Blue Tongue Handling Advice

[rainmonitors]

I need some advice for handling my bluey boi. A month ago, I bought (an apparently captive-bred) western blue tongue skink from a pet shop (dealer - as required in WA). He was calm and sweet when I handled him there, so I of course loved him and took him home. However, over the past month, he's progressively become harder and harder to handle (or at least, take him out of the cage). He used to just huff and hiss when I reached my hand in, but recently its progressed to threatening to bite. He will huff and hiss, and once I touch him, he'll swing around and make out to bite me (hasn't yet, other than tasting my arm one handling session).
I don't know why he's become more aggressive over the past month. Any advice for handling and such would be great. He's my first pet reptile so I really wanted him to be handle-able and calm, but well... he hasn't been.
Please help. I've begun working with hand feeding, which he'll accept in his viv, but so far not outside.
He's also hard to keep in my hands when handling, he'll always struggle and try to pull out of my hands.

 

[Bl69aze]

Aggressive or defensive?

Sounds like your spooking him.

What are his temps? And what are you feeding him? Also how are you holding him? Should be supporting full body with an arm or part of your body

 

[rainmonitors]

Aggressive or defensive?

Sounds like your spooking him.

What are his temps? And what are you feeding him? Also how are you holding him? Should be supporting full body with an arm or part of your body

His hot side is roughly 35 degrees, but the basking spot reaches to 45 (Exo Terra CHE 150W, buying a different bulb soon for slightly lower temps), and his cold side reaches 23 roughly. He feeds on high quality dog food mixed with spinach & rocket greens, green beans, red capsium, carrot, zucchini, and other varying veges and salads. With it, he also gets blueberries (his fave), and king worms (another fave).
When I hold him, I have one hand under his upper body, my other hand under his lower body & tail.
He also knows when my hand is in the cage, I try not to surprise him by hovering around his cage for half a minute or so where he sees me (I never take him out of his hides). So I doubt I could be spooking him, maybe?
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I went back to the same store today, and told the seller that my bluey has been acting aggressive whenever I reach to take him out, and apparently he was already like that according to the seller, he just didn't tell me when I bought the lizard. Smh I wasn't aware that this was his behaviour.
Still any tips on mellowing him out (he's 1 and a half years old) would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Nero Egernia]

He's still young, and they tend to be a lot more feisty when they're babies. He'll most likely calm down more when he gets older. Although it may just be the lizard's personality.

Do you handle him every time you open the enclosure? That tends to make them more nervous. Until he learns that you're not going to hurt him, every time you open the enclosure and reach in to pick him up he'll associate your presence as a negative experience.

Try opening his enclosure and not doing anything at all to him. Try opening the enclosure just to give him food. Don't reach in at all. Mix things up so he doesn't associate you as the human who only comes around to grab him. Try hand feeding him his favourite foods, both inside and outside of the enclosure. Lizards naturally don't like handling. You have to make it a positive experience. When you do pick him up, let him know you're there, speak calmly. Reach in with confidence. Don't hesitate or hover. Remain calm yourself. The lizard can pick up on your excitement or anxiety and this tends to make them even more nervous.

Hope this helps. Some lizards are naturally placid. Others you have to put in a bit more effort. These things take time, so be patient.

 

[rainmonitors]

He's still young, and they tend to be a lot more feisty when they're babies. He'll most likely calm down more when he gets older. Although it may just be the lizard's personality.

Do you handle him every time you open the enclosure? That tends to make them more nervous. Until he learns that you're not going to hurt him, every time you open the enclosure and reach in to pick him up he'll associate your presence as a negative experience.

Try opening his enclosure and not doing anything at all to him. Try opening the enclosure just to give him food. Don't reach in at all. Mix things up so he doesn't associate you as the human who only comes around to grab him. Try hand feeding him his favourite foods, both inside and outside of the enclosure. Lizards naturally don't like handling. You have to make it a positive experience. When you do pick him up, let him know you're there, speak calmly. Reach in with confidence. Don't hesitate or hover. Remain calm yourself. The lizard can pick up on your excitement or anxiety and this tends to make them even more nervous.

Hope this helps. Some lizards are naturally placid. Others you have to put in a bit more effort. These things take time, so be patient.

Thank you for the advice. I currently do not take him out every time I open the viv, half of the time I might. Other times I just mist him, change his water, mess around with his substrate/spot clean, feed him, and recently hand feeding. He's taken very well to hand feeding with blueberries, so I'll use that to hopefully instil confidence for him.
Is it alright if I leave my hand in front of him for a few moments, like you might with a nervous dog or cat, before touching him? To let him know that my hand isn't immediate danger. Or should I just let him know my presence with my voice, then take him out without hesitating as you said?