you get him from? What kind of enclosure is he in?

[brunetteoctober]

see thats the thing, when at the store, the guy picks him up and hold him. he doesn't get peed on or lunged at. he pets his head and rubs his nose without any of the nastiness.

this store is run by a reptile breeder and his brother-they are really good guys, who knows whats what. there was a large group of them (all housed separate) of 6. all the same-size, appearance, etc.

no one in my house would purposely scare him.

i wouldn't be surprised if he was wild caught considering the mite infestation he had.

it wasn't a plate he broke in half, it was a shallow reptile bowl.

the type of enclosure he's in is (please don't kill me but it was part of the negotiation of getting him) is a 20 gal long tank. my mom wouldn't allow anything bigger and i am moving the 1st of January, where i have a proper 65 gal terrarium waiting for him.

in all other respects he is very healthy. he has shed twice since i got him, has grown 2 1/2 inches, all traces of mites have been gone for a good month, he eats very well, and hardily never turning down a meal of anything-even starting to appear a bit chunky. as far a food he gets a mix of collard greens, mustard greens, and dandilion greens; strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries; then either egg, cat food, or phoenix worms.

would the size of his tank be a significant impact on his mood? even so, i thought he would be a little nicer then this. do you think he can sense my intimidation .

[SailleSkinklover]

I think yes, he can certainly sense your intimidation. Don't feel bad about the 20 gal, mine was in one for a while before I could afford a nice huge enclosure for him. I do know that mine got a lot of outside time, but he was fiesty because he needed the exercise! ( remember, these guys wander around some distance in the wild!) He still gets grumpy and huffy if I don't play with him for a couple of days, but he calms down readily.

I wonder if while at the store, those guys kept him at a cooler temp, therefore he'd appear more mellow and handleable. This is a trick that some unscrupulous vendors will do at herp expos, to make their animals seem more tame to the unsuspecting/ingnorant buyer. They're more sluggish when they're cool temperature-wise, so they seem more mellow and tame!

I remember your mite situation now. To be honest, from what you've described, the guys you bought from don't sound like the most reliable or honest of people, especially if they sold a skink so badly infested with mites. Nobody in their right mind should ever sell an animal in that condition! And if they deal with herps, they should certainly know the tell-tale signs!
All I can say is, you sound like you're on the right path with the diet and your skink sounds like a wild caught import. He's healthy now and free of mites so they will perk up and get more fiesty the healthier they are. (Mine was a rescue and was very mellow when I first got him. This was due to lack of nourishment/ proper food, and temps. He's a different animal now, alert and curious, and even a picky eater!) He's gotten much stronger too, so health makes a big difference!

[Blotch]

You're bigger than he/she is - sure a bite will hurt - for all of a minute - but just think - you can clench a fist and kill it (not that you would) - so have some confidence, show him.her who's boss and keep handling. Also - make sure you wash your hands before and after having contact with your bluey. As the guys above have stated, scents could be triggering this behaviour. Also - in regards to coming from above or the side, if you're coming from Above, be quick - otherwise you'll allow it time to strike. If you're in and out with it, it'll relax once he/she realises what's happening.

[UnknownBluey16]

It could be possible that your BTS is mean because you haven't named Him/Her yet. I would get angry also

[brunetteoctober]

sorry. yes, i finally gave him (or her) a name. i appreciate all of your suggestions, unfortunately, his trident on his head has been slowly disappearing with each shed. with this in mind i decided to stray from the water based names and go with Cricket. it just seemed to fit.

i will keep handling him, and with the semester on the count down, hopefully more in the up coming weeks. thanks again for all your help.

[Fatal_S]

Good luck with Cricket. And remember, it may seem like he doesn't like you now, but he'll come around, and then you'll have many, many happy years together.

[Leigh]

I'm wondering why you think he's safe with other room mates, if they dont have a clue they could be winding him up without realising it, like tapping on the glass to wake him up or something, also I noticed you said you turn off the lights before going in,Why? he may see this as another capture attempt,may of had a bad experience when snatched from the wild, and he might like to be left to sleep as soon as the sun goes down . dont feed him for a week and then make him take bits of his favourite food from your hand(carefully) it might convince him your more of a friend than enemy.

[KyleWeiss]

i approach from the top, but turn off and remove his lights before opening the cage. he is in my room, but i share with three other people and there is always someone in there. ....it was a constant circle of hate and relief until all the shed came off.

If the above is what is happening, and your bluey might be wild caught, there's a few things to address.

I wouldn't approach from the top. This won't solve your problems short-term, but it's a known problem that the "prey" instinct of the bluey from being whisked away from above is probably hard-wired into their heads. This is the reason why front-access vivariums are popular; I wish I had one myself.

I've noticed that in darker rooms and situations, Rollie is more skittish and less friendly. They are daytime creatures, and I'm thinking and theorizing their eyesight isn't great in the dark. Therefore, they're reacting to a situation they can't identify.

Rollie is very shy in his cage with people around. I'm not sure why, because once we get him out, he's a ham. He loves everyone. But in his cage with a ton of people in the room, seems to feel intimidated. Your room with 3 other people might be something to look at changing if possible.

Shedding almost always makes for an irritated bluey. Extended and long sheds only increase the attitude at times.

All of these factors combined are going to lengthen the time it takes to get your bluey to come around. It's also possible he/she may not come around to your liking. It's why we suggest captive-bred animals here. Tenacity and perseverance will tell in the end, so don't give up.

Good luck, I hope that helped shed some insight into the situation.

KW

[Zach]

Sounds like your Bluey is a Wild Caught. At 18 inches, he sounds pretty big, close to full grown. In that case, yep, he'll be freakish for a while, ( being a wild caught import) but he'll hopefully calm down with consistency and patience. Try feeding him when you take him out, so he can associate you with yumm yumms instead of the terror of being scooped up and man-handled.
Where did you get him from? What kind of enclosure is he in?

I imagine her putting the lizard in a headlock or something.

[Jenn]

Both or my Keis and my Indo are in sliding glass front cages. The definetly come out much easier and calmer from these cages. I also have tons of fake flowers and things in their cages. I have found that the more stuff in there for them to hide behind makes them feel more secure and they are actually out an about more often. I think because they are more secure in their cages, they freak less when I take them out. I rarely hold my indo and WC Kei in my bare hands. They don't seem to like it. Their perfered spot is sitting up on my sholder. They are willing to hang out there for hours.

[brunetteoctober]

It's also possible he/she may not come around to your liking. It's why we suggest captive-bred animals here. Tenacity and perseverance will tell in the end, so don't give up.

You mean that he may never be friendly?!? that makes me sad, but i have him now and wouldn't trade him.

as far as the top opening, its what i have for now. the enclosure i have waiting is front opening, but its a good 6 weeks before he will ever see that.

i wont give up. i know it will take time.

i totally agree with having only captive breed animals. if i would have even thought he was WC when i bought him, i would not have. taking animals out of the wild to keep caged up as pets is very cruel ... i wont go off on that rant .

[brunetteoctober]

I held Cricket for a hour today! i wrapped him in a towel and we watched Dr. Phil and i picked some remaining shed off his face. he threatened to bite me only twice when i tried to get under his chin. other wise he slept in the towel. i carried him around the house, and he didn't even pee once!

[mom22wins]

That is so good to hear. I imagine you'll have more and more good days as opposed to bad the more you handle him.

[Leigh]

:urgent: I held Cricket for a hour today! i wrapped him in a towel and we watched Dr. Phil and i picked some remaining shed off his face. he threatened to bite me only twice when i tried to get under his chin. other wise he slept in the towel. i carried him around the house, and he didn't even pee once!

Lots of animals dont like being tickled under the chin,mines tame but doesnt like it, ever tried to do it to a cat thats not familiar with you?OUCH!!! and being wild caught makes it worse, dont give up, it can only get better.

[Tattoo]

It must have been the influence of Dr. Phil! Maybe you should make that a daily ritual. Don't forget to tell Cricket in a calm voice "resistance is futile" during commercial breaks.

Glad to hear your buddy gave you an hour of good behavior. Hang in there.