A skinktastrophy!

[Catherine]

This is my Red Eyed Crocodile Skink.

This is his tank.


You can see the water dish. It has a plastic log in it. The skink tipped it over and wedged his head into the hole in the base. He has a triangular head with spines that face back. Once his head was in, it was stuck!

I heard the noise of him panicking and was in time to pull him from the water before he drowned. There was no way I could get his head free. No matter how I tried to turn his head it was stuck. If I broke the log I risked crushing the lizard's head too.

It is amazing what you think of when you have to. I have a small dental tool for cleaning pet teeth. It is made from steel, a hard metal and the point is thin and sharp. I was able to slip it between the spikes in his skull and chip away the plastic a tiny bit at a time. I actually managed to free him and he is fine.

Two questions: What was he thinking about when he jammed his head in the log and what was he thinking about while I was chipping him free. I would love to know.

Sometimes you need nerves of steel to look after pets.