A few days ago I noticed a scuff on the side of his face. One spot was in front of his eye, and one on his chin. No big deal, just little scratches. I thought he just had a misadventure, because he's really really active throughout the day. Then a few days later, it looked more prominent. I thought it was just the healing process. Whatever he did, he has done yet again, because here's what it looked like yesterday: click here
(I'm not embedding this image because it's hard to look at
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It looks bloody, but I don't think it actually bled. Everything in his cage has been there since I got him, but the enclosure itself is new (it is a glasscages acrylic slider). What I think he's doing is sticking his nose in the gap between the sliding glass doors and the front "lip" that holds substrate in. The lip sort of has a rough edge, and if you look closely it's the back of the scales that were torn -- like he stuck his nose in a small space, got it caught, then ripped his head back really violently. The dark irritated spots above and below the injury line up, like you can pass a straight line (e.g. a ledge) straight through them. That's what makes me think he's sticking his head in there. He became obsessed with those doors when he learned he can climb out when I open them. I am just guessing though. I filled the gaps with cardboard for now so he can't do it again.
So my questions are... Has anyone else ever had a skink do something like this to themselves? Is there anything I can do for now aside from keep the cage really clean? Vet visit required?
