BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Hey guys,
I'm a brand new blue tongue skink owner. I just got my baby northern 1 week ago from Zach and Holly. This is my first one so I have some questions. I have 2 bearded dragons and a frilled dragon already but a blue tongue is very different so all advice will be greatly appreciated. Last Saturday Tank my blue tongue came in the mail. I let him warm up in his basking spot immediately and then I fed him boiled chicken, turnip greens, carrots, a blueberry, and some superworms. He ate it all right away and drank lots of water. The next day he ate all that but about half the amount. Since then he has been hiding in his substrate and won't come out unless I get him out for food. He doesn't even look at food and will sit in his basking spot for a minute and then immediately burrow in his substrate again. He hisses at me insanely and has even tried biting me a few times. He is calm and inquisitive while out of his cage but once I put him back in he has no interest in food or water and burrows again. He now hasn't eaten for 6 days. I saw him drinking water a couple times. I have him on aspen chips with a reptisun 10.0 and a basking spot of 102 on slate tiles. Am I doing anything wrong and what can I do to calm down the hissing and get him to eat and not hide all the time? I was giving him time to acclemate but now that he hasn't eaten for 6 days I'm getting worried. Thanks guys, all advice will be greatly appreciated. Thom

He just needs to come around. My BTS, which came from a pet store, took about a week and a half to settle in and start eating. Many skinks will huff and puff when you reach in to get them out but once they are out they are fine. Also, Coomassie (my Northern) bites my husband but not me. I'm not sure why but he seems to have come around to me although my husband often handles him more. Keep offering food and give the baby his space. He will come around when he is ready.

Not eating when you first get your skink is very normal in my opinion. Your best bet, I think, would be to just not handle him for a few more weeks and just provide him with water and food. You will see him come around. They can go without food for a very long time. Right now your skink, I presume, is just nervous and scared for being in a new home.

Welcome to the forums!!

Don't worry about not eating, as others have said. Make sure your temps are ok - they seem to be fine, just be sure you're measuring them with a good temp gun / digital thermometer. Wet cat / dog food is usually a hit and might entice him to eat. But he will be fine for a few weeks without food.

As for taming, it just takes time and patience. Good luck - you're definitely not the only one who has gone through something like this!

That happends to all reptiles! (or most) I can say so because I experienced it with my gecko. You just have to give them a week or two of acclimation period to become accustomed to their new home.

Now I don't know how worried you are about it, but I thought my girl was impacted ha.

But no need to repeat what others say, it's normal for babies ah heck even adults. Lets say you were 3 inches tall and a half a foot long into a brand-new enviornment. You'd be pretty scared too. From a house, to a plastic container for shipping or buying, to a new tank.

Thank you everyone. I pretty much thought that was the case but I just wanted to make sure. He actually ate today, but he waited till I was gone. I left the food for him when I went to work and when i came home it was all gone. He's actually out right now basking while I'm in the room but everytime I walk by his cage he darts for his log to hide. I feel we're making some progress. I know it takes time, my frilled dragon took about 2 months before he would even let me touch him. Now he sits on my shoulder or head while I'm on the computer. Thanks again, Thom

IamTom- I'm glad he's making progress. Hey, any way you can post pics of your frilled dragon in the 'Everything off topic" forum? That would be awesome.

I just got a 4 month old xanthic Tiliqua gigas. She hasn't eaten in 7 days. I know I shouldn't worry because she probably just needs time to settle in, but I can't help but be a bit anxious, because she looks skinny to me. I've tried two different cat foods, dog food, egg, and bluey buffet. She just hides under the substrate all the time. I've only seen her drink once or twice, though I don't watch her constantly. I've tried to give her space for the last 4 days and not touch her at all, and just put fresh food in every day (changing type each time) to see if she goes for it. I took her out today to make sure she looked okay, and tried feeding her off a plate and out of my hands. She has UVB and a basking area but doesn't seem to use either. I'm hoping I just need to be patient and she just needs time to adjust to her new home, but I also need to know when to really be concerned. This is my first lizard- I have 7 snakes but this is completely new territory for me. I've watched a ton of videos, read as much as I can... I just care so much for my animals and want to make sure I'm doing everything possible to give them good lives and to make sure they are healthy. If she died I would be devastated. Anything I should be looking out for or do I just need to chill out?!