# what is this on my skinks eye???



## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

hi everybody i got my 10 year old blue tongued skink billy out today to trim his nails and noticed a strange cloudy type bubble kind of thing on his eyeball ..my first guess was that it may be a bit of shed ..so i got a wet cotton bud and tried to see if it would budge he doesn't appear to have any trouble blinking and it kind of looks like my snakes when there eyes go cloudy ..can somebody help me 

first few pictures are his right(bad eye) last picture is his left eye to show you all the difference



















GOOD EYE


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## WesternBlueTongue (Feb 12, 2012)

Theres alot of bluey threads today, good to see.

I just looks like a cloudy eye, and is best you keep an eye on it over the next few days. If after a few days it hasn't improved, Id have a vet look at it.

Whats your enclosure like? husbandry etc including substrate. Always good to know.


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

thanks for the reply 

he is housed in a 4 foot by 2 foot enclosure
he is on rubstrate - kinda like woodchipping they look exactly like beech chips but are rubber so i can rewash 

hot end temps 32c cool end temps 29c
sprayed in there once a day 

here is a video of my enclosure this is when he had peat moss in his tank 
instead of substrate

Viv Setup.MP4 - YouTube


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## Dean Cheetham (Jun 1, 2009)

10 years is a pretty good age, could he not just be going blind?


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

eats fruits tangerines bananas and pinkie mouse once every 3 weeks
i can't get him to eat his greens
he always keeps the right eye closed making me think its hurting him the only time he opens it if i lift him up ..if thats helps too


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

Dean Cheetham said:


> 10 years is a pretty good age, could he not just be going blind?


not sure


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## WesternBlueTongue (Feb 12, 2012)

Ok, a few things. 

The substrate i dont know what to make of, but finer substrates such as the one in the video arent as good. The rubber one, if he can burrow in it comfortably, he isnt eating any of it, and your humidity is below 50% and above 20%, then i wouldnt worry about that.

Your diet needs to be changed however. He should be eating pinkies around once a month, if at all. Greens are around 50 - 60% of their adult diet, protein around 40% and fruits around 10%

Try blending greens in with dog food or something like egg. Nutrition may be part of your problem and think of it asif your skink is eating sweets everyday with the fruit.

A good foodchart can be found here, but be careful to feed too much phospherus and not enough calcium, which they should get alot of

http://bluetongueskinks.net/foodchart.html

Are you supplementing his food?

The temperature gradient should allow for the cool end to be slightly cooler, around 26 27.

What are your basking temps like? 95-100 farenheit are ideal, whereas 100 -110 might be a litte on the hot side

Also, skinks live to about 15 - 20, and even longer so I highly doubt he will be going blind. 

Also, cut down on the tangerines, I wouldnt feed them at all. They can be ok in very small amounts but are citrus so are quite acidic.

Dark green veggies are good, like some cabbages, broccoli, but importantly calcium.


Remember aswell, which alot of the time seems to be forgoten, is that a picky skink isnt a hungry skink. If he doesnt eat veggies innitially, he will eventually.


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

My skink hasn't burrowed for years..I've used so many different substrates over the years 

As for his diet I've tried him on greens he spits them back out would you belive lol but ill try again  he really doesn't eat a lot

I put nutrobal onto his food 

Should I go to vets on Monday ?


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## Dean Cheetham (Jun 1, 2009)

scott stewart said:


> My skink hasn't burrowed for years..I've used so many different substrates over the years
> 
> As for his diet I've tried him on greens he spits them back out would you belive lol but ill try again  he really doesn't eat a lot
> 
> ...


I would, explain that you thought it could have been stuck shed but when you tried to remove it, it didnt budge. : victory:


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

Basking spots are spot on


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## WesternBlueTongue (Feb 12, 2012)

Try mixing his food. You will be surprised. 

His diet needs to be altered though.


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## Tiliqua (Dec 6, 2008)

Hi,

Looks like you're getting some sound advice.

It would be good to see some full body shots of the skink, taken from directly above. I've never heard of a blue tongue that doesn't eat a lot! Try him on turkey mince mixed thoroughly with very finely chopped dandelion and a beaten egg. You can increase the amount of dandies and lose the egg over time. Also try bathing him every other day in warm water at approx 80 or 82 F (measure it if you need to). This might help with the eye, but he may need some eye drops or cream from the vet. I really wouldn't use the rubber substrate, rubber chips can have metal shards and the like in. Also, if you've ever licked a bit of tyre rubber or similar - it is incredibly bitter (!). Try switching to something more natural. Blue tongues are long lived. I have a pair of northerns thought to be at least 20, maybe 25.

Mark.


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

Would you use turkey mince as a staple diet ?? I'll get some pix of his full body ...what would you suggest as substrate ??


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## WesternBlueTongue (Feb 12, 2012)

Turkey mince is ok to use often, but variation is good. I personally use high quality dog food as a staple and then feed greens around it.

Substrates I would personally reccommend is dry cypress mulch, however it is quite expensive to buy in the UK as opposed to america. Beech chips, aspen/hemp and dry bark substrates are also ok to use, but a coarser substrate is reccommended over a fine one.

Also, tiptonboa is selling silkworms in the classifieds. These are good in calcium and protein and could benefit your skinks. Lifefood I would suggest roaches, but they arent necessary if your skink is on a nutritious diet.


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

Where do you buy your cypress mulch from if you don't mind me asking 

Also high quality dog foods what would you reccomend ?

Sorry for all the ???


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## WesternBlueTongue (Feb 12, 2012)

My cypress mulch I buy online from surrey pet supplies, i buy either the exo terra or the zoo med forest floor, but imo the exo terra is a little dustier from the zoo med.

Brands which are commonly used are the ceaser and butchers high quality ones, the ones that cost alot for a little can if you know what i mean.

Cypress can be bought fromm pet stores, but you can also get it from garden centres but theres a possibility it could have mites and such in it.


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

One more question regarding cypress mulch ..how do you treat it for mites ..and is this the same cypress mulch that you can buy from garden centres ??

And do your skinks burrow in it ?


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## bloodisntred (May 21, 2012)

could be catarax 
it dosent have to effect both eyes in fact its quite common for it to only affect 1 eye and get the other eye at a later date.

does he scratch it or rub it. the best bet is to get him to the vet as might also be a mild infection which could lead to much ,much worser things like loosing his eye or death due to infection in the blood streem (worst case senario)


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

I've heard that the cypress mulch needs to be treated for mites where ever you get it from ? 

I'll try him on both turkey mince - if I can find somewhere that sells it (being a veggie I wouldnt know where to look ) then ill try him on high quality dogfood


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

No he doesn't rub it ..ill get him to vets on Monday as its closed Sundays


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

Westernbluetounge - what UV light do you use ..as in ..is it the forest one or desert one ??


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## WesternBlueTongue (Feb 12, 2012)

I personally use a reptiglo 10.0 and supplement neutrobal. However, ive heard some of the arcadia bulbs are quite good too, such as the new T5s.

The reptile specific cyrpess mulch, i.e exo terra jungle earth and zoo med forest floor, do not need to be treated. Not even sure how you would do it.

Also, if your bulb is the same as the one in that video, it might be a good idea to get a larger tube. Probably require I higher wattage ballast too.

If you get other bulbs get one that is in excess of 10%


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

Thanks for all your paitence  as for treating substrate Ive heard of people freezing/baking substrate 

As for size of uv I wouldn't be able to fit a 4 foot uv in there so ill have to keep a 3 foot one


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## WesternBlueTongue (Feb 12, 2012)

Bulbs come in all different lengths, my 42" bulb fits nicely in my 4ft with space to spare, but it coveres the length of the tank at least, so my skink is getting light at all times.


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

My wallets gonna take a beating lol 
On your opinion what are the best greens to use ??


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## Tiliqua (Dec 6, 2008)

Hi,

You can use turkey mince as a staple yes. In my own personal view, this is better than dog food as a staple animal protein source, although I still use dog food regularly. I buy it in Morrisons. You can freeze it in individual portions on a baking sheet, and then bag the frozen pieces up. I don't need to do that, but I've got more than a few blue tongues. Greens - the best are dandelions, chicory, watercress, pak choi, baby leaf spinach. Also, it is fine to use frozen mixed vegetables. If you run a potato peeler down the length of a carrot you get fine shavings - these are good to use. Really, you can try anything. 

You can not buy cypress mulch in garden centres. You can buy bark chips, but not cypress mulch. The reason it is expensive is because cypress isn't grown commercially in the UK/Europe.


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

I couldn't find dandelion in the sainsburys picked up some cabbage and turkey mince ill give him a try on it ...

I'll try him on the jungle floor stuff but just out of curiosity does anybody have a link to where I can buy cypress mulch ??


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## WesternBlueTongue (Feb 12, 2012)

https://www.surreypetsupplies.co.uk/cypress-mulch/

I would go with either the Forest Floor or Jungle Earth.


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## WesternBlueTongue (Feb 12, 2012)

You should also show us all some more pictures of your skink :2thumb::whistling2:


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

Ok I got some turkey mince and cabbage my Gf kindly cooked it and then I blended he went straight for it ..and gir the first time I got him to eat greens ..so that's good

However the same problem of him having 5 mouthfuls and that's it ..he's been like this for a year 

I also gave him a bath today aswell


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## WesternBlueTongue (Feb 12, 2012)

scott stewart said:


> Ok I got some turkey mince and cabbage my Gf kindly cooked it and then I blended he went straight for it ..and gir the first time I got him to eat greens ..so that's good
> 
> However the same problem of him having 5 mouthfuls and that's it ..he's been like this for a year
> 
> I also gave him a bath today aswell


Has he lost any weight?

If hes eating something then at least its better than nothing. And some veg and protein. He might after a while start taking more to the turkey and greens, it may well be that hes just so used to being fed on sugar, that he doesnt feel like eating much.

Hows his eye? has it got any better or worse?


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

Couple of pictures of billy plus how much he normally leaves in his food bowl no matter what I feed him :s


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

I haven't weighed him if I'm honest 
Eye looks a tiny bit better but think I'm gonna go vets in the morning 

Also what do you guys do to.combat this intense heat I'm having to keep his cool end cool by keeping his door open a jar !!


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## WesternBlueTongue (Feb 12, 2012)

scott stewart said:


> I haven't weighed him if I'm honest
> Eye looks a tiny bit better but think I'm gonna go vets in the morning
> 
> Also what do you guys do to.combat this intense heat I'm having to keep his cool end cool by keeping his door open a jar !!


Good to see your getting him to the vets. As for temps, mine in all honesty havent changed. My ambient temps are still around 26.

More vents also, in the video, it didnt look like your enclosure had a lot of ventillation, but i could be wrong. More vents at the cool end would allow for the cool end to be, well, cooler.


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

hi there just got back from the vets - said he may have scratched his eye
they gave me some clinagel - vet gentamicin eye gel got to apply it twice a day for next 7 days

she said he was at a good weight since he last went in jan 2011 he was a bit over weight 

also gave me a food sheet - says it should be 50% insect 50% vegetation 

I'm just about to order some silk worms

as for ventilation ill get a circular drill bit and get that sorted 

also order jungle floor substrate


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## Tiliqua (Dec 6, 2008)

Hi,

Cooked it? I thought it looked weird.

You need to feed the mince and the cabbage RAW!!! I don't think it will harm him as a one off but use it raw from now on...

Also, try chopping the cabbage up finely so that he can't eat around it.

Hope this helps,
Mark.


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

Tiliqua said:


> Hi,
> 
> Cooked it? I thought it looked weird.
> 
> ...


ahh whoops my bad - can i stick the raw turkey mince in the blender to make sure all the greens get chopped up swell??

and just a question why raw??

also a quickie about silk worms (which are on the list the vet gave me as it so happens) how often would you feed them and what size worms would you go for??


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## Tiliqua (Dec 6, 2008)

You could use a blender but it is fairly unpleasant to clean afterwards. I would place a dollop of mince in the feed bowl and sprinkle some finely chopped greens on top, and just stir in with a fork. Its easier to chop greens that to clean a blender of liquidised mince, believe me! Raw because that is the natural way I guess. I've never used silk worms, but I would feed on an occasional basis (once every few weeks) rather than get him hooked on an expensive food item!


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

ahh ok i will do

I've heard good things about silk worms ..but i won't feed them to him all the time

always been advised by vets to go weed picking obi away from main roads etc quiet country lanes etc


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## WesternBlueTongue (Feb 12, 2012)

I wouldnt stick to 50% purely instect, but aslong as there is a varied mix of protein, and he is still chasing insects about regularly then there shouldnt be a problem there

Silk worms, mine loves them. Im using them now more than at anytime due to their nutritional value, whilst my skink is under treatment from the vet. 

I would feed feed them fairly occasionally, but like mark said, dont let him become too accustomed to them. 

Insects I would say dubia roaches. They have a much better shell to meat ratio, and are just better than crickets in my opinion. Mine also has a better feeding response to them.

Glad you got your little guy seen to, he looks absolutely great apart from his eye. Cracking specimen :2thumb:

Cypress mulch, although is expensive, I like it because it is natural and is easily burrowable in. There are alot of other good substrates though if at all you decide cypress to become too expensive.


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## Dan Trafford (Mar 10, 2011)

WesternBlueTongue said:


> I wouldnt stick to 50% purely instect, but aslong as there is a varied mix of protein, and he is still chasing insects about regularly then there shouldnt be a problem there
> 
> Silk worms, mine loves them. Im using them now more than at anytime due to their nutritional value, whilst my skink is under treatment from the vet.
> 
> ...


Mix it all together with your hands mate, that's how I do my burgers! If you manage to get him onto the greens remember not to use spinach as it stops them being able to use calcium.


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

great advice here guys keep it coming - i have him eating cabbage - but i hear watercress is good - i go to telcos and sainsburys but there choice is shocking


he didn't go for crickets before they just sat on his head ill try him on roaches how often?? do you sprinkle them with nutrobol ??


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## WesternBlueTongue (Feb 12, 2012)

Dan Trafford said:


> Mix it all together with your hands mate, that's how I do my burgers! If you manage to get him onto the greens remember not to use spinach as it stops them being able to use calcium.


Wow, i didnt realise spinach did that? When I was at the vets last week he spoke well of spinach. Do you know why they cant use the calcium?



scott stewart said:


> great advice here guys keep it coming - i have him eating cabbage - but i hear watercress is good - i go to telcos and sainsburys but there choice is shocking
> :sad:
> 
> he didn't go for crickets before they just sat on his head ill try him on roaches how often?? do you sprinkle them with nutrobol ??


If he isnt going for the crickets, then try taking all his viv furnature out so he can chase them around. If he still doesnt chase, then i would feed him outside of his enclosure until he does. Try getting a large rub he can chase them around in.

Watercress is good. Dark green veggies is what was advised by my vet last week, cabbage, spring greens, cress, broccoli etc.

As for cricket dusting, It might be worth noting that chilling crickets prior to dustion and feeding slows them down. Maybe your skink didnt feel like chasing them because they were rapid? Chilling before dusting helps i feel as it stops them jumping about as much and escaping. I havnt had a single escapee yet. I think you can use nutrobal to dust, but I use the komodo cricket dust. Just grab them in your hand if comfortable, and roll them around in it, else tweasers, or putting calcium in the bottom of a ziplock bag and shaking them around in there works well. 

Panthraz, a member on here who also has a blue tongue, said that his skink has never showed interest in crickets or locusts, but when temped with dubias, went absolutely daft. Some just respond differently to different movements of insects. Mine certainly prefers dubias, and are better nutritionally, but when you cant source them, crickets are ideal, if he chases them. As for how often to feed, I just feed my live food every other day until he gets bored or i think hes had too many, ill feed about ten typically at a time, but others will have varied opinions.

Nice to see your actually making an effort to make things better for your skink, many people on here would just excuse the fact that their animals could benefit but choose not to because of the money


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

i will get him some roaches anybody know anybody that sells them on here - or know a trusted seller?

and thanks i did have plans this weekend which i can't do due to the money I've spent at the vets etc - but i can always get more money ..not another billy ..when it comes to my pets health - everything gets put on the back burner


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## WesternBlueTongue (Feb 12, 2012)

scott stewart said:


> i will get him some roaches anybody know anybody that sells them on here - or know a trusted seller?
> 
> and thanks i did have plans this weekend which i can't do due to the money I've spent at the vets etc - but i can always get more money ..not another billy ..when it comes to my pets health - everything gets put on the back burner


Very well said. Wish more pet owners would understand that before something happens to their pets and then are all upset.

As for dubias, i got mine from







but am currently looking for more sources. Radical roaches is also another site, but ive never bought from there and I dont know of anyone who has left feedback.


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

yeah everywhere i see - its like i have a colony for sale i don't want a colony i just want to try him on 3 or 4 see if he goes for them


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## WesternBlueTongue (Feb 12, 2012)

For whatever reason, the link i posted didnt show, anyways, here you go. 

Live Foods

Although, I have just found this and seems to be priced quite well.

Dubia Roaches Sale now on large Dubias!! | Roaches, Roach Food, Roach Substrate & Roach House Kit Large Dubia roaches sale now on!! | Ricks Livefood


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

they are great prices ..what size would you say??

and would you say same method of powdering crickets for roaches too ??
(zip log bag & shake)

again thanks for all the help really do appreciate you taking the time out to help


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

slightly off topic i brought this stuff 

eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

which i will dust his roaches and put onto his food are there any more vitamins he needs??


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## WesternBlueTongue (Feb 12, 2012)

scott stewart said:


> slightly off topic i brought this stuff
> 
> eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace
> 
> which i will dust his roaches and put onto his food are there any more vitamins he needs??


For dusting, I would of bought the cricket dust as it is designed for live food running about etc, but its ok. Not sure if you already said, but nutrobal should be put on his food. If its not, then get that aswell. 

As for roach sizes, get around 30mm. Or, around 25-30mm if possible. You dont want them too small, but not too big either.

And yes, dust as normal in bag. Dont dust too hevily though, just put a few pinches in the bag, and shake


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

so that komodo calcium supplement doesn't go on his food??

and thanks for roach sizes ill order me some


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## WesternBlueTongue (Feb 12, 2012)

You should be supplementing all of his meals (veg and mince etc) with nutrobal or similar product. I use nutrobal, as it is widely used and reccommended. The calcium that you bought off of ebay, i think you can use on his food. For dusting crickets, you can put that komodo stuff on there, but the specialised cricket dust would have been better.

Either way, he just needs calcium supplements.


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## ChrisKing (Sep 30, 2008)

Hi Scott, just to let you know, that Tiliqua also sells roach's and reasonably cheap, he also breeds and keeps most if not all species of Australasian skinks.

id go with buying some turkey mince, spring greens, watercress, kale, rocket, spinach, savoy cabbage, grated carrots, grated apples, blueberrys, and make some small meat balls, using all the ingredients mentioned above, maybe an egg to bind them all together, get some food bags, and put your skink meat balls in a food bag and freeze them. then all you need to do is get a bag out of the freezer in the morning to defrost for when it comes to feeding him in the evening. 

a meat ball can be then flatted and spread out once defrosted and it should have plenty of foods to entice him to eat. this is what i do personally with my BTS, i use turkey mince from asda, it was around £2 for a large tray, first time i bought it, it went off very quickly so i decided to make these meat balls and freeze them as soon as i bought the fresh mince.


also spinach has something in it which can stop or slow down the absorption of calcium, but it also has other good nutrients such as iron, so i wouldnt give up on feeding him some spinach.

my BTS will hardly eat anything, in the past i have made him gargantuan meals, especially in the summer time when all the nice fruits are coming in. and all he does is slide right on through his dish, knocking all his greens and fruits all over the place, then he'll pick at the things he liked, so in creating the meat balls he has no choice in picking the foods he likes, he gets everything all in one or two nice easy to swallow balls.

i also feed my skink a small mouse every fortnight, good for calcium.


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

chris king - I'm loving the meatball idea  are they like marble size meat balls?? if so ill do this and put about for on his dig that way he will have to eat it whole


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## Tiliqua (Dec 6, 2008)

ChrisKing said:


> id go with buying some turkey mince, spring greens, watercress, kale, rocket, spinach, savoy cabbage, grated carrots, grated apples, blueberrys, and make some small meat balls, using all the ingredients mentioned above, maybe an egg to bind them all together, get some food bags, and put your skink meat balls in a food bag and freeze them. then all you need to do is get a bag out of the freezer in the morning to defrost for when it comes to feeding him in the evening.
> 
> a meat ball can be then flatted and spread out once defrosted and it should have plenty of foods to entice him to eat. this is what i do personally with my BTS, i use turkey mince from asda, it was around £2 for a large tray, first time i bought it, it went off very quickly so i decided to make these meat balls and freeze them as soon as i bought the fresh mince.


The meatballs are a really good idea. I use two of those large trays of turkey mince for one feed for my crew.


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## ChrisKing (Sep 30, 2008)

I'd say above marble sized, but whatever works for you.


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## tinyfish (Nov 11, 2008)

very interesting thread :2thumb:

right at the beginning you mentioned he eats a lot of banana - banana also interferes with calcium absorption and therefore should only be fed in small quantities every now and then as a treat, if at all


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

Skink update - just to keep the very helpful people on here updated
billy's eye is looking much less cloudy although i will be taking to the vets next week ..would have popped him into the vets on saturday but my Partner had already planned my weekend & bank holiday ( painting the whole house !!! ) - so ill get him off to the vets for a checkup again just to be sure 

feeding update : thanks for the Cockroach idea guys ..billy wouldn't touch crickets but WOW he goes nuts for the roaches covered in calcium powder ..also ate some silk worms today aswell - plus he is loving the turkey and watercress meatballs 

again thanks for the help guys


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