What can you tell me about Blue tongues?

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Hi all, I need some guidance... I have a couple of resident blue tongues that live on my residential block in the suburbs, it's a 752 square m block that was built on back in 1975 and the gardens beds that border the front and back yards are very well established. I first discovered the blue tongues presence not long after moving in as my Jack Russell Terriers soon located them whilst fossicking about in the garden beds like Jacks do... I set a few live capture rat trap cages and successfully caught them within a couple of hours with the intention of moving them out of harms way and out to the front of the block where the Jacks don't have access.... So I did and let them go...

Several months later, I caught them again back in the original spot...

And now today I've caught one again, 3 hours ago I released it...

Now just 10 mins ago I heard a huge commotion out the back and my 2 daughters screaming "daddy daddy Alaska is chasing a big lizard!" I flew out the back door and here it is again... walking back from the front garden across the back yard in the direction of where it's always been trapped...

Thankfully my Jacks are VERY obedient and once called off, he stood his ground without harming the bluey but I'm concerned for its future... Are they just going to keep coming back no matter how many times I move them out of harms way?? I have nothing against Blueys, I think they're fantastic, I do have garden snails about the place so really it's a bluey heaven but I don't want the Jacks getting them... or hurting them. Although, I guess if it was going to happen, it'd have happened by now...

So, do they have quite a large home territory or something? I don't want to like take them on a drive 10km away and let them go, I'm moving them like probably 50m and it's obviously not working out. LOL They seem pretty determined to stick around. Sounds like a stupid problem to have but I'm only wanting what's best for these cool skinks.

EDIT* I tied the Jacks up and grabbed the Bluey and released it back where it was trapped, hoping it will disappear for now... I'll leave the dogs tied up for another hour to give it a head-start and I'm not really sure what else to do.

 

[Nero Egernia]

Yes, they do have home territories. More often than not, they'll try to find their way home. Removing and then replacing in a new area can present all sorts of problems for the skinks. They may not know where to find food. They'll be vulnerable to predation while searching for a secure shelter or their original territory. They'll come into direct competition with the current resident lizards. What's best for the skinks would be to keep your dogs out of the yard, or to train them to avoid the native wildlife.

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

OK, what I'll do is run an electric wire along the edge of the garden beds... That'll at least keep the dogs out of them and hopefully they don't venture out onto the lawn area. I trust they don't wander around at all after dusk?

 

[Fall guys]

Well... they have a blue tongue and their poop stinks..

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Well... they have a blue tongue and their poop stinks..

Yes they do and yes it does... it dropped a black tar like poop in the trap and it reeked! Had to hose it out.

 

[dragonlover1]

One of the unfortunate things about Jack Russells is they are hunters, they will kill anything they come across.Our last one killed many blueys and creek skinks.Miniature Jacks are used by farmers to hunt rats because they are small enough to crawl down the burrows.

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

One of the unfortunate things about Jack Russells is they are hunters, they will kill anything they come across.Our last one killed many blueys and creek skinks.Miniature Jacks are used by farmers to hunt rats because they are small enough to crawl down the burrows.

I agree, Mine have dispatched several brown snakes... Training them to not touch skinks or snakes would be like trying to hold back the wind... It just won't happen. Mine are the short-legged breed and they do fit down fox and rabbit holes easily.

 

[Ramsayi]

Ours move around from the back to the front yard in the hotter weather (think it's cooler on the southern side of the house) then into the back yard after the hottest months.They have been doing this for over 10 years now and are the best fed wild blueys in Australia.They get fruit salad fairly often along with small mice occasionally.

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Ours move around from the back to the front yard in the hotter weather (think it's cooler on the southern side of the house) then into the back yard after the hottest months.They have been doing this for over 10 years now and are the best fed wild blueys in Australia.They get fruit salad fairly often along with small mice occasionally.

Thanks mate, what sort of size is the home range that 1 female Bluey would occupy?? I have a suspicion that this one has learned where my outdoor woody bin is because it was trapped behind it today. The trap is there for rats which I normally catch raiding my woody bin. I've got tens of them...






I was surprised to see the Bluey back in there today though but I'd rather catch them than the dogs catch them.

 

[Scutellatus]

On a side note that Blue Tongue looks very fat and is possibly gravid, you may have another ten or so to worry about shortly.

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

On a side note that Blue Tongue looks very fat and is possibly gravid, you may have another ten or so to worry about shortly.

Hi Rob, thanks.... Do the young hang around or disperse?

 

[SpottedPythons]

They'll stick around a couple of weeks then disperse. Depends on how many blue tongues there are and the food supply.

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

They'll stick around a couple of weeks then disperse. Depends on how many blue tongues there are and the food supply.

Thanks man. I'll have to Jack-proof the perimeters and give the little dudes a free passage.

 

[dragonlover1]

Ours move around from the back to the front yard in the hotter weather (think it's cooler on the southern side of the house) then into the back yard after the hottest months.They have been doing this for over 10 years now and are the best fed wild blueys in Australia.They get fruit salad fairly often along with small mice occasionally.

haha sounds like my daughters place in Noosa,she has a female? that comes to the back door looking for food,my grandkids eat lots of fruit so there is always plenty around.
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OK, what I'll do is run an electric wire along the edge of the garden beds... That'll at least keep the dogs out of them and hopefully they don't venture out onto the lawn area. I trust they don't wander around at all after dusk?

Blue tongues are like most lizards as in being diurnal

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Blue tongues are like most lizards as in being diurnal

Awesome. The Jacks do periodical boundary patrols all night but as long as the skinks are hunkered down somewhere, they'll be out of harms way.

PS. Noosa is my home away from home... Samara place, Noosa heads... I'm there at least once every coupe of months. top part of the country. September last year I was escorted off the Noosa dog beach by police after my Jack Russells whipped a couple of Mastiffs. LOL

 

[Wally]

September last year I was escorted off the Noosa dog beach by police after my Jack Russells whipped a couple of Mastiffs. LOL

I don't like seeing this kind of talk. I had a Jack Russell cross a creek several years ago to attack my amstaff and if it wasn't for his training and loyalty I would have been plastered all over the news.

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

I don't like seeing this kind of talk. I had a Jack Russell cross a creek several years ago to attack my amstaff and if it wasn't for his training and loyalty I would have been plastered all over the news.

Hey mate, unfortunately in this instance the mastiffs were at fault and they invaded our space on the beach and interrupted a game of fetch we were playing... my youngest who was 5 at the time was absolutely terrified by the big dogs and the Jacks were defending her. The owner was previously warned twice to control her dogs and she failed to take notice. The third time they interfered, the Jacks did what Jacks do and the rest is history. I was interviewed by the police over the incident and not charged with anything as I have video footage and several photographs of the event unfolding. It was actually myself that called the police to the beach after what happened as I was a little concerned about what the owners of the mastiffs were going to do in retaliation.

 

[Wally]

Fair enough AP.

If your your dogs were on the defense I don't disagree.

Your original post could be construed otherwise though.

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Fair enough AP.

If your your dogs were on the defense I don't disagree.

Your original post could be construed otherwise though.

I understand... The people involved that day made a huge scene when I first went onto the beach because I had all the Jacks on leads... for obvious reason... They told me that "this is an off leash dog beach, don't come here unless you're going to let your dogs off leash..." I told her politely to mind her own business... and that I'll do with my dogs what I see fit... I kept them leashed, we were only playing fetch in the shore dump... Jacks don't even stand 12' high so they were quite happy and this idiot and her 3 huge retrievers and mastiffs were rushing in from 40 odd meters away... after my daughter screamed, all bets were off...

Here she was happily approaching us to hurl abuse and tell me how her dogs could do what they want and go where they want and how it was her beach...

After she kept coming... I cut the Jacks loose and they bolted the lead dog and ... such is life.
My Jacks defended their own. It doesn't matter what it is or how big it is, Jacks don't take sh*t from anything. They're a no nonsense breed and are like fire crackers 24/7. My wife is from South Africa and their Jacks over there regularly bolted Lions that came too close. It has been said that the only thing that can submit a Jack Russell Terrier is another Jack Russell Terrier.

 

[Buggster]

Jacks are nutty dogs for sure.
Had a jackxfoxy pup (must have been 6months old) who managed to kill and tear apart a huge goanna when I was a kid. Dog barely had a scratch on her. Absolute crazy thing- she was scarily good at jumping up and grabbing birds (I swear that dog had springs for legs) and shredding them.


Coming from the opposite end of the dogscale (having two German Shepherds), I’ve got to say you seem to get off lightly. Usually I’m being asked to leave the off leash park (or put my dog on lead) because they’re German shepherds and obviously aggressive killer dogs. My girl is the laziest thing ever- she’ll keep close to me and just sniff around. I’m a bit scared of small dogs having been attacked by them on several occasions. My girl knows and will stick with me and will move other dogs out of my space (she’ll walk them off). One time a little poodle x was really harassing my dog (jumping on her, nipping at her face, barking...) and had moved on to doing that to me. I guess my girl snapped and she chased it off- literally just rushed at the dog to scare it away, she didn’t move far enough away that I couldn’t touch her.

Anyway, owner comes up to me and tells me my ‘crazy aggressive killer German Shepherd’ should be ‘on a leash or taken away’ or she’ll ‘call the cops’.

It got bad enough id have someone hounding me to leave every time I went- sometimes before I had the chance to unclip her leash. Just because she’s a ‘scary’ dog and they can’t control they’re barking nightmares.

Hate how the aggressors are painted as the ‘victims’ in most cases.