taming a Eastern Water Skink (who's become the house-lizard)

[ianinoz]

When my little mate Lizzy the skink wakes up and gets active again, I plan on providing him (?) with some live treats (mealworms) a few times a week to keep him (?) hanging about and build my relationship with Lizzy a bit more.

I'm hoping Lizzy will eventually become some confortable about my wife and I, that Lizzy will permit us to gently stroke his (?) back and side with our fingers, and will accept food treats from our fingers (bits of cooked meat or raw meat, or mealworms or the occasional grasshopper if I can catch them).

Q1 : how many meal worms would be sufficient ?

(I'm thinking one or two at most per meal, a few times a week, as treats .... Lizzy doesn't live in an enclosure, Lizzy has the freedom of the house and comes and goes as Lizzy pleases, Lizzy is very independent and keeps the roaches and house spiders at bay pretty well, I don't want Lizzy coming to depend on us for his food, but I don't mind sharing our food with Lizzy as treats and Lizzy seems to like the grapes, lettuce, crumbs, little pieces of cooked meat that leave for him on a takeaway container lid on the kitchen floor - Lizzy is very food orientated.) Thoughts anyone.

Q2 : how long do mealworms live ?

(I'll be buying them from a petshop)

Q3 : how do you convince a lizard to take accept hand feeding ?

Q4 ; introducing a new grandchild to the house lizard ?

I'd like Lizzy to become comfortable about my new grandson, is laying the grandchild on the carpet one day when Lizzy is on the prowl and letting Lizzy check out the grandson (while he is laying there at Lizzy's own pace) a good way of introducing Lizzy and the grandson ?
I don't think Lizzy will harm the baby, and I've observed that Lizzy checks out everything that is new when he cruises the house.

 

[sookie]

How old,big do you think lizzy is?he sounds adorable.with hand feeding maybe you will just have to be very very patient and sit on the floor and try.i don't know,but really want to know how you go with little lizzy.

 

[Chris1]

id stick with lower fat foods than mealworms, if temps are insufficient they get regurgitated whereas crickets still seem to get digested.

im sure Lizzie will get the idea pretty quickly, at the past place i lived i regularly cleaned roach tubs in teh same place, after a while the tiny garden skinks started hanging around and id dig out the smallest roach babies for them to scoff,.. (they never got to hand feeding stage, but i never tried, i was happy to throw them in their general direction and theyd go a chasing!

 

[PeppersGirl]

Q3: Start by using a stick to push the insect towards Lizzy, or, you could pre-kill the insect and put it on the stick, he'll learn to look for it and your hand. I find the skinks tend to get used to you being around and pretty soon will accept food readily from fingers, as long as their initial fear has been dealt with they calm down really well - I have some in my own garden that actually 'follow' me now, it doesn't take long!
Unfortuantely a lizard like that will not become comfortable with any sort of stroking - believe me, I've tried! - there are water skinks that will tame enough to crawl up of their own accord and bask on your lap, and some of the smaller skinks like to run up arms for an additional treat... but it would appear that any form of contact with their back is associated with predator.
Good luck!

 

[Chris1]

actually, where i live now we have a bluey, (well, had i think, i last saw him at teh end of jan )

anyway, i started hand feeding him with banana, but since he didnt know what it was he'd let me put it close, tehn take off,.

so one sunny afternoon i took Chubby my beardy down to show him how its done, he watched her eat a bit, then another bit, then i lay down and stretced a piece out as far as i could reach and he took it.
the following year he got more snails than my shinglebacks, just cos it was so much more exciting to have a wild bluey eating out of my hands.



i hope he comes back next year, otherwise ill be guessing the local cats and dogs got him.

 

[ianinoz]

How old,big do you think lizzy is?he sounds adorable.with hand feeding maybe you will just have to be very very patient and sit on the floor and try.i don't know,but really want to know how you go with little lizzy.

Not fully grown, have a bigger skink of the same species who has been living in my double garage (which is full of cockroaches so is lizard heaven) for a few years, Lizzy to best estimation last time I saw him (?) is 9-10" long. I'm guessing under 12 months old but I don't know fast these lizards grow. Lizzy has been living in the house since about November 2010 and was already about 6-8" long when we first noticed him.

I'm assuming since Lizzy has become so friendly and "tame" because Lizzy is young.

Read somewhere the younger the lizard the easier it is to get them tame and comfortable about you but you have to be patient and let the lizard take things at it's own pace.

id stick with lower fat foods than mealworms, if temps are insufficient they get regurgitated whereas crickets still seem to get digested.

im sure Lizzie will get the idea pretty quickly, at the past place i lived i regularly cleaned roach tubs in teh same place, after a while the tiny garden skinks started hanging around and id dig out the smallest roach babies for them to scoff,.. (they never got to hand feeding stage, but i never tried, i was happy to throw them in their general direction and theyd go a chasing!

I've had some of resident skinks who live under the house zap out and nab half dead or dead roaches when I've dumped them out of the dust pan.

We've noticed a few more cockroaches coming into the house since Lizzy went to bed for the winter (assuming that's what Lizzy has done), seems the roaches have discovered the house-lizard isn't around now.

Q3: Start by using a stick to push the insect towards Lizzy, or, you could pre-kill the insect and put it on the stick, he'll learn to look for it and your hand. I find the skinks tend to get used to you being around and pretty soon will accept food readily from fingers, as long as their initial fear has been dealt with they calm down really well - I have some in my own garden that actually 'follow' me now, it doesn't take long!
Unfortuantely a lizard like that will not become comfortable with any sort of stroking - believe me, I've tried! - there are water skinks that will tame enough to crawl up of their own accord and bask on your lap, and some of the smaller skinks like to run up arms for an additional treat... but it would appear that any form of contact with their back is associated with predator.
Good luck!

That sounds really appealing - you're the pied-piper of lizards.

I'm sure Lizzy follows me into the kitchen when take over the kitchen to do roasts and baked stuff. I "accidentially - on purpose" drop little bits of food on the floor for him when I know he's about and I can see him watching me from under the refrigerator.
He waits for me leave the kitchen and makes quick work of the "offerings".

I measured the temp of tranformer Lizzy has decided is his fav spot to go, it's 36 C and the local pet shop owner told me that's the perfect temperature for lizards. Lizzy loves it and spends lots of time resting and napping on it, get's off ever so often - guess if he thinks he's too hot.
Lizzy also likes the concrete slab floor in the laundry stays warm in summer and he has his morning sunning spot on the kitchen floor, or on my fav lounge seat (when I'm not there) and likes the carpet right in front of the front door which gets the late avo sun.
I've left the front door open for Lizzy a few times when he's been about and Lizzy looks outside but has shown no interest in going out on those occasions. Cleavour Lizzy - knows he's on a good thing ....

I'd love to be able to give Lizzy food treats by fingers.

 

[ianinoz]

Handfeeding Lizzy one of her favourate food treats (July 2011 a week or so after she returned from brumation)

Open non-threatening hand technique - she even lingered and tried to push my fingers apart with her nose - was I holding out on her ?) LOL cleavour girl.

Handfeed usiing finger tips (works for dead and live crickets and mealworm lavae and beetles) , more threatening she decided she trusted me enough by the end of August 2011.



Lizzy enjoying a tickle under her chin from dad.

She enjoys it because she lets me do this with just about every food treat I give her (by hand) and she lingers and leans into the finger doing the tickling. (1 Sept 11)

Next challenge is convincing her to let me slip my hand under her belly (will mean getting her to lift her belly enough) to pick her up, she's already hand surfed a few times when she climbed completely onto my hand to take a treat and was not at all frightened by the experience. When she climbed off on being landed back onto the chair she calmly crawled off and stayed nearby to beg for another treat or climbed onto the transformer to get some heat.

She is a lazy lizard, sleeping in most days lately until about lunchtime (she does show up most days at about 9am for a drink and goes back to bed (??) for a while) and she isn't aways hungry, often just visits to hang out on the transformer, or on the top of the lounge or on the lounge seat right next to me. Often has a long siester with me, floppy lizard mode and eyes closed while I do the same.

She has also made friends with my wife and even accepted a cricket from her, Lizzy made the first move and it was clear she wanted to interact more closely with my wife because she approached her and patiently waited for one of us to notice she was there (looking over her shoulder - cheaky Lizzy , this is what she did to me in July and within a few days I tried my luck and she was accepting hand feeding from me). My wife was very pleased (huge grin on her dial !! when Lizzy took the thrawed from cricket from her, my wife was too scared of Lizzy biting her to use her fingers - gave the cricket to Lizzy on piece of cardboard about the size of a credit card - cricket on one end, her on the other).

Lizzy has officially won over my wife now.


Having a siesta

It's a hard life for a little lizard.

MAKING PROGRESS !!

PS - I think she'd had her baby by then - note the less plumb belly on the 1 Sept 11. First spotted her adorable little baby on Fathers' Day after the guests had gone home. My wife spotted it first, when I told her Lizzy was on the front patio sunning herself on the bricks (she naturally looked in the wrong spot and spotted the little lizard and called me over).

 

[Australis]

I haven't read all your posts they are just too long, so don't know if you have mentioned it previously, but "lizzy" has regenerated tail.

 

[ianinoz]

I haven't read all your posts they are just too long, so don't know if you have mentioned it previously, but "lizzy" has regenerated tail.

Sure has , she lost it one day when she was outside somewhere way back in February (I think) , showed up one day after being AWOL for a few days with a stumpy tail , poor girl. Was very reluctant for weeks to go back outside, even left the front door wide open for her when she was prowling about (was still pretty skittish and shy then) and she looked outside and refused to go there. What ever attacked her when she was outside really scared her, and she remembered it.Cleaver girl.

I'd been leaving little tidbits of meat and other stuff (I'd see her eating some or trying to and I'd use that as a guide to what she would be interested in eating - starting way back in November last year.

Her original tail was very long and very nice ....

 

[Australis]

Yeah the regenerated tails unfortunately are usually far less impressive.

 

[ianinoz]

Yeah the regenerated tails unfortunately are usually far less impressive.

Adds to her charm.

The big male EWS who's been hanging about near the flowerbed and my patio who has amorous intents towards her (and I think has already had his wicked way with her at least twice since 26 August) isn't put off by her regenerated tail either.

 

[grimbeny]

I didn't think regenerating a whole tail in the coldest 6 months of the year was a simple task. Let alone having babies aswell. Not to mention quoyii don't give birth this early.

 

[ianinoz]

Lizzy's fantastic in that she's done both.

Smarl girl deciding to live in a nice toasty house with us and choosing to befriend us - very rewarding and beneficial for her since she was looked after by me buying live insects for her (mealworm lavae and crickets) and she had a warm (never cooler than 22oC inside at night and 26oC when we're awake) and safe place to brumate and access to as much food as she wanted (all she had to do was visit me and "ask" and I was only too happy to give a few insects each time).

I doubt many wild skinks would be able to regenerate a tail, sustain a pregnancy and come out of brumating for 3 months fatter than they were when they went off to brumate when the cold weather arrived.

I guess I must be doing something right in how I've looked after her.

 

[K3nny]

after reading all that i wonder who'se getting "tamed" here

amazing thing you have with the little lizard

 

[FAY]

What a lovely story...good on you.

 

[ianinoz]

after reading all that i wonder who'se getting "tamed" here

amazing thing you have with the little lizard

Or how she's wrapped me around her little claws ..... :lol:

Had 3 worms + what ever she caught outside the other day, and she's had 3 big days hanging out with me too.
Warm outside the last couple of days and she's not visited us, though I think I've heard her a few times.

I get worried when she's a no show for more than 2 days but she aways shows up again. Silly me.....but do I miss her when she's AWOL. I know she's just doing her lizardytype things and most likely enjoying the bug feast and warm days that spring brings, and probably just hanging out with the boyfriend and making (more) babies..

added 17 sep
I think Lizzy has eloped with that big male EWS who's been hanging about,she's not visited inside for 4 days now or coming looking for freebies off me, or she's hanging out with her baby for now.
Not even heard her moving about behind the corner unit today. But I think I heard her or another lizard russling about in the flower-bed later this after. Couldn't see anything when I looked through the window.

She did something similar way back in late March and then suddenly showed up in our kitchen and making a D-line for her treat lid.

I'm hoping she comes back once she's done courting and being naughty with her boyfriend, I miss her.

My wife reckons she saw her peaking at her over the top of the bricks on our flowerbed this afternoon but she startled my wife and my wife's reaction scared that lizard away so she only got a glimpse of that lizard's head.

Not seen the baby, must be keeping a low profile.

18 sept

Just spotted Lizzy !

She was laying on some shady bricks surrounding the flowerbed - is very warm outside today (bit over 30C outside, 29C inside (thinking of turning the a/c on to cool down this afternoon before we turn on the oven for the Sunday roast), her spot is 31C and the sunny concrete and bricks are 47C (chinese handheld handy pyrometer).
This lizard was definitely Lizzy.
Is lunch time and the sun is just starting to shine on the flowerbed and patio.

I might have startled her by sneeking up on her from behind her as she climbed down the bricks to behind the a/c compressor but didn’t really run away, I could see her on the twigs in the air-gap staring back up me.

She has cleaned up all the mutant beetles and dead worms I left for her. I thought I heard her out there earlier this morning.

She's got a nice safe spot that she goes to behind the split a/c's compressor (lot of twigs from the big bluegum there for her hide in and she can easily hide under the compressor (in the little airgap between it's bottom and the concrete slab it's sitting on, and she can easily crawl along the a/c's insulated pipework to under the patio and back under the house.

She looks fine, she's shedding again - so I guess she's thriving and growing.

No sign of her baby but I think it'll not be far away if it's not been killed and eaten by something.

The bricks she was on are quite cool to the touch - I fealt them. So I guess Lizzy was feeling a bit hot.

Very releaved to see her and to know she's OK.

Gives me an excellent excuse relax on my chair on the front patio or on the brick sourrounds to the flower bed or on the front steps....

My wife keeps going to the front screen door and looking out .... she's missed Lizzy too.

Found a big xmas beetle (?) lavae (looks like a mealworm lavae on steriods !!! (about 2x longer and 3 or 4 times fatter) under some rotting gum leaves in the flower bed and I've put it in her feeding dish - I hope it doesn't scare her when she sees it .... but more than likely she'll think all her xmas's have come at once and will really enjoy eating it. (She wont need another meal for a few days if she eats it.)

 

[ianinoz]

Scrapper the alpha male EWS has become more curious about me than scared of me.

Had a huge breakthrough with Scrapper this afternoon , he allowed me to sit on the ground less than 1m away from him, he was very curious about me and came out to study me, so I tossed some worms to him which he happily accepted from the path about 18" away from me, and he allowed me to put my finger within 1" of his nose on a number of occasions while he was watching me from half under the a/c. (Thought I'd try my luck and see how close he would let me get before backing off.) He backed off each time and came straight back to the same spot almost immediately when I withdrew my finger. Lizzy did the same thing shortly before she allowed me handfeed her.
I tried handfeeding a mealworm to him and he was definitely interested and kept glancing at me and then at the worm I had on my open hand which I stretched out to about 3 inches from him, but he decided to back off (descretion instead of valore). Doesn't quite trust me enough just yet.

Trust building with Scrapper is coming on well.