Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Lucky

Yesterday we buried our female lizard. I noticed last week that her spine was protruding and she had stopped eating. I knew, at over eight years of age, that she was failing. I did not want to deal with this and hoped that she was having a simple minor set back. This was not to be the case.

These two lizards were not our first. Our first bearded dragon was stolen from the place we boarded him while we were on vacation. He belonged to our son who was a child at the time. This lizard was a giant of his species and very pretty (as lizards go.)
We came home from a week at Virginia Beach to a phone call telling us that someone had entered their lizard room, took our lizard from his cage, stuffed it under their jacket and run out the door. Of course, we were a devastated.

The store replaced the stolen lizard and John purchased another to keep it company. These two were a mere half inch in length and were adorable. We called them 'our babies.'

We had them sexed and found out we had a male and a female and sure enough, within the next couple of years, she became loaded with eggs. I read up on them and filled a little five gallon tank with dirt, added a bit of water and formed a cave. I placed her in there and she backed into the cave and laid a dozen eggs.

I made an incubator and carefully spooned out each egg and laid it in the incubator, all the while my female lizard protectively watching. (anyone who thinks reptiles do not have maternal instincts is just plain wrong; this little mama was nervous and did not leave her perch from where she watched everything I did with her eggs.

In her lifetime, she laid five 'clutches' of eggs, each between 12 and 14 eggs but somehow I never mastered the proper formula of humidity/temperature etc, and none of the eggs ever hatched.

She had an endearing..at least to me..feature of an underbite. Sometimes she had difficulty holding on to a wiggling cricket and had to be helped getting it into her mouth and down her throat. She was worth the effort it took to help her; I truly loved her.

This breed of lizards is from Australia, gets to be over a foot in length and are known as the felines of the lizard world. They are slow moving, calm, and bond with their owners. She was always interested when we turned on her light in the morning, and watched us with curiosity.

The male seems to be grieving. I hope he doesn't waste away, missing his mate.

I cried when she died, but also I was glad we had her for so long. I know she had a good life and she earned her name..
Lucky.

10 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear about your lizard. I don't know anything at all about lizards, but she seems to be a handsome creature.

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  2. thanks mister anchovy. I know it must seem silly that I'm sad over losing my lizard but it was my pet and I loved her.

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  3. My poor Beej! I am sorry to hear about Lucky!

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  4. Beej its not silly to cry over a pet. Its like I cried when I lost animals in the past.. You just gave me and idea for a new post but I want the one that is there to sit for a few days. Maybe sunday before work I will post the new post if I dont forget what it was about..lol..

    I hope you can get the male to see things as not so bad.. Is he to old to get him a new mate?

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  5. Beej never a problem to cry over a loss, it does show you cared. Do the mate for life, if not I suggest you get another asap and start playing that old Stephen Stills number with the line, if you can't be with the one you love, you'd better love the one you're with.
    Wishing you a good 2011.

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  6. Pets don't last nearly as long as we do, I've learned to just accept that they will die and there's always replacements.

    Next time let a female incubate her own eggs, you didn't trust your eggs to someone else.

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  7. You say they bond with you but can you hold them and how do they react to strangers?? I am still leary of anything that is that small and crawls on the floor and i cant see it coming.. I get the willies.. Sorry she is cute but I am just leary..

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  8. Hey woman.. How are things going. How is the male. I dont know his name so its hard to ask how hes doing by name.. lol.. Hope all is well with you and your little family.

    BTW when are you moving? Or did you decide to stay where your at? I havent read a current post on that subject in a while.

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  9. u r a great friend you italian southern bell you!! have a great 2011...if you feel loss then so do i!! hang in there sister!!

    stagg

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  10. What a gorgeous lady she was...gee...some of this bad newshs to e in your past now...let's make a wish for the new year to be much more high energy and fun fun fun! Bad news behind us!!!

    Big hugs Beej!

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Go ahead, you can do it! Just whistle if you want me. You know how to whistle, don't you? You just put your lips together and BLOW....

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