Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone I have a concern about my schneider's skink. He usually lives in a 55 gallon terrarium and is a good eater. I used to feed him crickets regularly but now he's getting kind of old and slow (he's at least 15 yrs old, possibly older since I don't know how old he was when I got him) so I've been giving him superworms instead with for the last couple months which he seems to enjoy. My issue is that I had to move him temporarily to a 10 gallon tank for the past week, as I'm moving into a new smaller place and we haven't yet cleared a space for the huge tank. He didn't seem happy by any means about the reduction in space but he was acting normal until the last 3 days or so. The last couple days he hasn't been eating much and what he did eat on saturday I just saw that he threw up this morning and it didn't look digested at all...now he doesn't seem to be moving as much as normal and just seems rather lethargic. I've done my best to keep the temperature regulated to what he normally has, around 85-90 basking spot during the peak hours of the day and 75ish at morning and night (but i don't think its as regular as the 55 gallon because its hard to regulate with such a small space). I'm really concerned that either the shock of moving or the lack of space is making him sick. However it's also possible that he's just getting old...or a combination of both. I can't really go back to my parents house to get the 55 gallon until this weekend but now I'm kind of freaking out and wondering if I should try and clear my schedule to get it here sooner. Any help or insight on what to do would be appreciated. Thanks!!

hi. ive been working with skinks for quite some time and have had similar issues before . but i think since he is so old and being suddenly moved into a smaller cage caused a lot of trauma to the lizard. and stress or trauma can most likely kill a skink. for now keep him in whatever cage his in put in a little towel for him to curl up, keep him hydrated, and try your best not handle him and make sure hes kept well heated in an area with not much noise. hope i helped and i wish your little guy luck! reptilelover100 p.s make sure the towel is the only thing in his cage besides water!!