A Friendly Reptile

Look who I spotted this morning! I was out hanging the washing in the sun, when out of the corner of my eye I spotted what I thought was a piece of bark sitting in front of the garage door. As the bulk of the neighbours gum trees have gone, I thought this was a little strange. When I looked closer, I found I had a visitor.

We have had blue tongues before, and i know they are around, I have even had one in the house. I just haven't seen one for a while.

The fluffball feline companion was outside, and was not impressed when I picked her up and shut her inside. As I raced upstairs to get the camera, this little lizard was on the move. By the time I got back downstairs, he had moved the full width of our double garage door.

As I watched, he also kept an eye on me, and carefully climbed the step.

Crawling along the front of the step, he made a b-line for cover under the trailer. In the meantime, I continued to hang out washing, then looked to see where he had gone. He was nowhere in view. Still not safe to let the fluff-ball feline out yet, and hopefully this reptile friend will find my snails.

Mr Cool

Today we had a very unexpected visitor. I was working in my sewing room when I heard a noise downstairs. It sounded like something clawing on the screen door, mostly my cat when she wants to go outside. But when I looked, the cat was sitting on the mat ( as cats do), very alert & with her ears pricked, so I knew I just had to look. To my surprise I found a blue tongued lizard sitting by the door. Shocked, surprised, how did he get inside? By the time I grabbed the cat & put her out of harms way, then raced for the camera, Mr Cool had decided to hide. I found him under the stairs, hiding behind all the junk.


OK, so how to get him outside? I did think of sweeping him out with a broom, but instantly dismissed that idea as harmful, and I did not want to hurt or scare him any more than he already was . So I rang WIRES instead, the Australian Wildlife Rescue Organization, who suggested that I make a trail of sliced banana, grapes, dog food or cat food, from under the stairs to the door.

Banana was good, I had plenty, and it worked, except that I disturbed him (wanting more pics) & he ran for cover under the stairs again. So that meant another trail of banana & to leave him alone for a while longer.Eventually I came out to check on him again, just in time to see him slip over the doorstep to the path outside, where he tried to hide under the trailer.

Eventually he found shelter between some pot plants, and I've been to check on him again but he is long gone.