Now living in Putney's RSPCA Animal Hospital & looking for new home
A monitor lizard was found hundreds of miles away from its natural habitat in a park in Lambeth. The 40 cm long reptile was found on Monday 27 December by a member of the public who contacted the RSPCA. The lizard was brought to the RSPCA animal hospital in Putney for treatment and staff have named him Fluffy.
Monitor lizards are native to Africa and Asia and are happiest in temperatures around 20-30 degrees. Staff were concerned about Fluffy's welfare after being exposed to freezing weather conditions.
Staff nurse Marianne Segev said:
"He was initially very sluggish because when reptiles get cold their systems start to shut down. He was lucky as the weather was a little warmer than it has been recently. When he first came in, he was hanging on to the heat lamp trying to warm up."
Fluffy has been treated for an abscess on his mouth and a swollen eye. This was not the easiest of tasks for hospital staff as monitor lizards have a powerful bite. They can also grow to more than a metre long.
Marianne added:
"People buy them as pets but don't realise how big they're going to get."
Staff are hoping that Fluffy will make a full recovery and that he can be rehomed in the near future.
January 5, 2011