BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

I was wondering if anyone else has this reaction:
When Tattoo crawls around on my skin she leaves little tiny scratches that quickly become very red. I always wash them with soap and water and figure is a bit of an allergic reaction. Anyone else experience this with their bluey?

never had that prob with my bts but my iguana leaves some nasty long scratches

I'm always gettting little scratches up near my neck area when I let Sammy climb on me. I put a little neosporin on them and they're gone by morning.

About a month ago, I went to the pet store and held a bluey that they had for sale who was over a year old so she was pretty big. When I got home, I noticed big scratches from the big bluey to go with the little scratches from my little bluey! lol

I'm sure aggiegirl can attest to having some large and small scratches, having a young and older bluey herself...

I don't think Chuff's ever scratched me! He's displayed at me only once when I had him in the tub while I was cleaning his cage, and then when I went back in to the bathroom it scared him because I appeared suddenly. He crawls up onto my shoulders and neck, but I guess his claws are dull because I let him play outside a lot and he roams the house. I also think he's very gentle. He lets me play with his feet and legs and hands, I can look at his fingers, toes and everything. I can kiss his nose, and generally be a pest, and he's so tolerant and sweet.
Perhaps Sammy's nails are just small enough to be sharp? Is Tatoo a small little Skinker? Chuff's a Behemoth, so maybe thats why his claws don't hurt?
I have had the scratch reaction with my past pet Rats, however! but my dwarf hamster was too small to hurt or break the skin.
And I've seen what Iggies can do! Ouch!

Pryce has sharp little claws right now, and I get scratches every time I play with him. They're generally small but they do get somewhat red and swollen, but I'm fairly certain is this a natural human reaction, so don't worry. This also happens if my dog scratches or nips me. I think it's just the body fighting forign bacteria and such. If you're getting a lot of scratches, it's probably time for a nail trim, or lots of play time on a rough surface. Pryce will have his nails done soon. The only reason I waited this long was because he's new and I didn't want to scare him.

Well when you get scratched, the skin will react to it by showing an irritation, because the skin practical gets riped open (in a wery small way)
Therefore the red "swell" reaction on the skin (however it depends on the size of the scratch )

Yes, it is definitely an allergic reaction to whatever is on your skinks nails.

many people have a slight allergic reaction to reptile scratches.... some more so.

Is it ok to stick some sand paper in a box and put them in there for a while?
Because they will try to climb out so they will be working on their nails too right and that would save cutting them.

Kris

Thanks for all the good info guys. Tattoo is three months old and has tiny sharp claws. She is very sweet and calm and the scratches occur when I allow her to crawl up my arm or around my neck and their is no fabric between us. Probably time for a manicure.

I think some people react more than others to the skink scratches. The small scratches on my arms quickly turn red and puff up. The same type of scratch on my husband's arm do nothing. I also have a hard time cleaning out the skink cages. I sneeze like crazy and start wheezing. I think I remember Dragontears saying that she has a reaction to one of her skinks (or to one of Zach's skinks--can't remember).

Could it be the substrate, or something in it? Or maybe (this is gonna sound gross) trace amounts of something in their poo that they might walk through and it gets on their nails, then they scratch so its an irritant, like the bacteria thing Fatal_S suggeested ?

kris21 wrote:Is it ok to stick some sand paper in a box and put them in there for a while?
Because they will try to climb out so they will be working on their nails too right and that would save cutting them.

Kris

I wouldn't use sandpaper, because while it may trim the nails, your skink has its belly on the ground for 99% of the time. If you have a concrete step or something like that - with some roughness but not amazingly so- I'd take your skinkers to play on there. Pryce has a rough basking stone, and he plays outside on cement, so his nails are slowly getting better, but I'll give it a bit more time and see.

Most of my scratches come from my Kei's and Indo. Their nails are sharper then my northerns and easterns.

yeah thats happened to me lots and lots od times, my scrathes look like chicken pocks, but i cut his nails so he doesnt hurt no more. i figured it just went a little deep and so it is swelling

mine leaves marks that last and they itch but they go away after 3-4 days. It happens with all 3 blues

Marie wrote:I think some people react more than others to the skink scratches. The small scratches on my arms quickly turn red and puff up. The same type of scratch on my husband's arm do nothing. I also have a hard time cleaning out the skink cages. I sneeze like crazy and start wheezing. I think I remember Dragontears saying that she has a reaction to one of her skinks (or to one of Zach's skinks--can't remember).

Yeah, Renee thinks she allergic to only the gigas varieties.


It's all in her head!

Zach wrote:

Marie wrote:I think some people react more than others to the skink scratches. The small scratches on my arms quickly turn red and puff up. The same type of scratch on my husband's arm do nothing. I also have a hard time cleaning out the skink cages. I sneeze like crazy and start wheezing. I think I remember Dragontears saying that she has a reaction to one of her skinks (or to one of Zach's skinks--can't remember).

Yeah, Renee thinks she allergic to only the gigas varieties.


It's all in her head!

I leave for a bit and you just start picking on me!

I sneeze and wheeze when I clean all my blueys cages, and I puff up a bit around the scratches to most of them, but only the gigas skinks make my eyes swell up for some reason.

I sneeze when cleaning out the reptile bark. the dust kills me.

Yea, thats why I make a point to rinse it heavily in 5g buckets before using it. Although I have switched to carefresh again, reptibark is too expensive.

Dragontears wrote:

Zach wrote:

Marie wrote:I think some people react more than others to the skink scratches. The small scratches on my arms quickly turn red and puff up. The same type of scratch on my husband's arm do nothing. I also have a hard time cleaning out the skink cages. I sneeze like crazy and start wheezing. I think I remember Dragontears saying that she has a reaction to one of her skinks (or to one of Zach's skinks--can't remember).

Yeah, Renee thinks she allergic to only the gigas varieties.


It's all in her head!

I leave for a bit and you just start picking on me!

I sneeze and wheeze when I clean all my blueys cages, and I puff up a bit around the scratches to most of them, but only the gigas skinks make my eyes swell up for some reason.

I don't sneeze but my scratches from my keis and Indo definetly get redder and are more tender then what I get from my northerns and easterns. I wonder if it's because their nails seem longer and sharper so the scratch farther below the surface.