Q: When is a snake not a snake?

[fireheart]

A: When it turns out to be a blue-tongue lizard.

This is from a while ago, but I thought I'd share.

So my mum is the squicky type over spiders and other nasties. She has no problem hunting down flies and mozzies but if there's a spider around, she'll get dad to kill it.

I'm chilling on the couch and the cats are outside (so we leave the door open a crack). Next thing we know, we hear this rustling noise across the floor (vinyl). Mum comes down to discover the noise and we're both FREAKING because we think it's a snake. not to mention that the cats are going beserk around it. So of course, dad is summoned.

He comes down, takes one look at the commotion and announces that it was a blue-tongue lizard. Specifically, the blue-tongue that takes residence in our backyard (we think it's since expanded into an entire family, as we've found babies lurking in the backyard occasionally). I'm guessing that the cat had chased it into the house.

I got to handle it again before dad put it back under the shed. (Yes, I wear gloves. A blue tongue's bite isn't poisonous, but it hurts like hell)

next time I see it, I'm going to get a pic and see if I can get someone to identify what species it is. There are a number of different species out there and I'm a little curious. (also I don't want to risk legal issues catching it and bringing it in)

[Zaiida]

My brother had a blue tongue as a temporary pet. It engaged in a losing tango with our cat at the time and we looked after it for a while until it was, well, meant to be back to 100% health. Brother was always ever so curious so he tried to kiss the blue tongue and it bit back.

I think everyone was torn between horror and laughter as we tried to help Dad pry off the blue tongue off his lips with a pair of spoons. It was released back unharmed into he wild the next day. It took my bothers lip a few more weeks to stop resembling he's been sucker punched. He has been understandably pissy about lizards ever since.

Blue tongues are sweet lizards but they can really lock on. When they are small it's easy to pry them off undamaged but when you get to full size yikes.

[Mishi]

Our dogs keep picking them up and bringing them inside, which is frustrating because I want the blue-tongues to stay in the garden to eat the snails and slugs! (I garden organically, so native animal-helpers are always welcome)

Luckily, the lizards have only ended up with minor nicks after their run-ins with our dogs, and have been able to be rehomed nearby after vet checks + a short time with a carer. We have Weimaraners, so I'm really grateful that they have very soft mouths when they retrieve, that they place the blue-tongues on the floor nicely, and that they alert us + leave the lizards without any fuss.

On the topic of "It's a snake!!", I once killed two legless lizards when I mistook them for baby brown snakes while digging out a tree stump. Understandable because they were brown, moved quickly and kept going for my boots.

[fireheart]

Our dogs keep picking them up and bringing them inside, which is frustrating because I want the blue-tongues to stay in the garden to eat the snails and slugs! (I garden organically, so native animal-helpers are always welcome)

That's why we haven't interfered with the blue-tongues in our backyard, since they help keep the snake/slug population down. It also stops us from having to buy slug pellets or similar (which the cats would be likely to eat. Dad does poison the weeds from time to time and we're careful to keep the boys in for a few hours afterward)

We've come across baby blue-tongues from time to time, which I've held. They are cute for babies let me tell you. Both baby and adults will come out from their hiding place from time to time. The cats have been known to then chase them back UNDER the shed (not hurt them since our lot are pretty fast)

[Dreamstalker]

When I was living in the dorms in college, there was a blue-tongue that had somehow gotten into the air vents. Every so often it would come into my room to say hi (so that's why the other rooms on that end had spiders and I didn't); when maintenance found out about it, I was enlisted to figure out how it was getting into the room, seal that off and babysit it for a short time until they could cajole the bio department to lend them a cage. I think one of the learning-center employees who had a sizable garden ended up adopting it.

[wolfie]

Dad does poison the weeds from time to time and we're careful to keep the boys in for a few hours afterward)

O/T, and don't know whether it would work with the weeds you're dealing with, but back in the day my family had a (relatively) nonpoisonous way to get rid of dandelions in the lawn - dump a heaping teaspoon (more if it's a big one) of rapid-release high-nitrogen fertilizer (34-0-0 works best - it's 100% consumable) in the rosette, it kills the weed by fertilizer burn, and the lawn LOVES the "leftovers".

[Seshat]

Seph (the cat who died today) had a blue-tongue lizard 'friend' when we lived in Queensland.

The lizard lived under the house, and would come out to bask on the front doormat. Seph would also bask on the doormat; and neither of them was bothered about sharing it. Somewhere (I don't know where) we have some cute photos of them together.

[Mishi]

Aww that sounds adorable!