Yesterday morning Steve got up to brush his teeth and saw something out of the corner of his eye. He thought it was a leaf, but when he looked closer, he realized it was a baby lizard. We have a lot of these little lizards around here because of our warmer climate, but we have NEVER found one in our home.He quickly picked it up and stuck it in the kid's bug cage to show them when they awoke. Our plan was to let him hang out in the cage for a day or two, and then we were going to let him go.
So you can imagine my shock when Steve and the kids returned from the pet store with not only the crickets they said they were going to buy, but also a cage for their new "pet!" Steve and I had clearly spoken about the responsibility of caring for him, and my lack of interest in reptiles and their diet of small crawling bugs...so I was very surprised. However, he assured me that it will require little care, and that which is required, he will handle (uhhh, can I get that in writing please?).
Steve moved him to his new, larger home and immediately put the 6 little crickets in there with him. Then the kids went out to the yard to find a few sticks and leaves to put in there too. After several name choices, the kids settled on "cricket" after they watched him eat one in his cage. I must admit that it was cool to watch him stalk the bug, and then catch and eat it. I swear the cricket was as big as his head, so it was quite a challenge for him to eat it, but he did after a few minutes.
We'll see how long "cricket" really lasts in our home, but supposedly these anoles (that is his proper name) can live about 7 years in their environment, and a lot longer if they are well taken care of and happy in their cage. I can assure you that we will not keep him that long, but we may watch him grow for a little while. More stories to come.....