Less Lizards.

     We are two lizards down. We had six, but now we're just dealing with four, and if I'm to believe the Craigslist ad for my Blue Tongue Skink, we're almost down to three! She's for sale, but I won't take less than what she's worth, or what I paid for her, so yeah, if she sells, she sells, but if not, we're stuck together. I'm OK with it, but I'm the one to blame, not the crazy lizards. I thought I would spend more time with them, and I don't. I do take one out and play with her, but that's it. Only one.

    I had four. I had a Bearded Dragon named Aodhan, whom I really had higher hopes for, but as time went by and he refused to be handled, it became apparent that he wasn't going to be the cuddly little guy I wanted. He's a boy, so he's a bit on the spicy side anyway, and then, he just would not comply with my wanting to love on him. He thought I was weird to want to try! I could look at him all day, he was OK with it, but when I attempted to reach for him, he began hissing and biting...NOPE. 

    When Laura used gloves to pick him up, he bit her; so yeah, barehanded would not have been fun. We took him to a rescue, and he was instantly taken home by a woman who literally bonded with him the first time they met. I wondered if she had a scent, or maybe we did, that he either loved or hated our dog- and cat-infested home. I'm not sure, but when she looked at him, he just melted. He almost stood up and reached for her -- I wanted to cry - both for her and because I must suck.

    Then, alas, we are Bob-less.  I loved Bob. I absolutely loved Bob, the Leopard Gecko...I cried when I thought Bob was dead. He hid so far up in a hole that I thought he crawled up there and got stuck. DAYS went by without Bob showing his face - and when he did, we grabbed him, threw that hide away so he couldn't go up inside it and get stuck, and then, he just sort of stopped being seen....at all....ever. He hides 99% of the time, then comes out sometime in the middle of the night to eat the crickets Laura left for him --- nope.

    I didn't feel right about owning an enclosure that could have had a sign reading "Exhibit Temporarily Closed" because that's what it felt like. He was NEVER seen. I'm not going to continue to love, feed, water, clean, and care for air -- someone who works nights took Bob. They are both nocturnal, and that's a good thing. He's living his best life now in a dark home, so, so, so very dark. His new guy's name is Thad, and you can't get better than Thad for a bestie. You can't.

    So, with only two lizards left for me, the Blue Tongue Skink, Cion, and my Schneider's Skink, Avalon, I'm OK with it. Avalon is not going anywhere. I can take her out, put her on top of my head, and type - I can work all day with her up there; she's a very patient and sweet lizard - the type all lizards could learn from. She's dedicated and devoted to me, and I just didn't have that with Bob or Aodhan...who am I kidding, Aodhan wanted to kill me, and Bob wouldn't miss me if he did. 

    Laura has two Beardies. They're both babies. They are Drexel and Starfire, very sweet, and she's making a very conscious effort to play with them three times a day so they'll be used to being picked up, sung to, and interacted with. They'll be walked on leashes when they get older, just around the house, but it'll be a fun experience. Four is a good number. We have four dogs too, and two cats, which is like having four if you know cats. They are twice as much trouble as any dog - I know I could be canceled for that statement, but it's true.

    Anyway, I now have more room in my office for things, and although I won't really fill up that space, it's nice to know I have it. Forty and sixty-gallon tanks take up space -- they do, and they're expensive, and they're just....well, if you have lizards, snakes, and/or other critters you know. I once had an iguana, and it had its own room - yes, it did. He hated me too after he got older - maybe it's me, but my dogs seem to like me, and my cat (Bilbo) tolerates me, so yeah... I'll look into that.

Aodhan - Photo Credit - ME.