Help, With Blue Tongue Lizard In My Yard!

[Tokkie]

There is a big Blue tongue lizard in my backyard and my two JRT's 'found' it.

If I leave it back there they will try to kill it, Ringo caught one a couple of months ago.

What can I do with it.... can I catch it and release it some ware.... is that legal?

The dogs are inside for now.

[sparkycat]

We had one last year and I carefully caught it in a teatowel and moved it to the front garden - he/she has continued to live there and looks happy and healthy

[Tokkie]

We had one last year and I carefully caught it in a teatowel and moved it to the front garden - he/she has continued to live there and looks happy and healthy

So it won't go back to the back garden? I don't want it to get killed....

[Agility Dogs]

If my experience is anything to go by I would take it and move it to another new home far far away.

My dogs kill them on sight. I moved one into the front yard and it found its way back.

better for it to try and adapt to a new home than suffer the one hole through the head treatment that goes on at our place.

[Tokkie]

If my experience is anything to go by I would take it and move it to another new home far far away.

My dogs kill them on sight. I moved one into the front yard and it found its way back.

better for it to try and adapt to a new home than suffer the one hole through the head treatment that goes on at our place.

Ringo will kill it too....

They are not easy to catch..... it almost bit me....

It run into my neighbours yard (they don't have dogs), hopefully it will stay there.

[spottychick]

Just put on some heavy duty gloves to pick it up. Have you got a small crate or something to put him in? I'd move him somewhere far away and nice/safe (or as safe as poss).

[Tokkie]

Just put on some heavy duty gloves to pick it up. Have you got a small crate or something to put him in? I'd move him somewhere far away and nice/safe (or as safe as poss).

Thanks spottychick, I'll do that next time it comes into my yard.... hopefulle Nandi will bark again (thats why I went outside), Ringo does not bark.

Edited September 9, 2010 by Tokkie

[haylz27]

Heavy gloves do sound like a good idea if you're scared of it biting you.

At the start of the year one of my dogs kept hanging around a certain spot in the garden and digging. We found out why! There was a frog that had been "living" in the dirt and Indi was trying to play with him.

So dad caught it and put it in our front garden with a bit of water. He must have hopped a long way from the river down the road! We found another frog about a week later and dad picked it up and released it back into the creek.

So yeah, I think moving the blue tongue is the best idea.

[Sue Brown]

How did you go? Did you get the little guy to a nice safe place?

[GoldenGirl85]

They will usually 'hiss' at you, but if you pick him up from behind the neck he cant get you, make sure you support his body as you lift him though

[Tokkie]

He went under the colorbond into my neighbours’ yard.

I'm working tomorrow but will leave the dogs inside the house just in case he comes back.

I did not know they can get so angry...... it almost gave me a heart attack.

[mita]

Just put on some heavy duty gloves to pick it up. Have you got a small crate or something to put him in? I'd move him somewhere far away and nice/safe (or as safe as poss).

The neighbour next door did exactly that yesterday. He was alerted when his little tibbie, Lily, did her 'Something's Wrong!' bark. He came out to find 2 blue tongue lizards getting stuck into each other. With Lily a few feet away telling them off. He used garden gloves to get them into a box & he released them nearby in bushland.

Trouble is, it's started Lily on a roll. His wife heard Lily giving the same bark this morning & raced out expecting more wildlife. But, this time, she had bailed up a tiny common lizard. And was 'calling' for her 'dad' to come do something about it! Seems like Lily's starting a new career as a Lizard Alerter.

[GoldenGirl85]

He went under the colorbond into my neighbours’ yard.

I'm working tomorrow but will leave the dogs inside the house just in case he comes back.

I did not know they can get so angry...... it almost gave me a heart attack.

Lol, he would have been frightened from the dogs, if you found one that the dogs hadnt scared half to death they probably wouldnt be so angry

[Souff]

He went under the colorbond into my neighbours’ yard.

I'm working tomorrow but will leave the dogs inside the house just in case he comes back.

I did not know they can get so angry...... it almost gave me a heart attack.

Fill in the space under the colourbond fence so that the lizard can't come back into your yard that way.

Souff

[Little Gifts]

I used to live on acreage and one summer we put a kiddie's pool up for the kiddies visiting us and it became a haven for frogs to lay their eggs for many years after. Every year I'd have to put the damn pool up again and they'd come and about 4 species of frog would come and do their thing. Even though we had a dam and water running through there was a problem with the toads laying in the dam and killing the frogs eggs. Anyway what I was trying to say was that we were advised that frogs couldn't be relocated out of their area or they would die. I was just wondering if it was the same with lizards given they are also cold blooded?

On that particular property we had a massive monitor lizard living there - he was around 6 foot. I know this because one of my staffies killed him. It was a major fight as my staffy was black and blue from the pounding she got from the lizards tail. Luckily it didn't get its claws into her. It was awful - I just couldn't get anyone to help seperate them. Prior to that he had just always been hanging around down the back but must've gotten too close to the house that day and she was defending her turf.

I currently live in the suburbs and my staffies have disemboweled a couple blue tongues over the years while I've been at work - again always when they are right next to the house itself. I reckon there must be loads of blue tongues living in people's yards and that maybe it is a territory thing - they continue to live there out of instinct even though it is unsafe.

[tikira]

I totally empathise with your problem Tokkie, as Tippy (our JRT) has had run- ins with them too.

I have become adept at relocating them to safer areas, and I find a mower catcher is the best thing to use. It is a safe place for the lizard (dark), and I just encourage them in, and then pick it up and move it.

PS- I really enjoy seeing photo's of your lovely doggies.

Di

[lovemymutts]

I used to answer all wildlife calls for a 24/7 number. Most of the calls regarding reptiles were people wanting me to remove "this filthy lizard" from "their" yard to which I would explain the reptiles were there first & I lived over an hour away & it IS illegal to remove reptiles further than I think 1km ( someone correct me if i'm wrong, i'm a bit rusty). I usually recommended they try to catch the reptile, with a few different suggestions depending on what they were comfortable with & then they try to find a neighbour with a suitable yard within 1km. Most of the time this worked. Then I would suggest to get some garden edging etc to run along the bottom of the fence so if the people did have dogs the lizard wouldn't enter their yard again.

Of course this did not always work, especially if the callers were "uperclass poshies" but it was always worth suggesting

[Ravyk]

I used to answer all wildlife calls for a 24/7 number. Most of the calls regarding reptiles were people wanting me to remove "this filthy lizard" from "their" yard to which I would explain the reptiles were there first & I lived over an hour away & it IS illegal to remove reptiles further than I think 1km ( someone correct me if i'm wrong, i'm a bit rusty). I usually recommended they try to catch the reptile, with a few different suggestions depending on what they were comfortable with & then they try to find a neighbour with a suitable yard within 1km. Most of the time this worked. Then I would suggest to get some garden edging etc to run along the bottom of the fence so if the people did have dogs the lizard wouldn't enter their yard again.

Of course this did not always work, especially if the callers were "uperclass poshies" but it was always worth suggesting

I don't think it is 1km. I have helped an animal refuge relocate lizards that were bought in injured who couldn't go back to where they were found. We released them in the same suburb in the bushy parks. As long as they are within essentially the same area its ok, particularly in suburbia, where there may be no suitable place to release it for a kilometre or two. The local bit of bush should be fine to release the lizard at.

Tokkie, when trying to catch it, use a damp [not wet] towel. It will make the towel fall faster and more accurately, just swap over to a dry towel once you've caught it. Secure the lizard by holding firmly but gently behind the head and behind the back legs. Holding it like that will make sure it can't bite you. Place in a box to relocate.

If you want some help catching it, PM me, and I'm happy to come down and help.

[PRADA68]

Lizards never live long in our garden the terriers are onto them instantly and skinks well they are doomed if found. The joys of terriers in a house at least they are dynamite on mice.

[Tokkie]

Thanks tikira, I love taking photos of them.

I had to google 'mower catcher'.... my brain's not working today...

PRADA68, I love JRT's but that’s one part of them I wish I could change.

Thanks Ravyk, I went outside after work and the dogs ran straight to the place they cornered the lizard yesterday, it was not there.

Ringo did a quick scan of the back yard and did not find anything. Souff I don't know why I didn't think of it.... maybe it's still in my neighbours yard, I'll fill in the space.

Lovemymutts, I would love to have lizards in my yard...... but I love my doggies more.

Edited September 10, 2010 by Tokkie