The unidentified man proceeded to bring the lizard into his home and wrapped him in a t-shirt in an effort to warm him up.
A man in Providence, Rhode Island was shoveling snow out of his driveway when he uncovered a tegu lizard (Salvator sp.) that was trying to crawl out of 20 inches of snow, according to a post on the New England Wildlife Center’s Facebook page.
The unidentified man proceeded to bring the lizard into his home and wrapped him in a t-shirt in an effort to warm him up. The man then called ET Reptiles, who immediately went to the man’s home to retrieve the large lizard. The lizard was warmed up to room temperature, and Taylor and Emily of ET Reptiles brought the pet lizard to the wildlife center’s hospital for further evaluation and treatment. The tegu was weak, underweight and not very mobile. He suffered from frostbite to his tongue and muscle weakness to do exposure. The extreme weather led to some tissue damage and muscle injury that was attributed to inadequate circulation and energy at low temperatures, the wildlife center said.
A small portion of dead tissue on the tongue was removed and the tegu was given steroids in an effort to address the inflammation and weakness.
“Our Odd Pet Vet team amputated a small portion of nonviable tissue from the tongue and provided supportive care, including steroids, to help address inflammation and generalized weakness, the wildlife center wrote on Facebook He is now resting comfortably and finally warm, which makes all the difference!”
“Huge thanks to Emily and Taylor of ET Reptiles for acting quickly, advocating for this animal, and for the work they do every day to support responsible reptile ownership and rescue. Reptiles are often misunderstood, and stories like this are a reminder of how dependent they are on proper care and informed humans.”
The keeper of this tegu has not yet been located. If anyone has information on this tegu, please contact ET Reptiles at 401-450-0065.
