Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I bought my croc skink 4 years ago, in March 2003, to be exact.I think its a female. She was doing great. A few months ago i noticed that she was keeping her eyes closed several hours a day.Now she almost never opens her eyes. She eats and wander around her cage with her eyes closed!
If i keep her in my hands too long she can eventually open her eyes and they look 100% normal. No infection, no irritation, nothing different.Her eyes look bright and healthy.
So why she prefers to keep her eyes closed?

I even increased her cage level of humidity without avail. Any comments?

Thanks!

Flavia

Could it be because of bright lights? From what i've read, crocs are kinda nocturnal, and like many other nocturnal, bright lights can iritate their eyes/make em uncomfortable, but since you've had her for almost 4 years now, i dont really think thats the problem. If the eyes are okay, have you checked the eyelids? If the humidity is just fine, and the enclosure is fine as well, i'm not quite sure whats the problem. Do you know how old is she? What do you feed her? Perhaps she is reacting coz of a nibbly feeder insect that once tried to bite her eyes/sumthin? i'm really unsure bout this.
-----
My "babies" :
1.0.1 Indo BTS (Tiliqua gigas gigas)
1.0.2 RES (Trachemys scripta elegans)
0.0.1 Amboina box turtles (Cuora amboinensis)
1.0.0 Chinese softshell (Trionyx sinensis)
1.0.0 Asian leaf turtle (Cyclemys dentata)
1.0.0 Leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
1.0.1 Indonesian Whites Tree Frogs (Litoria caerulea)
And hopefuly still growing...

Do you have a basking light on your skink? They are crepuscular, so they evolved to see in low-level lighting, at sunrise and sunset. Provide heat some other way--undertank or ceramic. Also, you didn't say how long you have increased the humidity. Continue to keep it high. They live in the tropics in waterside habitat. You could provide a plastic hidebox with moist moss inside. It would be best to give it a choice of hiding places, dry, moist, warm, cool. Also, the less you hold it, the less stress it will have in its life, at least until this issue is resolved.
-----
Lisa Rakestraw
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 Corucia zebrata
6 Egernia striolata
1 Eugongylus albofasciata
1 Eumeces schneideri

Now that you mentioned it i remember that the problem may have started when i bought a very strong UVB/A OSRAM light ( 300WW) and put that light near her cage. The light was for my ig and beardies and uros.On the beggining she enjoyed the UVB/A lights because although crocs are crepuscular they do need/enjoy UVB lights. But soon she started to hide when exposed to such a strong light.So i moved her cage far away from the light. Since then (? im not sure about that)she is keeping her eyes hooded almost 24/7/365.Do you think she still is afraid ill put her near that lamp?

I followed your advice and im keeping the heating lamp under her plastic cage so no more lights for her, only shadow.

I have had her for 4 years and she never had a health problem before. I didnt change her diet, cage furniture, nothing except for the few days, weeks, i put her cage near that light.