Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

I'm sorry I keep asking the same questions all the time, but I can't seem to get this right.

Slitherin has not eaten for 2 days and she has been sleeping alot for a while now. She had been walking through her food and getit between her toes and on her tail. I would soak her in the tub with warn water and wash it off. Could I possibly given her a cold? The temp. in her cage doesn't seem to make a difference. It's been at 95degrees, between 95 and 100,110 to 115 and she just sleeps and sleeps

Where are you located? If you are in the USA it is Winter, and it seems our animals know what's happening outside even if the temps inside are nice and toasty! May be time to brumate her for a couple of months.
Just a thought.
Beth

Hi Beth,

I was thinking maybe she was too young to brumate. But I guess not.
Thank you,
Barbara

n/p
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Edward
Carpe diem

I almost had a heart attack.I checked in on Slytherin today and she could not open one of her eyes and her back bone is showing. I pick her up to take a look of her and I'm glad I did. I put her on her water bowl and she drank and drank and drank. I gave her her favorite food gerbers sweet potatoes. I gently put drops of water on the closed eye and she opened it, thank God! She walked through her food and is now soaking her own foot in the water bowl. I could soak her in the tub but I'm afraid she may have a cold.

Barbara

Hi, Barbara:
How often do you soak Slitherin? Soaking in water is NOT a natural behavior for skinks, except maybe, maybe, maybe when they're shedding then they might, might, might do so. Why am I being so emphatic about it? Because I don't see what's natural or good about regularly soaking your blue-tongue. I don't know if that may have led to an upper respiratory infection or other disease, but I strongly disagree with doing it on a regular basis. If she keeps walking through her food, then you need to devise a way to offer it to her so that it won't get all over her.
Cold-blooded creatures are, naturally, temperature-dependent. And so in spite of your best efforts, Slitherin may simply be slowing down because it's winter. Let it do what's natural. Just keep an eye out for anything abnormal, keep offering water, and let it brumate as it needs to do.
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Edward
Carpe diem

Hi Edward,

Thank you for coming to my rescue again. Slytherin does "snort" once in a while and almost knocks herself over. Other than that, her breathing seems to be ok. I'll try to resist soaking her to get the food of her feet. I'm just afraid that it would damage her toes and make her sick.

Do you or anyone have any suggestions on how to feed her so she doesn't walk through her food?

Barbara

I put my bowl in the corner up on a flat rock so my skink has to lift her head and upper body up to eat. This seems to keep her out of her bowl. There isn't anywhere for her to go that would require going through the bowl. I hope this makes sense.
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Stacey