Bobtails make cute pets

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Australia is often regarded as full of dangerous creatures and it’s true that we have our share. One of the harmless reptiles is the bobtail (Tiliqua rugosa) also known as the shingleback, pinecone, blue-tongued or sleepy lizard. These are now gaining favour as a pet and are perfect for those who are allergic to animals with fur. They have a short, wide, stumpy tail which contains fat reserves. These are drawn upon during brumation which is like ‘hibernation for reptiles’. You do need a licence to keep one and currently 163 people have licences. They are not hard to tame and are quite low maintenance. When let out in gardens, they will find much of their own food as they are omnivorous. The young girls who were interviewed about their two pets say the bobtails have a cage in the house but spend most of their time roaming around with limited periods outside because of the risk of injury from birds. They are bathed once a week and their scales rubbed gently with a tooth-brush. The main problem seemed to be keeping track of where they were so they didn’t get trodden on. We see them regularly around our house and if I see one I will put down a saucer of milk for them. Here is the link to a news article about pet bobtails.