Irain Jaya Blue Tongue Skink

[Hillsberry]

I bought my first Irain Jaya Blue Tongue Skink about a week ago. He is only 4 months old right now. I got him at a reptile expo. He is very active. I did all my research before going to get one of these little guys. I made sure he was health when I got him. But I have been noticing that he is sneezing. Not a whole lot. But once in awhile I will hear a sneeze here and there. He isn't show me any signs of a infection. No heavy breath, no bubbles for noise or month. He has clear eyes, no suck shed. Nothing to me seems to be wrong with him. Do you think I should take him to the vet because of the little sneezes here and there? Or is the sneezing not a huge deal.

[dragunov.762]

what type of bedding do you use? there might be dust in it that would cause sneezing

[Hillsberry]

I use Eco Earth. I use Eco Earth on my Leepard gecko thats why I thought it might work on the Skink.

[marvelfreak]

what type of bedding do you use? there might be dust in it that would cause sneezing
This is what i was thinking. Try misting it down good and see if it sneezes after that.

[dragunov.762]

i have never used eco earth but i would imagine that it is just the dust or possibly an allergy.

[Will0W783]

I keep my blue-tongued skink on Carefresh. It's dust-free, and paper based so if he ingests a bit of it it won't hurt him. What are your temperatures like?

[Boafan9876]

I adopted a blue tongue skink from a pet store and I am having a hard time taming him any advice

[Will0W783]

Boafan9876, be gentle but persistent. Skinks, tegus, and monitors are intelligent lizards and they do well with routine. I would say first get him used to you being in the room and watching him, then once he's calm with you looking in at him, open the cage and just sit there. Get him used to that, and then try petting him. Once he's ok with you petting him and feeding him without freaking out, you can try picking him up. The whole process can take months. My skink fortunately was very tame and lazy when I got him, but it still took him a few weeks before he got used to me personally. He hid a lot at first, but will now come out and watch me every time I'm in the room. He also seems to enjoy brief handling and will eat food right out of my hands. I'm working on my savannah monitor right now. He's in the calm while being petted phase, but just squeezes his eyes shut and freezes when held. Patience and persistence is the key when working with these lizards, and building trust with treats and food really helps. There are many people on here who have far far more experience than I do with skinks and monitors, but I can tell you my experience anyway. Best of luck with your skink, just give him time and hopefully you can develop a wonderful pet/owner relationship.

[Quack]

Thanks willow, I'm getting a blue tongue skink in a few weeks and was looking for more information on taming and found exactly what I was looking for!:)

[Will0W783]

If you buy an older skink, many times they are already tamed and docile. Babies require more work to calm down, but skinks are usually good. I've yet to meet a mean skink.

[LISA127]

I know this is an old thread but I haven't been online in ages. Anyway, I have had my Irian Jaya blue tonged skink for about 11 years now. Yes, when active and burrowing through their cage they do tend to sneeze sometimes. If there is no discharge, no crusty eyes, eating and drinking fine then there is usually not a problem. These guys will occassionally do some sneezing. If you ever see any of the problems mentioned above, though, pay attention. Mine once years ago was having some bubbling from the nose. I thought he was getting sick but then noticed he had food stuck in one of his nostrils!:shocked:

[Reptile_Reptile]

lol super nice

[Hillsberry]

Hahahaha! They are really crazy eaters. They get it all over the place.

[Will0W783]

Oh man, do they ever! I just fed Jabba some scrambled organic eggs. I cook them up while he sits on my shoulder, put them in a shallow dish, and let him eat while sitting in my lap or next to me on the couch. Eggs should only be a treat, and should be cooked with no added oils or butter. Cooking destroys the avidin that can cause vitamin deficiencies in the skinks. They do love it though.