Dangerous Creatures

[den]

As I was putting Valiant back in the cage after another feed of pigeon mush, I heard a hiss at my feet. I looked down, and the instictive, ancient part of my brain kicked in with an instant adrenalin rush and "AARGH! SNAKE!" before rational part saw the feet, stripes and blue tongue, and took over with calming words*. I was being hassled by a 3" long baby blue tongue lizard. He was rearing up as high as his stubby legs would go, hissing, and threatening me with a wide-opened mouth and alarmingly blue tongue.

"Aww! You're a cute little dangerous animal! Yes you are!" I said, and picked him up. He bit me. I was being attacked by a baby! That's so cute! I gave the top of his head a rub and he closed his eyes, then let him go under the dog kennel so he could wreak havoc on the molluscs under there. Attack, Snailbane! ATTAAAACK! I found him asleep later in patch of sun.

Neighbours ask why I put up with the snails and don't lay snail-bait all around my plants. The little lizard is why.







* I can't really see the Rational Den cuddling Instictive Den and saying "There there. There there." It's more like wrestling with Instictive Den and shoving him back into the cage with a spring-loaded door and adrenalin-powered trigger. He is always ready to leap from the cage when the door springs open, clad only in kangaroo-skin loin cloth and waving a pointed stick. AAAAAARGH! For some reason he also wears transitions glasses with titanium frames. Modern living has knocked some of the edge of Instinctive Den.

Comments

[chriswheeler.livejournal.com]

We have a baby gecko, and two or more adults in various locations in the house. There is rarely a night where we don't see them on the ceiling or walls, but they run suprisingly fast when we get too close. Unfortunately they like living in the window runners, so we have to be careful opening the windows and doors, just in case one is hiding. One of the larger geckos has no feet on one side from living in the side window. I finaly captured him last night and relocated him to a safer location.