Husbandry

The vivariums are lined with 3 sheets of newspaper, which is changed daily. Three times a week the inside is sprayed with F10 disinfectant and wiped dry. Water and food dishes are soaked daily in the same disinfectant then put through the dishwasher set for hot water.

Daily Supportive care

• Record weight
• Bathe eyes with warm water to remove sticky exudate
• Apply ophthalmic ointment when prescribed
• Wipe mucous from inside mouth/throat with a cotton bud
• Remove ticks
• Clean and dress any wounds
• Take to vet for major wounds/ fractures
• Check faeces for internal parasites and treat accordingly
• House in vivarium, providing a heat gradient with a basking lamp and under-floor heat pad. Preferred Body Temperature (PBT) is 30 ° C. (monitor temperature of each vivarium)
• Provide normal photoperiods using UVA/UVB daylight tubes, which are set with a timer to turn off at night and on in the morning.
• Tube feed Reptile Supplement in Normal Saline (2ml/100g body weight) if debilitated. When passing faeces change to-
• Assist feed daily until self-feeding enough to gain/maintain weight (see sick bobtail diet below).
• Move to Pre-release box if available, when medical treatment and observation period cease
• Change to healthy bobtail diet (see below) until pelvic bones and spine are well covered and tail is plump.

Diet for re-hydrated sick bobtails

(Food size appropriate for size of the lizard’s throat)

• Meatballs* sprinkled with reptile supplement,
• Soft fruit – watermelon, grapes, banana, strawberries, peaches
• Green vegetables – milk thistle, broccoli, watercress, endive, minimal spinach (they love native yellow flowers)
• Occasional chopped hard-boiled egg or raw egg yolk. Hand feed raw egg yolk as bobtails will walk through a shallow dish and become coated in egg yolk.
• Dropper Reptavite (TM) vitamin supplement onto skin (1 drop/50g body weight x 1 weekly for all sick bobtails
• Dropper Reptacal (TM) calcium supplement onto skin (1 drop/50g body weight x 2 weekly) for lizards not under UVA/UVB lighting

Diet for healthy bobtails

(Pre-release or long-term cases that are self-feeding)
Add firm fruits and vegetables to the above diet to toughen gums and palate.
eg. Sweet potato, apple, pear, green beans, grated carrot, rose petals

*Meatball recipe

1 kg quality lean beef mince
85 g Turkey or chick starter
85 g Wambaroo Insectivore â powder
85 g Egg & Biscuit
½ Tablespoon Calcium carbonate
85 g SF40 Multivitamin powder

Release criteria

• The lizards must be healthy, self-feeding and alert, exhibit a menace response to people and pets and have good body condition.
• Bobtails mate for life so are usually returned to their home range if the site has no present danger due to dogs, traffic or toxins and has
  • Adequate food and shelter (leaf litter, logs and under-story)
  • Good weather forecast for several days after release
• Juveniles are released into their mother’s territory, when healthy and their own body weight is above 140g
• Pregnant females are released after they deliver and return to health

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