31- Slow Down — Look out for us, we live here too

About Bluey the blue tongue lizard

As the weather warms up you may come across these beautiful scaly reptiles in your yard.  Although initially they may cause a fright due to looking similar to a snake when moving through the grass. Blue tongue lizards are actually harmless and are beneficial to have in your garden as they love to feast on snails and slugs. It was almost the end of summer when Bluey the blue tongue came into my care looking sick and underweight. After spending time removing tics from under his skin and ear canal he was put into an enclosure and given medicine and some much needed food and rest. Bluey stayed with me a few months until the weather warmed up again as I didn’t want to release him in winter to give him the best chance to gain weight before he needed to go into hibernation. After a few months of rest and good nutritious food he was safely released into the wild. Although Blue tongues are harmless these reptiles have a strong jaw and sharp teeth so they can give a nasty bite if you try to pick them up when they are scared so it’s best to admire them from a distance and leave them to do their thing. If you do need to handle one wear safety gloves or use a towel to protect your hands. 

Blue tongues lizard are cold blooded and rely on the sun to warm them up to help maintain their body temperature. They love to bask on rocks and roads which means they are often injured or killed by cars. So keep on eye out for them on the roads during the warmer months. Another way to help keep Blue tongues safe is to avoid using snail/snug pellets in your garden as it’s poisonous for reptiles like Blue tongues who enjoy feasting on them.

Photograph and back story by Jarrah King