too much handling?

[nivek5225]

Is it better to handle a blue tongued skink a lot? Can you handle them TOO much? Some other reptiles i've read about can get stressed if you hold them for too long...

thanks,
kevin

[darklord6]

i dont think you can handle them to much, unless there not used to human touch and your grabbing them every five minutes, but if hold them for a short while like 20-30min and lay them on your lap i dont think there will be a problem, thats my opinion from me having other reptiles but im a beg bts owner so i might not be right

darklord

[Blotch]

you don't wanna disturb them during brumation. But when they are out and about - they handle human interraction quite well.

[Fatal_S]

If you're going to handle a skink that's not so used to being handled go for a single, longer period of time, so it's not in and out all the time. Give them a place to hide at first, and then let them explore at their leisure.

[MartinsPerson]

If you're going to handle a skink that's not so used to being handled go for a single, longer period of time, so it's not in and out all the time. Give them a place to hide at first, and then let them explore at their leisure.

I actually disagree with this. I found that frequent shorter periods of handling were more effective for taming difficult skinks. With my first skink (a WC indo) I would take him out and hold him in a towel....just long enough for him to calm down. I'd let him relax enough that he was interested in cruising around on my lap/couch, and then go ahead and put him back. I did that 4-5 times a day and it worked really well for taming. The hardest part is the actual removal from the cage, but my logic was that if my bluey started to associate that with things that didn't hurt then it would gradually become less stressful.

I'd caution that this logic is most often applied to mammals, but it seemed to work pretty well on the bluey that I tried it with.

[PsyKoViggy]

I let mine fall asleep in my pocket, so its sort of.. interaction without the handling. He feels safe and in control while also becomeing used to me.

Has worked for my little Indo, who only yesterday reacted by, what i can only describe as, leaping up eagerly at the glass when i called his name.. and i was 2 rooms away, lol.

Its also good if you can leave the door open and do something else, such as read a book, so you arn't stareing at the poor thing (but of course keep an eye on the door) and wait for him to come out by himself. That way he won't feel forced out of his home, heh.

[nivek5225]

Thanks for all the replies!

Should i not disturb a skink that is hiding? Should i wait until he is out and about to handle him?

Also, I will be getting a baby so im sure he will be freaking out thinking i want to eat him or something, so he will probably be racing away from me and trying to bite me. Should i just grab him(safely) anyways?

[Dragontears]

some skinks always hide, so waiting until they are out might be a never ending battle. When you get your baby, wait a few days for him/her to settle in and then reach in and pick him/her up regardless of whether it is hiding. If you have a front opening tank, that is generally less stressful for them than a top opening tank when you reach in...a top opening tank makes you seem like a bird that is going to swoop down and carry them off. If you have to go with a top opening enclosure, you will probably want to reach in on the opposite end of where the baby is and come towards the baby from the side where s/he can see you.

[Tattoo]

I employed the frequent short visit plan and it worked well. Make sure you speak to your bluey as you approach so they know you are heading their way.

[Blotch]

I'll repeat, If your bluey is in Brumation, it's better to leave them alone.

[Tattoo]

I'll repeat, If your bluey is in Brumation, it's better to leave them alone.

Yup ... my guy has only been out once every couple of weeks since the end of October. If it's winter and they are brunating daily play time is a no no.

[Leigh]

After he/she's finished brumating and is happily wandering its cage,you can stroke and tickle before lifting out,this way you'll see how stressed or not he is, also when out of the cage make sure there are no COLD draughts that can chill the fella off too much, I agree that frequent visits to the cage for visual and voice recognition are a good idea,even if you dont get him out every time,also try to play/tickle his feet,this can help with nail trimming (if you need to ) in the future.

[Zach]

For me, it comes down to two things.

One is how used to handling ARE they? If they're friendly and accustomed to handling, a lot of it likely won't bother them. If they're more skittish and not too used to people, then less is probably better. Slurpy will literally sit at the front of the glass ALL DAY looking out. He never hides, he rarely explores, he plants his face at the glass and sits there and climbs up. If that's not wanting out, I don't know what is. All 9 of the others sit under their basking rocks, or hide/explore randomly. Slurpy even sits at the glass during "brumation", in fact, I'm not sure he even brumates. He sits at the glass whether the lights are on or off!

My second point has to do with how much heat they are getting. If you handle them a lot, make sure they still have time to be in their enclosure and warm up -- especially if they've eaten.