The other week I came across a large, fat, glossy shingleback sitting on some grass in the sun. It was quite a surprise, as it was still winter, with its very cold nights.
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A few days later someone called the Wildcare phone and asked about a lizard seen out on her property on a 10°C day.
We’ve had other calls about lizards found out during cold weather, including one that unfortunately hadn’t hidden itself adequately and was chewed on by a rat.
I spotted other scaly critters out in the wintery season in Bywong: a bearded dragon out on a bitterly cold afternoon; and a tiger snake basking on a road in the sun, following heavy rainfall.
Our native reptiles don’t go into full hibernation, but they do slow down and hide away in the cold months.
The term for their winter doze is brumation, where reptiles slow down in the cold and stop eating, as they are not warm enough to metabolise food.
Frogs also do this. Turtles bury themselves in mud; lizards crawl into hiding places, as do snakes. A turtle came into care the other day after some boys had been playing in a shallow dam and it somehow ended up with a cracked shell.
This one will need to remain in care to heal and until it’s warm enough to release.
Several years ago, when major roadworks were planned on the Kings Highway in winter, Wildcare organised and gained access to retrieve (rescue) eastern long-necked turtles that we knew would be in the dams, about to be buried for the new road.
On one very cold day (8°C) a total of 54 turtles of all sizes were plucked from the silty dam that had been drained in the previous weeks.
All were relocated, along with some lucky yabbies, to dams that would be safe from construction.
Reptiles will occasionally emerge from their brumation during the cold season and move around, sometimes for a drink of water and to enjoy some warmth from the sun.
It’s best to let them be, if there are no obvious injuries or signs of illness or distress.
Don’t bring them inside to warm up, just place them somewhere safe, away from dogs, cats and sheltered from birds.
If you still see them a day or two later, please call Wildcare on 62991966.