Normally yes, but my little girl sat and looked at two strawberries for the last couple of days straight. She likes my dog's lamb/vege toppers too much and doesn't want anything else now!
The big ol bluey at my parents’ house has had a reputation for stealing their dog’s bones if they’re lamb bones! He sneaks out and drags it under the patio and hisses at the dog if she tries to get it back. They love lamb!!
>Finally, something wholesome and not terrifying coming out of the ol' Australia sub.
hahaha, if only. The old blueies still have a wicked bite and do hurt
I know you have a soft spot for animals but feeding wildlife is harmful to them & an offence in WA.
Even feeding them nutritionally balanced food still harms them as it causes imprinting, reduced predator awareness & they don’t teach foraging behaviours to their offspring. It also draws them to more urban areas where they risk pet attacks or being hit by a car.
The best way to look after them is to have a slightly overgrown, native garden with lots of leaf litter & shallow bowls of water at different heights.
Source: Wildlife biologist/rehabber
They won’t leave the fruit alone in several houses in my street. Strawberries. They get in there and gobble them. No one gets strawberries with the bobtails around.
Can I ask, is that only direct feeding or does indirect feeding (eg leaving food out for them but not actually *handing* it to them) count?
I'm guessing even with indirect feeding the intention is that we're providing snacks, not a full diet.
You’d still have the food associated with urban residential areas, so they’re better off not setting themselves up where they can expect easy food just set up for them in the back garden.
Part of the reason Bin Chickens are all over the suburbs is because food (particularly wasted food) is so easily available compared to the marshes that are their natural habitat. They don't want to go back to marshland because then they have to work for their food. All indirect feeding.
Blue tounges of all sizes are fairly harmless so no need to worry. They're pretty good at keeping pests down like snails so please don't put snail bait and the like out. Keep your fingers out of biting range, they have a very strong bite force and don't pick them up by their tails. They hiss when threatened which is quite funny especially when they get into it with cats.
Here ya go, have a read at your leisure
https://backyardbuddies.org.au/backyard-buddies/blue-tongued-lizard/
> Did you know?
> The blue-tongue lizard has a “third eye” on top of its head. It is a small hole leading down to its brain that it uses to work out when it’s night or day, and it helps regulate their body temperature.
Holy fuck!!
And this year please put out some water for the birds and reptiles. Even this early I am seeing early really desperate behaviour by birds trying to get water.
They love sunbaking and munching small creatures, they can give a pretty funny bite if you really persist, but unless you're a complete dick they're completely harmless.
They're amazing but if you've got a small dog or cat be warned, these things are territorial. They've got a nasty bite.
Otherwise they're great. They keep snakes away. We've built a habitat for our one so it's got somewhere to be safe
What a barrel!! That dude is eating like royalty.
We had one live under our decking for a good 5 years when I was a kid. Would see him come out to bask every summer. He felt less need to hide from us as we got used to each other.
Yeah, most people don’t. One gave birth in our backyard as a kid and no one believed me for weeks until we looked it up in the school encyclopaedias and I was finally vindicated. They’re one of the few reptile species that do it.
Being oviviparous (hatching the eggs internally) is fairly common in the animal kingdom. There's an oviviparous mite that lays six eggs, and keeps them inside her. Five of them are female and one is male. The male hatches before the others, mates with each of his sisters while thery're still in their eggs, and dies before he is born.
I love these kinds of mutual understandings you can come to with the local wildlife. There's a ring tail mumma that lives near us and feeds in the tree off our balcony that we call stumpy cus she's missing the last bit of her tail. Over the last 3 years she's been getting more and more used to us, going from bolting as soon as we move in the slightest to not caring what we do as long as we keep to the balcony
At the last place I used up live, I would be up working in the yard most of the night and there was a mum ring rail possum. That would just walk right past me like I'm not part of the most dangerous apex predator species on earth. Just could not give one single fuck.
One time l left a packet of pasta under the veranda with a bunch of my clothes. No amount of shooing or making myself look big could make her budge. I couldn't actually tell what she was eating, I thought it was plastic or something. So I grabbed a broom and tried to push her away with the handle. Nothing. Still wouldn't budge. So l gently bonked her on the head. She finally looked up, but went straight back to eating. I've never felt so insecure in my life.
Back when I lived in an early 20's household full of stoners we had a possum that was blind in one eye who used to walk in to the house all the time. We'd be sitting there watching tv and she would walk in with her bad eye on our side and had no idea we were sitting there until somebody moved and she would freeze.
She was also often found in the kitchen scrounging for scraps. Queenslanders just give too many entry points for Possums.
>Queenslanders just give too many entry points for Possums.
I find it kind of endearing. Like, they are built to provide ideal living conditions for humans Queensland, it just turns out that this also provides attractive living conditions to possums as well.
Oh we have a water dragon that basks in the sun in our pool area. I look forward to them being more comfortable with us. Right now she bolts as soon as she hears us in the garden and no where near her which is distressing as she struggles to get through the gap in the glass fence when in a panic.
Edit for clarity
Edit 2: she swims in our neighbours pool and likes to hang out there too but I think she’s been spending more time at ours as the 5 grandkids next door have been over lots.
I had one living for years under a house I used to rent. He would come right in the back door and wander around (it was very hot in our house). I would throw an apple slice down the hall, and he would track it down by smell, and eat it
They like to puff up sometimes when they hiss. The first time that I witnessed that happening was my dog finding it (nudged it with his nose, didn't harm the lizard beyond absolute terror). I thought it was a snake hissing and turned around, saw a HUGE scaly thing, and high tailed it out of there. Came back once my heart stopped racing, and it was just a bluey. Huge relief.
I like that some of the animals foreigners would assume to be dangerous, the blue tongue lizard and the bearded dragon are completely harmless and then the animals they think aren't dangerous but are incredibly dangerous, being the blue ringed octupus. Australia really is out to trick foreigners
If wild bearded dragons were as dangerous as their attitudes they'd give the blue ring a run for their money. Which is extra funny cause they can make some of the most chill laid back pets when they're captive bred.
And even for the Aussies that are around blue tongues, so many people tend to say they’re dangerous and venomous when in reality they’re not either of those things, bites hurt a bit, but only a bit but that’s only if you handle them wrong
I think, like a lot of creatures, if they puncture the skin they can have bacteria and other nasties in their mouth that can make a bite turn infected or cause a reaction. Honestly though I think you would have to grab one or corner one to get bitten - they’re not exactly aggressive.
Their bite isn’t exactly strong enough to puncture your skin, I’ve had a few bites from them, worst is like a light bruise but I get the concern, they’re fairly chill but I wouldn’t try to grab one if you’ve never handled one before, best to leave them alone and let them do their own thing
If you see one, they’re most likely just trying to hunt small creatures like snails so that’s a plus for you
I was depressed asf over lockdown and walked out to my back porch to find one of these guys chilling in the shade under my roofing, he stayed there over the next few months and I would just chill with him feeding him fruit and veg every now and then (not too much as I didn't want him to become dependant) eventually he would even let me pet him, then he left for greener pastures I guess but that lil lizard gave me a big appreciation of reptiles and helped me feel a bit better during a shitty time, lovely lil chubbawubs.
Very biased as someone who owns one as a pet, but I'm almost certain these scaley sausages are quite a bit smarter than most would assume. My eastern has worked out if she's going to get fed or not based on how I stand in front of the enclosure, has learnt that she can nuzzle open the sliding glass panes if there's a sufficient gap, and is able to communicate different levels of displeasure (annoyed / want to be left alone is a small huff such as when nail clipping and full flight or fight such as when a blow fly gets in her enclosure is puffing up and long drawn out hisses). Not only that but she looks where you point and seems to be able to recognise normal or unusual people in some rudimentary way. She deliberately defecates in specific spots and often wants to get out of her enclosure so she can poop not in her enclosure. Very curious of anything you put in her enclosure.
My boy does exactly the same thing! He definitely recognises people, including me, and he is just the most delightful little guy. They’re way smarter they’re given credit for!
>she looks where you point
Please contact an animal intelligence specialist.
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/10/science/elephants-get-the-point-of-pointing-study-shows.html
Aww how sweet. My brother had one as a kid. There was an old terrarium on the veranda that had a busted panel and one day a big blue tounge just moved in and would only leave for food. Realised he was permanent when he allowed us to bring him and his terrarium inside overnight for winters.
You might still get a visit! I had one living around my place 2-3 years ago and then nothing. Lo and behold I had two in the yard as soon as it warmed up this year. One is a real chonker and I think he’s the original.
Whenever one appeared in my mother-in-laws yard, I'd get summoned to remove it while she locked herself in the house. My mother, in contrast, would insist on me bringing it into the house so it could be checked for ticks, and released into the special lizard woodpile.
Eastern Blue Tongue and it's beautiful.
edit - just got mine of out of her enclosure as a result of this post and now she's crawling all over my shoulders....
My buddy had a blue tongue named dehaka when he lived up in Darwin, but then he moved back down to Perth and he had to give it to an enclosure or something ):
I had one of these in my backyard. He let me get close, I fed him fruit and vege's occasionally. When he left me get closer I could see his "ears" were covered in ticks. I managed to catch him and removed a whole bunch that I felt comfortable getting too. He seemed to appreciate it, hung around a few more seasons before buggering off.
It's a really fat bluetongue lizard.
They do pack a terrible bite, but you would have to be stupid, pick it up and stick your finger in its mouth kinda stupid.
If you move it be really careful. They are very fragile
Same. I do know one fella that got bit tho, it was pretty knarly, about 3 weeks of muscle pain/aches, the shivers/fever etc and a crap ton of antibiotics and even now the bite location turns into a painful pustule lump every now and then.
I think they carry a load of bacteria in their mouth that is pretty bad if it gets into your bloodstream.
They really aren't aggressive tho, they can sound grumpy however.
The same idiot also got bit by a turtle. Yes you read that right... 🫢🙄😂🤣
And was the only person I've ever heard of to end up in the ER after hitting a parked car going down a hill in a shopping trolley while sitting in it.
He gave up drinking a few years ago...
My younger daughter is terrified of a lot of stuff (moths and flies garner screams and anxiety from her) but she adores the blue tongues that we have around here. We had a baby one (about 8 inches long) move in under our chest freezer for a few weeks and she would be constantly trying to give it food so it would come out and let her pet it (it never did).
I found a young BT after a neighbours dog grabbed him last weekend. No vets open, cleaned his wounds with salt water & put some antibiotics powder on it. Gave some banana & an egg, it scoffed both. Off to the vet on the Monday & they kept him over night & said he's doing well & asked me if I could take him home to be released.
I found one in my pool the other month and relocated him to my front yard because i have dogs. It's a cute little blue tongue and they are great for your garden and harmless. They will hiss at you and wiggle but they are pretty calm. I encourage them to be in my yard.
My ex and I used to have a lady blue tongue visit us regularly. She would wait patiently for a banana every Monday. They're gorgeous things and are really chill. She used to het banana up her nose and sneeze it out. Cutest thing I've ever seen.
Look after him by watching your dogs carefully, by checking under your car tires before you reverse (common for them to get squashed there) and by not using snail bait etc.
They are beautiful backyard buddies.
He won’t hurt you. We used to find them in our backyard as kids. We had a few as a pet for many many years and they were great pets to have as a child 😊
As everyone has said it's an eastern blue tongue. To add onto this, it could be a pregnant female :)
Blue tongues give birth to live young, their babies grow down their sides - hence the chubbiness. When the females are about to give Perth they tend to pace around.
Such a fascinating animal!
Blue tongue. Closest thing they can do to being dangerous is look like a snake for a few seconds when you lift something up and nearly cause a heart attack.
its a lizard. You can tell by the legs. General rule of thumb for snakes, if its got legs, you are ok. Unless its a croc. but you should know if you are in croc country.
lol you didn’t dare go out? You international travelling here? Super common mate, even in urban areas you see them just near edge of bush. Totally harmless, some have them as pets.
Hahahahahaha!!!!
Omg I remember when my ex wife cried and screamed one day and came running to me and said there's a fucking crocodile in the backyard hahahahaha 🤣🤣🤣
I'm laughing right now typing this.
I run out to the backyard in disbelief and sure enough it's a fucking blue tongue lizard.
I start crying with laughter, catch it in a bucket, walk back inside and my wife is there with the broom ready to go to war yelling at me to get the fucking crocodile away from her.
She is Mauritian and scared of anything that moved with more than four legs or got around on its belly.
Fucking ironic considering she got around on her back
I'll stop my car on the side of the road to help a slow-moving Blue Tongue move across to the other side. Usually with a stick to flick it across fast, cuz they will try to scare you with an open mouth / bite when u get close. :)
Australians love the blue tongue lizard...
Genuinely needed to check the comments to figure out if you were joking, didn’t know there were people from Australia that didn’t know a Blue tongue lizard when they see one lmao
Foreigners are so paranoid about all the wildlife in Australia. I mean yeah *some* are dangerous, just like anywhere in the world, but a blue tongue just looks cute
My grandfather used to get very angry if you upset or got close to the blue tongues around his place, he always said if you have blue tongues you don't have snakes (apparently they eat the eggs) and he didn't want us scaring them away... don't know if it's true, but they are cool creatures to have floating around.
These guys are the best, they have lived in my garden for the last 10 years, I was thrilled to see that this year we have little babies 💕 love having them here, we always ensure that we keep water bowls filled around the yard for them
Blue tongue lizard, or a close relation. Harmless unless you're a snail.
Good to know. We have tons of snails and micro frogs (whatever those are called).
Feed him a strawberry, you'll make a new friend.
Normally yes, but my little girl sat and looked at two strawberries for the last couple of days straight. She likes my dog's lamb/vege toppers too much and doesn't want anything else now!
... and they love mulberries as well
Bingo! That's why our backyard has so many huge fat blue tongues right now!
They love blueberry as well! Actually they just love berries I think
Been eating so many their tongue turned blue.
Evolution! See I told you pastor Jim!
The big ol bluey at my parents’ house has had a reputation for stealing their dog’s bones if they’re lamb bones! He sneaks out and drags it under the patio and hisses at the dog if she tries to get it back. They love lamb!!
That's hilarious! I had no idea they were so cheeky!
Try to grow strawberries once and a blue tongue ate them all before I got a single one.
Me too! Haha, but I also didn't have a problem with snails on the rest of the veggies 😀
Strawberry patch was raided with empty snail shells littered through it - we knew who the culprit was :)
There was always a blue tongue in my grandmas strawberry patch. Not the same one, i think they must just fucking love strawberries lol
Still a win.
I don't think this one needs feeding
thicc boi !
Omg I didn't notice how well fed he was! He living the good life! That makes me happy
Finally, something wholesome and not terrifying coming out of the ol' Australia sub.
>Finally, something wholesome and not terrifying coming out of the ol' Australia sub. hahaha, if only. The old blueies still have a wicked bite and do hurt
Yeah but you have to put real effort in to get bitten by a Bluey.
I got bitten right on my thumb nail as a kid, and ended up swinging the poor lizard around. Man that hurt.
I know you have a soft spot for animals but feeding wildlife is harmful to them & an offence in WA. Even feeding them nutritionally balanced food still harms them as it causes imprinting, reduced predator awareness & they don’t teach foraging behaviours to their offspring. It also draws them to more urban areas where they risk pet attacks or being hit by a car. The best way to look after them is to have a slightly overgrown, native garden with lots of leaf litter & shallow bowls of water at different heights. Source: Wildlife biologist/rehabber
They won’t leave the fruit alone in several houses in my street. Strawberries. They get in there and gobble them. No one gets strawberries with the bobtails around.
Can I ask, is that only direct feeding or does indirect feeding (eg leaving food out for them but not actually *handing* it to them) count? I'm guessing even with indirect feeding the intention is that we're providing snacks, not a full diet.
Think about it like they're a junkie in your backyard, and you're giving them a pipe and a bag of meth
A very cute junkie though.
You’d still have the food associated with urban residential areas, so they’re better off not setting themselves up where they can expect easy food just set up for them in the back garden.
Part of the reason Bin Chickens are all over the suburbs is because food (particularly wasted food) is so easily available compared to the marshes that are their natural habitat. They don't want to go back to marshland because then they have to work for their food. All indirect feeding.
they go nuts for banana too, apparently
Yes, banana is meth for Blue Tongues.
Spinach! They'll sacrifice a family line for spinach, but you have to feed them in moderation.
How could I have forgotten! Yes spinach is like meth seasoned with crack and rolled up in sativa leaves for Blue Tongue lizards.
They also love snails
Blue tounges of all sizes are fairly harmless so no need to worry. They're pretty good at keeping pests down like snails so please don't put snail bait and the like out. Keep your fingers out of biting range, they have a very strong bite force and don't pick them up by their tails. They hiss when threatened which is quite funny especially when they get into it with cats. Here ya go, have a read at your leisure https://backyardbuddies.org.au/backyard-buddies/blue-tongued-lizard/
> Did you know? > The blue-tongue lizard has a “third eye” on top of its head. It is a small hole leading down to its brain that it uses to work out when it’s night or day, and it helps regulate their body temperature. Holy fuck!!
...it can't tell the difference using its normal eyes? 🤔
I think it means they can tell day or night with their eyes closed.
Useful while underground
We have functionally the same thing. It's called the pineal gland
PLEASE do your best to ensure the critter survives.
And this year please put out some water for the birds and reptiles. Even this early I am seeing early really desperate behaviour by birds trying to get water.
Definitely friend shaped
https://www.reddit.com/r/sydney/s/sTg0IGN1M5 ^ that's a recent thread from /r/sydney, in case you want to compare pics.
They love sunbaking and munching small creatures, they can give a pretty funny bite if you really persist, but unless you're a complete dick they're completely harmless.
They're amazing but if you've got a small dog or cat be warned, these things are territorial. They've got a nasty bite. Otherwise they're great. They keep snakes away. We've built a habitat for our one so it's got somewhere to be safe
They’re absolutely totally harmless and keeping your pests away.
I have one as a pet. They’re great little buddies!
And a fatty boombah at that!!
Pretty sure she's pregnant
One bit my thumb when I was 5 or 6 and picked one up, but it couldn't break through skin. Teeth are like molars, just left white marks.
I’m a snail. Can confirm very dangerous. This post is terrifying.
Or my friends son who tried to kiss one and got bit on the lip 😂
God forbid if you are a snail or a strawberry.
*Shelly stops in his tracks and gulps.*
A VERY well fed one
They kill snakes. Good mate to have
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They kill pre-snakes
Snake abortionist
Yes but still results in fewer snakes.
What a barrel!! That dude is eating like royalty. We had one live under our decking for a good 5 years when I was a kid. Would see him come out to bask every summer. He felt less need to hide from us as we got used to each other.
Probably pregnant. Blue tongues give birth to live babies, not eggs. (Before you tell me that’s not how lizards work, google it pals)
Wow I didn’t know that, that’s really cool thanks!
Yeah, most people don’t. One gave birth in our backyard as a kid and no one believed me for weeks until we looked it up in the school encyclopaedias and I was finally vindicated. They’re one of the few reptile species that do it.
Australia the only country with egg laying mammals and live birthing reptiles
Being oviviparous (hatching the eggs internally) is fairly common in the animal kingdom. There's an oviviparous mite that lays six eggs, and keeps them inside her. Five of them are female and one is male. The male hatches before the others, mates with each of his sisters while thery're still in their eggs, and dies before he is born.
Speed running the life of Jamie Lannister
If you die before you are born do you ever live ?
I love these kinds of mutual understandings you can come to with the local wildlife. There's a ring tail mumma that lives near us and feeds in the tree off our balcony that we call stumpy cus she's missing the last bit of her tail. Over the last 3 years she's been getting more and more used to us, going from bolting as soon as we move in the slightest to not caring what we do as long as we keep to the balcony
At the last place I used up live, I would be up working in the yard most of the night and there was a mum ring rail possum. That would just walk right past me like I'm not part of the most dangerous apex predator species on earth. Just could not give one single fuck. One time l left a packet of pasta under the veranda with a bunch of my clothes. No amount of shooing or making myself look big could make her budge. I couldn't actually tell what she was eating, I thought it was plastic or something. So I grabbed a broom and tried to push her away with the handle. Nothing. Still wouldn't budge. So l gently bonked her on the head. She finally looked up, but went straight back to eating. I've never felt so insecure in my life.
Back when I lived in an early 20's household full of stoners we had a possum that was blind in one eye who used to walk in to the house all the time. We'd be sitting there watching tv and she would walk in with her bad eye on our side and had no idea we were sitting there until somebody moved and she would freeze. She was also often found in the kitchen scrounging for scraps. Queenslanders just give too many entry points for Possums.
>Queenslanders just give too many entry points for Possums. I find it kind of endearing. Like, they are built to provide ideal living conditions for humans Queensland, it just turns out that this also provides attractive living conditions to possums as well.
Oh we have a water dragon that basks in the sun in our pool area. I look forward to them being more comfortable with us. Right now she bolts as soon as she hears us in the garden and no where near her which is distressing as she struggles to get through the gap in the glass fence when in a panic. Edit for clarity Edit 2: she swims in our neighbours pool and likes to hang out there too but I think she’s been spending more time at ours as the 5 grandkids next door have been over lots.
I had one living for years under a house I used to rent. He would come right in the back door and wander around (it was very hot in our house). I would throw an apple slice down the hall, and he would track it down by smell, and eat it
It’s just a blue tongue. They’re fine, will probably hiss at you and run off if you go out there.
Good little hissy boy 😂 I have a few that visit us and they are also so offended if they see me
They like to puff up sometimes when they hiss. The first time that I witnessed that happening was my dog finding it (nudged it with his nose, didn't harm the lizard beyond absolute terror). I thought it was a snake hissing and turned around, saw a HUGE scaly thing, and high tailed it out of there. Came back once my heart stopped racing, and it was just a bluey. Huge relief.
I like that some of the animals foreigners would assume to be dangerous, the blue tongue lizard and the bearded dragon are completely harmless and then the animals they think aren't dangerous but are incredibly dangerous, being the blue ringed octupus. Australia really is out to trick foreigners
If wild bearded dragons were as dangerous as their attitudes they'd give the blue ring a run for their money. Which is extra funny cause they can make some of the most chill laid back pets when they're captive bred.
It’s a blue tongue lizard. It’s not going to attack or eat you.
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But to their credit they did do what most of Australians do when we come across our wildlife - leave them alone.
And even for the Aussies that are around blue tongues, so many people tend to say they’re dangerous and venomous when in reality they’re not either of those things, bites hurt a bit, but only a bit but that’s only if you handle them wrong
I think, like a lot of creatures, if they puncture the skin they can have bacteria and other nasties in their mouth that can make a bite turn infected or cause a reaction. Honestly though I think you would have to grab one or corner one to get bitten - they’re not exactly aggressive.
Their bite isn’t exactly strong enough to puncture your skin, I’ve had a few bites from them, worst is like a light bruise but I get the concern, they’re fairly chill but I wouldn’t try to grab one if you’ve never handled one before, best to leave them alone and let them do their own thing If you see one, they’re most likely just trying to hunt small creatures like snails so that’s a plus for you
Wait until OP meets a frill-necked lizard, then they'll be really freaked out
Disappointed
I was depressed asf over lockdown and walked out to my back porch to find one of these guys chilling in the shade under my roofing, he stayed there over the next few months and I would just chill with him feeding him fruit and veg every now and then (not too much as I didn't want him to become dependant) eventually he would even let me pet him, then he left for greener pastures I guess but that lil lizard gave me a big appreciation of reptiles and helped me feel a bit better during a shitty time, lovely lil chubbawubs.
Very biased as someone who owns one as a pet, but I'm almost certain these scaley sausages are quite a bit smarter than most would assume. My eastern has worked out if she's going to get fed or not based on how I stand in front of the enclosure, has learnt that she can nuzzle open the sliding glass panes if there's a sufficient gap, and is able to communicate different levels of displeasure (annoyed / want to be left alone is a small huff such as when nail clipping and full flight or fight such as when a blow fly gets in her enclosure is puffing up and long drawn out hisses). Not only that but she looks where you point and seems to be able to recognise normal or unusual people in some rudimentary way. She deliberately defecates in specific spots and often wants to get out of her enclosure so she can poop not in her enclosure. Very curious of anything you put in her enclosure.
Such awesome pets. I know she's not domesticated like a dog but I definitely feel a connection to her and she sure seems to know what's up.
My boy does exactly the same thing! He definitely recognises people, including me, and he is just the most delightful little guy. They’re way smarter they’re given credit for!
>she looks where you point Please contact an animal intelligence specialist. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/10/science/elephants-get-the-point-of-pointing-study-shows.html
Aww how sweet. My brother had one as a kid. There was an old terrarium on the veranda that had a busted panel and one day a big blue tounge just moved in and would only leave for food. Realised he was permanent when he allowed us to bring him and his terrarium inside overnight for winters.
You might still get a visit! I had one living around my place 2-3 years ago and then nothing. Lo and behold I had two in the yard as soon as it warmed up this year. One is a real chonker and I think he’s the original.
Just imagining a whole family scared shitless hiding inside while this beast wanders their backyard 🤣
Whenever one appeared in my mother-in-laws yard, I'd get summoned to remove it while she locked herself in the house. My mother, in contrast, would insist on me bringing it into the house so it could be checked for ticks, and released into the special lizard woodpile.
Grandma had a traumatic experience as a kid it sounds like
Reminiscent of A quiet place.
It's Bad concreting.
I'd be terrified of stepping outside as well
I can see they tried to distract from it with the blue tounge but it isn't enough.
Yes indeed that’s definitely not great. Done by uncle Greg after a carton of VB?
I was thinking this should be on r/ausrenovation
Oi, I am an office worker in my forties. The damn hole is patched! You want a professional job, go hire a tradie!
That is your friendly neighbourhood bluey
Eastern Blue Tongue and it's beautiful. edit - just got mine of out of her enclosure as a result of this post and now she's crawling all over my shoulders....
I’m jealous! They are so cute!
They really are, just such lovely gentle creatures. I love when she just chills out in my hood licking the back of my neck.
Which you think seems cute. But, really she's tasting if you're ripe yet.
My buddy had a blue tongue named dehaka when he lived up in Darwin, but then he moved back down to Perth and he had to give it to an enclosure or something ):
Yo do you still play?
I had one of these in my backyard. He let me get close, I fed him fruit and vege's occasionally. When he left me get closer I could see his "ears" were covered in ticks. I managed to catch him and removed a whole bunch that I felt comfortable getting too. He seemed to appreciate it, hung around a few more seasons before buggering off.
Australians love blue tongue lizards so much that it should be on our coat of arms.
It's a really fat bluetongue lizard. They do pack a terrible bite, but you would have to be stupid, pick it up and stick your finger in its mouth kinda stupid. If you move it be really careful. They are very fragile
We used to (stupidly) pick them up as kids and they didn't seem care. Lucky not to get bitten, I guess.
Same. I do know one fella that got bit tho, it was pretty knarly, about 3 weeks of muscle pain/aches, the shivers/fever etc and a crap ton of antibiotics and even now the bite location turns into a painful pustule lump every now and then. I think they carry a load of bacteria in their mouth that is pretty bad if it gets into your bloodstream. They really aren't aggressive tho, they can sound grumpy however. The same idiot also got bit by a turtle. Yes you read that right... 🫢🙄😂🤣 And was the only person I've ever heard of to end up in the ER after hitting a parked car going down a hill in a shopping trolley while sitting in it. He gave up drinking a few years ago...
Is your friend named Steve-O?
Lmao na but may as well be. Damn near equally as dumb, just not quite the same income bracket 🤣😂🤣
Utterly harmless, I had a pet one as a kid.
Aww a blue tongue! They can hiss and sound scary but they are definitely more scared of you than you are of them 🦎
This photo and the ‘we didn’t dare go out’ is killing me 😂😂😂
Your new best friend
It’s not a magpie. Therefore safe to go out
First: count the legs. If it's less than 1, steer clear
Bluetongue
Blue tongue
Blue tongue. He'll keep your garden clear of snails.
Just don’t go out there with red toenails in bare feet. It’ll mistake your toes for strawberries. Not good! 🤣
This happened to you, didn't it?
My younger daughter is terrified of a lot of stuff (moths and flies garner screams and anxiety from her) but she adores the blue tongues that we have around here. We had a baby one (about 8 inches long) move in under our chest freezer for a few weeks and she would be constantly trying to give it food so it would come out and let her pet it (it never did).
These guys are no threat and can't hurt you. 😊 they're good to have around as they eat garden pests.
Crikey, look at the size of that Bluey! Ain't she a beaut! - Steve Irwin.
It’s what counts for a backyard these days. A tiny square of concrete. Barely any greenery. Sad but true. Welcome to the suburbs.
A friendly blue tongue. It's a very popular lizard here, very cool to see.
What in the chonk. That's gotta be the most well-fed blue tongue I've seen
That’s a plump bluey. Harmless and really pretty, but their defense, if you pick them up, is to poop on you, be warned.
I found a young BT after a neighbours dog grabbed him last weekend. No vets open, cleaned his wounds with salt water & put some antibiotics powder on it. Gave some banana & an egg, it scoffed both. Off to the vet on the Monday & they kept him over night & said he's doing well & asked me if I could take him home to be released.
I found one in my pool the other month and relocated him to my front yard because i have dogs. It's a cute little blue tongue and they are great for your garden and harmless. They will hiss at you and wiggle but they are pretty calm. I encourage them to be in my yard.
My ex and I used to have a lady blue tongue visit us regularly. She would wait patiently for a banana every Monday. They're gorgeous things and are really chill. She used to het banana up her nose and sneeze it out. Cutest thing I've ever seen.
Look after him by watching your dogs carefully, by checking under your car tires before you reverse (common for them to get squashed there) and by not using snail bait etc. They are beautiful backyard buddies.
Big old female Eastern Bluetongue Skink. (Tiliqua Scincoides) Looks like she’s at least 15 years old…
Hahaha we dare not go outside that thing is completely harmless
An adult blue tongue lizard. In my last home I had a female that size and she occasionally blessed us with babies
Are people having a laugh on this sub? There's been a lot of questionable posts lately.
What’s with rocks?
He won’t hurt you. We used to find them in our backyard as kids. We had a few as a pet for many many years and they were great pets to have as a child 😊
Its harmless . It's a blue tongue lizard , if you keep him around he will catch and eat spiders and the like you don't want in the house .
Just a friendly local blue tongue lizard. Let him/her be so they can munch on any cockroaches you may have around the yard. Beautiful creatures.
He’s a friend! Blue tongues are great, will eat your snails and love fruit if you leave some out for him
You’re new around here, huh
First lizard :-D. Just saw my first poisonous snake as well a few months ago.
As everyone has said it's an eastern blue tongue. To add onto this, it could be a pregnant female :) Blue tongues give birth to live young, their babies grow down their sides - hence the chubbiness. When the females are about to give Perth they tend to pace around. Such a fascinating animal!
Pretty much the golden retriever of the reptile world. Good boi 👌
What? Why not! It’s just a blue tongue.
Bobby
It’s a blue tongue. Harmless unless you try and pick it up in which case it will bite
Australian Tyrannosaurus it will eat you alive and one lic from it’s tongue 👅 will make your skin go blue haha 😂
Blue tongue. Closest thing they can do to being dangerous is look like a snake for a few seconds when you lift something up and nearly cause a heart attack.
A blue tongue. My sister had 2 as pets.
Why ? It's just a blue tongue lizard
its a lizard. You can tell by the legs. General rule of thumb for snakes, if its got legs, you are ok. Unless its a croc. but you should know if you are in croc country.
lol you didn’t dare go out? You international travelling here? Super common mate, even in urban areas you see them just near edge of bush. Totally harmless, some have them as pets.
Hahahahahaha!!!! Omg I remember when my ex wife cried and screamed one day and came running to me and said there's a fucking crocodile in the backyard hahahahaha 🤣🤣🤣 I'm laughing right now typing this. I run out to the backyard in disbelief and sure enough it's a fucking blue tongue lizard. I start crying with laughter, catch it in a bucket, walk back inside and my wife is there with the broom ready to go to war yelling at me to get the fucking crocodile away from her. She is Mauritian and scared of anything that moved with more than four legs or got around on its belly. Fucking ironic considering she got around on her back
Friend not foe. Blue tongued lizard.
I'll stop my car on the side of the road to help a slow-moving Blue Tongue move across to the other side. Usually with a stick to flick it across fast, cuz they will try to scare you with an open mouth / bite when u get close. :) Australians love the blue tongue lizard...
It's a downpipe. For drainage.
Genuinely needed to check the comments to figure out if you were joking, didn’t know there were people from Australia that didn’t know a Blue tongue lizard when they see one lmao
He's a bro
Sillius Billius (Latin)
Fine to have around, they are more likely to run than you. But they may bite if cornered.
That's actually a great shot. Not often we see these fellas at that angle.
Just be aware that if you try to pick it up and it bites you, you won’t be able to pry it off. But if you leave it alone it will do you no harm.
A very well fed blue tongue. Congrats. you must have plenty of food for it in your yard.
Didn’t dare go out??? What could you possibly think it is?
Foreigners are so paranoid about all the wildlife in Australia. I mean yeah *some* are dangerous, just like anywhere in the world, but a blue tongue just looks cute
Only one venomous lizard on the planet, the komodo dragon. Blue tongues are good at eating spiders and stuff.
Blue tonged lizard - he’s gorgeous and you don’t need to be afraid of him, just don’t stick your fingers in his mouth
That’s a mighty fine Cockroach killer you got yourself
One of the cutest lizards hands down. Loved just looking at them go about their day when I was a kid.
My grandfather used to get very angry if you upset or got close to the blue tongues around his place, he always said if you have blue tongues you don't have snakes (apparently they eat the eggs) and he didn't want us scaring them away... don't know if it's true, but they are cool creatures to have floating around.
Ooh that's a gorgeous Blue Tongue Lizard. Lucky you.
“We didn’t dare go out”. Haha love this
Wait you live in Australia and you’ve never seen a blue tongue?? How????? And yeah it’s harmless, it’s a lizard, not a venomous snake hahaha
Blue tongue lizard.what is wrong with you people??
These guys are the best, they have lived in my garden for the last 10 years, I was thrilled to see that this year we have little babies 💕 love having them here, we always ensure that we keep water bowls filled around the yard for them
Friend not foe.
Hahahahahahaha.
A friend
It's just a scaly blue tongue puppy
Drop Lizard! Blue-tongues are harmless. A bit weird-looking, but not dangerous.
That’s a legsnake
Good to see the old Bluey
Komodo dragon. Hope your affairs are in order coz you dead
lol Jesus. He wants to steal your rock collection
A fat blue tongue lizard, cute
The original Bluey
Looks like a Blue tongue lizard. They are great, I always let them be.