BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Well I for one, have had a very nerve-wracking few hours. So now, story time.

I started feeding the horde today, and it wasn't until I went to take Wocket out that I noticed the tank had not been closed properly. After a through search of the tank - no Wocket.

At this point I started to panic. I knew that my little sister had played with Wocket yesterday, so that's when the tank was left somewhat open. I also have my dog to think about, and thoughts like those make my heart stop.

So me and my 2 younger sisters tore my room apart searching. No sign of Wocket. Next, we decided to remove everything we could from the room. Partway through this we were removing all clothing. As a small pile went flying, I hear a hiss. There's Wocket, climbing out of the pile of clothes after his impromtu flight.

He was quickly grabbed, and apart from being cold, he seems fine. I'm still checking him every few minutes as he basks, but I think the large cushy pile of clothes saved him. Poor lizard, nearly gave me a heart attack. I just want to be cuddling him right now.

Both siblings have now had specific lessons on how to close the tank properly, and the one feels really bad about letting him loose. Wocket is behaving normally now, basking and watching me. Should I take him to the vet ASAP, or just keep an eye on him? This is not my idea of a relaxing evening.

I wouldn't be too worried...

I'll never forget when I was younger, I had a leopard gecko escape... I didn't even know until I heard my mom yelling that there was a gecko in the bathroom... LOL my poor mom, scared of reptiles and here she is sitting on the toilet as a gecko brushes up against her foot...

Jeez Fatal ... you must have been beside yourself. Not sure what's prompting you to take him to the vet. Are you concerned about the amount of time he was cold or maybe that he had a fall and was hurt? Do you see any outward signs of trama? Glad you found the little imp in one piece.

I was more scared of his fall. I think I remember when Brigget's Lilly fell she showed no signs of damage until the next day. I just don't want to find out he's broken something. I probably don't need to worry, but Argh! Wocket is my little baby skink, he's already my favorite, and I can't imagine what I would have done if I hadn't found him safe. I was definately beside myself.

So far I don't think he's showing any trauma. He's moving slowly around his tank, looking around. He did a very odd cough when I'd first picked him up, but after that he just huffed a few times. Poor little skinker.

I would keep an eye on him and watch for anything weird. I would think if something was really wrong he wouldn't be moving around. Probably the only one truly damaged by the escape was you. Hey keep us posted.

Hey Steve,
Loved you story about your mom, the potty and the gecko. Poor woman.

I take my blueys outside almost every day. I always leave their lids open when I take them out. When I put them back, I close their lids. One day, one of my younger kiddos got hurt and I handed off my baby bluey to my older son to put up. He never closed the lid so I thought he'd forgotten to put her up. He wasn't around so I began searching frantically outside for her. Then, I realized that he might have just forgotten to close the tank. I was in tears as I dug her out and cuddled her. My friends and family just don't fathom how much that little skinker means to me! I can totally empathize with you! Glad you found her and hopefully she'll be fine after her little flight. Keep an eye on her but don't stress without just cause!

Fatal - I've had this happen!

I was actually in the study one day and My blueys are in my bedroom. I heard a big BANG, and wondered what it was. I went o investigate, and sure enough - Lance had escaped and dropped almost 2 meters onto my floor. He was cool, no damage, and surprising he was calm when i picked him up, As he's always a terror. Maybe the fall scared him? Either way - there has been no escape attempts from him since.

aggiegirl wrote:I take my blueys outside almost every day. I always leave their lids open when I take them out. When I put them back, I close their lids. One day, one of my younger kiddos got hurt and I handed off my baby bluey to my older son to put up. He never closed the lid so I thought he'd forgotten to put her up. He wasn't around so I began searching frantically outside for her. Then, I realized that he might have just forgotten to close the tank. I was in tears as I dug her out and cuddled her. My friends and family just don't fathom how much that little skinker means to me! I can totally empathize with you! Glad you found her and hopefully she'll be fine after her little flight. Keep an eye on her but don't stress without just cause!

Oh man, it's the WORST feeling. Nothing was worse than seeing Eugene go underground.

i' glad you found him safe! although off topic, one night, i was sleeping on my sister's bed, and i felt something on me, like a string. i look and her snake is crawling up my arm. i absolutely do not like snakes without a pane of glass between us. her's is about 12 inches, (its a pink corn snake).

Glad you found him! I lost a small green snake and was sure she was gone forever, then weeks later, I picked up a towel off a pile of clothes on the floor and there she was. She was fine, tho a bit hungry! I lived in my mom's huge house and several cats and dogs, so I was EXCTATIC to find her alive and well after so long! Glad you didn't have to wait long to find Wocket!

I'm glad you found him and things seem fine!

I'll never forget when I was younger, I had a leopard gecko escape... I didn't even know until I heard my mom yelling that there was a gecko in the bathroom... LOL my poor mom, scared of reptiles and here she is sitting on the toilet as a gecko brushes up against her foot...

That was too funny.

So glad you found him Fatal! I don't know what I'd do in your situation. Have an anxiety attack maybe...

It's interesting to hear everyone's stories about their little escape skinks. I think I'll start a new thread on it....

Wocket is looking totally normal today. I don't think his foray into the great unknown affected him even a bit. I admit I had some bad dreams of what might have happened last night, but it seems all is well. Thank God. I'm now in the process of skink-proofing an area of my room for some explore time, as well as cleaning it up.