New Baby Blotchie (wild)

[Lizard Mama]

This little fellow was wandering around in my stables. Lucky not to have been eaten or stepped on since he was in the stallion box. I suspect he was looking for water due to the drought. It's been extremely dry and he was dry and dehydrated when I found him. Drank lots of water once in the enclosure.

It is highly unusual to see a baby like this out this time of year. It's technically spring but up here in the mountains it is still late winter as far as temps go so if he's like a month old he was born in winter. Very strange.

How old do you think he is? He's almost 7" long (about 17cm)

Blotchie-baby.jpg

[kingofnobbys]

He (?) might be 6 months old .

I'm not sure do blotchies reach the same size as eastern bluetongues . My guess is based on my memories of how big my two eastern were at 6 months old.

Very nice rescue on your behalf. I expect if was found near your barn, it lives very near there so if you choose to release him , that's more or less where you should do it else it might have problems ( be driven off my the resident blotchy who's territory it might be in as a result).

Wild bluetongues are quite territorial, the females typically have smaller territories where they only tolerate siblings and related juveniles, males are more itinerant ( having much larger territories essentially controlling a harem of females who they have exclusive breeding rights to and which they defend the right to.

It's probably been hanging out amongst the animal feed and making do with insects ( like bogan moths and roaches ) overwinter .
Blotchies are found as far south as Tasmania so they are very hardy .

[Lizard Mama]

Hey thanks for the advice. 6 months old means he was born in Autumn. What a survivor.

Our Alpines don't get as big as the standard Easterns and they are getting more and more rare around here so this little guy is a blessing. There's a feral cat hanging around at the moment that's been taking care of the barn mice so I'm not sure where I will release him because she will definitely get him.

We've got 3 distinct Cunningham colonies around the house and more out in our rocky outcrops but they are better equipped to take care of themselves than the BTS. We have populations of dragons and all kinds of skinks cohabiting the same areas but no BTS that I have seen close by so I'm not too worried about territory. But right now the Brown Snakes are out too so I may wait a little while.

I'll see how things go with him. Will feed him up and wait for better weather.

[kingofnobbys]

Hey thanks for the advice. 6 months old means he was born in Autumn. What a survivor.

Our Alpines don't get as big as the standard Easterns and they are getting more and more rare around here so this little guy is a blessing. There's a feral cat hanging around at the moment that's been taking care of the barn mice so I'm not sure where I will release him because she will definitely get him.

We've got 3 distinct Cunningham colonies around the house and more out in our rocky outcrops but they are better equipped to take care of themselves than the BTS. We have populations of dragons and all kinds of skinks cohabiting the same areas but no BTS that I have seen close by so I'm not too worried about territory. But right now the Brown Snakes are out too so I may wait a little while.

I'll see how things go with him. Will feed him up and wait for better weather.

Yep been pretty cold and wet in the highlands over the last few days and more bad weather coming, winter isn't done with us yet, heck even here on the coast in Lake Macquarie it's been chilly overnight, I've had the aircon in cool mode days and warm mode overnight. Strange November weather.

I'm betting you'll end up keeping him as a pet (off the books). I'd either keep him and make him a pet or release him close to where you found him, even if you haven't seen other blotchies about, they will be around and will harass him if he's released in their territory especially if he's actually a male.

[splashy07]

What an adorable little guy (or girl). If only something like that would wander into backyards over here....all the best, hope you keep him/her!

[Lizard Mama]

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2 sheds later. I realised when I was away for 2 weeks that she had stuck shed which is why she couldn’t flex properly. My partner looked after her and sent pics which is when I saw her trying to shed and the stuck shed underneath. So when I got back I sprayed her daily with Herpa Shed and she finally started shedding the stuck. She needed a lot of help to get it off though. Once finished She immediately started flexing her body, rolling up and using her back legs.

There’s a severe drought here and most BTS have disappeared now. Only lizards I see around now are the big older Cunningham’s and the tiny skinks. Wildlife is starving out here.

I have a wooden planter box with a footing gap and holes on the bottom. I heavily water the plants in it at night and the bugs congregate underneath. In the afternoon I lift it up and let her at it. She picks and chooses what she wants to eat - snail or slug, beetle, slater, worm or pede. It’s like a bug buffet under there.

I let her roam and forage for live food every day. She chased down a huge centipede yesterday and attacked and ate it like a boss. It was almost as long as her and she bit it and shook her head like a shark. She gets organic puréed vegetable & apple baby food (will not eat chopped veg or leaf) and premium grain-free dog food on odd days. Also loves raw bird meat (won’t eat boiled).

She loves to climb which is odd for a BTS. But also loves to burrow. Still puffs at me like a wildcat when I reach for her in her enclosure but still enjoys being picked up. Also she likes sitting on my hot laptop power adapter.

Husband left the door to her enclosure open and she got out. Found her under the dog bed. I was worried she got injured in the 2ft fall into a concrete floor but she’s fine.