Clean Turtle Envy

You know that feeling when you pull up besides a car that’s the same make/model as yours, only that car is shiny and clean, whereas your’s is dusty inside and out, has bat poo on the roof and the light cases are all full of bugs? Well if you have trouble relating to my clean car envy, then you’re gonna have a real time understanding me when I tell you from time to time I’m afflicted by clean TURTLE envy!

I see some captive turtles every now and then that have the most perfect carapace (shell). They look like they’ve just come out of the turtle factory, rather not like my own turtle, Stanley that has been growing his shell since birth and which has plenty of flaking, peeling and a mottling of colours including a prominent green caused by algae.

We do, however try to keep Stanley looking sports-car-clean because he’s a bit of a star performer for True Blue Reptiles. Forget the chamois and the turtle wax! Stan’s grooming tool of choice is a soft-bristled toothbrush, and it’s not for his pearly whites, of which he has none. His shell gets scrubbed with the toothbrush every fortnight, despite this he’ll always tend to look a bit green about the edges, and to be fair we need to be gentle with his shell because it’s alive and sensitive and certainly can be ticklish in places.

The algae is actually not to his detriment; wild turtles are covered in the stuff. It’s a natural growth caused by sunlight, and while Stanley does not live outside at this time. We do invest in a very special globe that provides 4 different aspects of light to help him grow strong and properly metabolise calcium and other minerals.

Stanley the Snake-necked Turtle

It may be that some captive turtles with no algae growth are in fact not be getting the required amount of UVB light for good health. So in truth I shouldn’t be worried about a scruffy looking shell, because as we all know, it’s what’s on the inside that really counts, and in this case that happens to be a healthy, happy turtle.

Oh and when Stanley had a particularly bad shell day, we’ll just pop a party hat on him. looking fresh Stan, looking fresh!

Want Stanley to visit you on your birthday? Be sure to ask for him when you book your next True Blue Reptile encounter! Click here.

Being Cruel to Cane Toads

Few invasive species generate the kind of abhorrence that the Gold Coast community feels towards the cane toad. As a rule we hate them; it'd be un-Australian of you to sympathise with them. This animosity I suspect is largely influenced by the toad's appearance, and let's face it the fella's ugly as sin. But is this really a valid excuse to perform  hideous acts of animal cruelty upon this unfortunate creature?

Green Tree Frog & Cane Toad at Fingal Head, NSW

On and off for the last few months I've been asking people about their feelings towards cane toads, and most people agree, they are terribly useful for practising your golf swing or your hockey hit, cricket swing and various other energetic swings that result in toads flying across the suburbs on a Summers night. And I make no excuses for my friends, family and even highly respected academics, last week I went to hear a talk about frogs where my most admired university professor spoke about how toads can improve your driving. And to be clear he wasn't talking about avoiding them on the road, personally I don't see how swerving to hit cane toads could possibly make you a better driver. Just the other day I listened to a 'nice' old neighbour describe how she massacres toads by chopping them up with giant tree secateurs, apparently she's had years of practice. Having grown up on the Gold Coast, I can say that toads have been a conspicuous part of landscape here for almost as long as I can remember. And getting hold of a toad to perform heinous crimes upon it was not difficult for bored street youth. As a child I was unfortunate to witnessed a group of boys in the street pour flammable liquid on a toad before setting it alight. I remember watching in horror as the terrible little thing hopped panicking and burning to death down the road. So this sort of barbaric torture of toads has been going on for quite some time, and I'd go as far as to say that it's become an acceptable social norm. But I am convinced that if it were any other creature, these stories would incite community uproar.


Ever wondered if that ugly toad feels pain? They most certainly do!  In 2011, I assisted with a study that was looking at the pain experience by toads when they have a toe chopped off [1]. Sounds a bit strange I know, but this happens to be a common practice for marking free-living frogs in capture/recapture studies. I can tell you with confidence that toads feel pain and will sulk about it (having their toe chopped off) longer than some people do after the amputation of a digit. How then do you suppose they feel when you set a fire cracker off in their mouths?

Do Aussies enjoy being cruel to cane toads? Certainly many of the people I asked couldn't help, but chuckle whilst relaying their experiences mutilating these living creatures. Listening to these stories often left me feeling quite disturbed. If you are one of those persons that's been cruel to cane toads and felt a twang of guilt or regret afterwards, the good news is you're not a psychopath! But jokes aside, your family or friends may think it's acceptable behaviour, but it's animal cruelty no matter which way you spin it.

1. Narayan, E.J et al. (2011) Urinary corticosterone responses to capture and toe-clipping in the cane toad (Rhinella marina) indicate that toe-clipping is a stressor for amphibians. General and comparative endocrinology 174.2: pp. 238-245

Looking for a great team-building activity that's a loads of fun & gets people involved in conservation? Look no farther than True Blue Reptiles Cane Toad Busting, ask us how today! 

A Heavily Armoured Lizard with a Soft Heart

Blue-Tongues are truly endearing creatures in captivity. True Blue Reptiles keeps six of them, and each one has a totally unique personality; chalk and cheese. For this blog, we wanted to introduce you to one particular kind of blue-tongue, Tiliqua rugosa. Interestingly they're known by many different common names, such as; stumpy-tail, shingleback, bobtail, sleepy lizard, pinecone lizard, boggi and others.

Stumpy Lizard at Bowra, QLD

Now I'm not in the habit of anthropomorphising animals, but this lizard could teach some people a thing or two when it comes to true fidelity and faithfulness; they mate for life. Pairs of lizards can often be found basking on roads, a hazardous hobby even for one so robustly built. David Attenborough in his 'Life In Cold Blood' series (2008) explored the bond between pairs of lizards and suggested that the connection between them is so strong so that if one is run over, it's partner may wait by the body for days on end, you could almost say it was grieving.

They are relatively common in the arid parts of the Eastern States and from the coastal, shrublands and mallee woodlands of South and Western Australia. A handful of different subspecies occur, but the lizard that resides on Rottnest Island is particularly rare, and thought likely to become extinct (Wilson and Swan, 2008).

Amazingly they seek one another out each year and romp around together for a period that may last 2 months or more, during which time they will also breed. Unlike most blue-tongues, these lizards have few offspring, but those few babies are absolutely enormous, together the offspring may account for a third of the mothers weight. For such heavily built lizards, this method of producing just a few very well developed offspring may serve them well, as the babies have an improved chance of surviving to adulthood.

They are sometimes kept in captivity, but hardly ever thrive and rarely live long lives due to respiratory problems associated with humidity.

Attenborough, D. (2008) Life In Cold Blood, DVD. BBC

Wilson, Stephen K. and Swan, Gerry. (2008) A complete guide to reptiles of Australia, Sydney: New Holland Publishers

True Blue Reptiles keeps a large selection of Australian reptiles for educational demonstrations. To learn more click this link.