What to do if there’s a blue-tongue lizard in your backyard

Spring is when you might spot one of Australia’s most iconic reptiles – the blue-tongue lizard.

This is when they start to come out of brumation – the lizard equivalent of hibernation – to warm up their cold-blooded bodies, so it’s not uncommon to spot one sunning itself on your pavers.

You might be tempted to remove these scaly reptiles from your backyard, but that should be your last resort.

They really are neat little critters that add colour to our lives. Blue-tongue lizards are one of Australia’s most familiar reptiles and provide a valuable pest control service to your home, snacking on snails, caterpillars, insects and other garden pests.

To help you live in harmony with these lizards, here’s everything you need to know.

Fast facts about blue-tongue lizards

• Blue-tongues are not venomous but if they feel threatened they can try to look intimidating by opening their mouth and hissing to warn off predators. It’s best not to pick them up as they can bite, but it would rarely cause serious damage.
• There are 6 species of blue-tongue lizards found across Australia. In SA, you’re likely to spot the eastern blue-tongue lizard or shingleback lizard (also commonly called the stumpy-tailed or sleepy lizard).
• If a lizard has just moved into your yard, it will usually run away from you, but after a while when it learns you are not a threat, it will allow itself to be more visible.
• Lizards are cold-blooded so they have to warm themselves up in the mornings to become active and to digest their food, which is why you will often see them basking in the morning sun.
• Their blue tongues are a defence mechanism meant to scare off potential predators.
• Lizards see bitumen roads as a good heat source and basking spot, but this really puts them in danger of traffic. It is illegal and cruel to deliberately run over a blue-tongue, so if you see one on the road, take care when driving past.
• Like most intelligent animals, they avoid the heat of the day and, in hot weather, may become active in the evenings when it’s cooler.
• It’s illegal to catch blue-tongues and sell them or keep them as pets. If you want a pet lizard, head to your local pet shop.
• Baby blue-tongues don’t need rescuing. They are born independent.
• Blue-tongues are some of the largest species in the skink family, growing to about 60cm long.

Can a blue-tongue lizard hurt my dog or cat?

Your dog or cat can do more harm to a blue-tongue lizard than vice versa.

They are not poisonous and don’t pose any significant threat to your cats or dogs. However, they can bite if they feel threatened.

If out and about, keep your pets under effective control.

In your backyard, if your dog or cat is showing signs of harming a blue-tongue lizard, it may be best to move the lizard to the closest spot in your backyard, away from your pets, that has suitable similar habitat.

Moving them altogether really is a last resort as they will often cross roads to get back to their home range and might be hit by a car.

How can I make my garden a safe space for blue-tongue lizards? 

To keep lizards safe, particularly from your pets, you could provide them with hiding spots. For example, try putting pieces of PVC pipe into rockeries or garden beds for them to crawl into.

Avoid using chemicals, pesticides or snail pellets in your garden.

Like the French, blue-tongues see snails as a delicacy. If a lizard eats a poisoned snail, the lizard could also die.

Rodent baits are unlikely to impact on blue-tongue lizards, but they may affect owls or any other animals if they eat the lizards.

It is best to opt for chemical free methods of weed removal and to only use poisons selectively when other methods have failed. Sophie Thompson has a useful blog that offers some handy hints: Weed Control Without Chemicals.

Be careful when you use lawn mowers and whipper snippers. Lots of lizards are killed or injured by them.

Is it okay to feed the blue-tongues living in my backyard? What about providing water?

As a general rule, it’s best not to feed wild animals. They need to be responsible for finding their own food and water without our help, because they may start relying on you for food or water and if you stop feeding them they will struggle to survive.

If you feel you absolutely must do something to help the blue-tongue lizard, consider providing clean fresh water from a bowl or dish that it (and other wildlife) can easily access and not get stuck in.

Make sure you clean the container regularly to minimise the chance of spreading disease.

I want to relocate a blue-tongue lizard in my backyard. What can I do?

Blue-tongues have a home range. This means that if the lizard lives in your backyard, the front yard will be totally foreign to it, so it won’t know where to find food, shelter, and water, and will be more prone to predators.

For this reason, it’s best to avoid moving them.

The best option is to remove the danger to the lizard, such as by securing your pets (if they might be threatening the lizard), or letting the lizard move on of its own accord.

However, if you feel the lizard is in immediate danger in your yard, you can relocate it as a last resort.

A good way to go about this is by getting an open cardboard box and putting it on its side next to the lizard.

You can then use a broom to gently sweep it into the box and move it to a place as close as possible to its existing home on your property.

Blue-tongue lizards are territorial creatures, so it’s important to keep it as close to its existing home as possible.

Is it okay to pick up a blue-tongue lizard to move it?

Blue-tongue lizards generally do not like to be handled, but if you need to move a lizard in your yard, and it isn’t in a spot where you can gently sweep it into a box, you may need to pick it up.

First, you’ll need to make sure it is indeed a lizard and not a snake. Then, when picking it up, make it feel as safe as possible.

Start by gently holding, then lifting, the lizard from behind its head. Supporting its legs – so it still feels connected to something solid – will help to make it feel more comfortable.

While blue-tongue lizards will mostly be docile, if the lizard is scared it may bite, so be sure to protect yourself by wearing gloves when handling it.

I’ve brought a lizard from my backyard inside and have put it in a box to keep it safe. Is that okay?

It is not recommended to keep a blue-tongue lizard in a box (besides while you are relocating it if it’s unsafe to leave it where you found it).

While you may think you’re protecting the blue-tongue, keeping it in a box is actually quite stressful and may be unintentionally making things worse.

It’s probably best to return it to where you found it.

There’s a blue-tongue in my backyard that looks sick/injured. How can I help it?

If you have a sick or injured blue-tongue lizard in your backyard, you can contact a wildlife rescue organisation, such as Fauna Rescue SA, for help.

Do blue-tongues hibernate in winter?

Blue-tongues don’t hibernate in winter, instead they go into what is called ‘brumation’, where their metabolism slows down considerably.

The brumation period happens over winter, and it’s during this time that blue-tongue lizards seek out a safe, dry and warm place to stay. They may hide under vegetation, in hollow logs, under debris and even in drain pipes.

If, during brumation, the lizard is finding that the spot it has chosen to stay is not suitable – it may be too warm or too cold, or if they feel in danger – they will seek out a new place to stay.

The length of brumation varies between lizards, and can last up to 12 weeks.

On warm winter days you may see them basking in the sun, but by late September/early October, the brumation period ends and you’ll see them emerging and back in their usual location.

Do blue-tongue lizards attract snakes?

Blue-tongue lizards are a prey species for some snakes, so it is possible that if you have a blue-tongue lizard in your yard there may also be a snake.

That being said, many people have had blue-tongues – or rats and mice, which are also prey species for snakes – in their garden or shed for years and have never seen a snake.

I’ve seen someone selling blue-tongues on Facebook. Is this illegal?

You can keep, sell or give away a blue-tongue lizard in South Australia without a permit.

However, it’s important to remember that it is illegal to take a lizard from the wild without a permit.

If you suspect the person is taking the lizards from the wild, you should report them to the Department for Environment and Water through your local National Parks and Wildlife office or by submitting an online report through the anonymous Crime Stoppers SA portal.

Find out more about keeping and selling native animals in South Australia.

Can you catch anything off blue-tongue lizards if you kiss them?

Like any animal, lizards can carry pathogens, particularly salmonella (which every animal has in its faeces) so normal hygiene practices should be followed.

It’s not recommended that you kiss a wild lizard (or any other wild animals for that matter), because you don’t know what diseases it might be carrying.

Are you working in the garden this spring? Get the low down on plants that grow down low.