BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Forgive me...I searched around but couldn't find any posts about this exact behavior... I know it's important to remove loose shed from the eyes, but is it normal for the skink to squint or keep an eye shut before that shed is ready to come off of the eye? Yesterday when I got home from work it looked like my skink had EXPLODED all over the tank. Scales everywhere. I noticed he was sort of squinting one eye, and keeping the other shut most of the time. I took him out and rubbed him down with a damp paper towel. Some head scales were ready to come off, but not those toward the front of his head or the eyes. I gently rubbed around each eye with the towel then put him back. Being paranoid, I have a webcam on him all day so I can observe from work. I can see he's still got his eye shut. He is able to open it, though. When he does open the eye, it looks clear and bright -- I don't think there is anything stuck in it. It's like the scales are just very stiff and it's not worth the effort to open it.

That's interesting.

There are scales on the eyelids, so maybe they simply shed a little strangely this time.

I'm not sure about this one.

KW

It probably is just shed annoying him. I reckon they look like the kids in South Park when they all got pink eye when they shed around their eyes.
There are so many tiny scales around the eyes and eyelids that it might be one you don't know about.

Wait till he's finished completely and see if he does still have it shut. And if it starts leaking or weeping then you should go see a vet.

Hi Amanda,

I wrote you an email on this already but the shreds of shed is totally normal. You can email me your number and I can call you or you can call me? Whatever you'd like to do.

Please don't blame yourself for anything but trying to be a good mom. We'll talk about this in pm etc.

Andrew

A few mates of mine ~ describe it like us having sun burn .And they roam the deserts of australia. Have alot to do with reptiles.
ive seen wacky stuff to. All sounds normal

sunburn ouch squinting

Hi All,

I am a first time owner and am having the same squinty eye problem with my baby. Just went thru our first shed together and now eyes are almost always closed. Eyes look fine when they eventually open but skin around eyes is very dry and looks too small for the eye area. Was there finally an answer to this dilema? Will it clear up with the next shed?

Concerned mom ...

My bluey has on occasion had some retained shed around his eyes. If you will take a soft towel with a bit of warm water and wipe over the eye area (gently), these scales usually come right off. If there is any drainage or other symptoms, you might need some further assistance. A picture would help if this continues...Good luck. I'm fairly new too, by the way!

Actually, I'm almost 100% sure my skink's eye problem was due to changing his UV source to a Reptisun 10.0 compact fluorescent. It began when I introduced the bulb (I believe the shedding to be a coincidence) and he is on the mend now that I've turned it off. It was a foot away from him, but that wasn't enough. I have found out that eye problems are not uncommon with these bulbs, and some of the products (including mine) shipped without a warning and operating instructions included. I was planning on making a nice long angry anti-Zoomed post with details. In the meantime, please look at these:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9236

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9190

His eye looks normal in the photo, thats why I use the flourry tube sort, spreads it across the length of the tank instead of focusing in a spot like a basker.Look for some skinky shades