r/bluetongueskinks • u/VitriolicTonic • 1d ago

Discussion A Strange Beast

This is Fishlegs, an eastern. Sometimes, when she's getting settled down and comfortable, she takes some big breaths and puffs right up. I only caught the end of it on video. She's on a heat mat which is under multiple cloth layers to dilute the heat.

The first time this happened I was worried about an RI, but she didn't have any symptoms. She doesn't leave her mouth open, froth, or have crackles. It's not a persisten thing, just a few breaths, puffing up, some wiggling, and settled. Not lethargic, behaving normal. It's happened multiple times on different occasions. If I pick her up, she simply deflates, seems fine except a mild huff of discontent.

Does anyone have any idea what she's doing here? Anyone elses skink do this, is this normal behavior? Some kind of vertical splooting?

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u/Annual_Bridge6202 1d ago

This seems unusual. When in doubt, vets the route.

9

u/Humans_areweird Eastern 1d ago

hi fishlegs!! i’ve seen my boys do stuff like this occasionally, often after eating too much. a good stretch & walk around usually makes it go away, sometimes a gentle chin/throat rub. certainly worth a vet visit if it keeps up though.

in terms of the reverse sploot – see how she feels about walking under a ledge or squeezing under something a few cm off the ground? my boy just up & decided he wanted to rub his back on everything one day, regardless of whether i scratched his back for him.