STUTFL
New Member
- Messages
- 1,284
- Location
- Between two terrariums
So, I moved my little spotted buddy into the empty bathtub, along with two of his hides and a soft balled-up rag, switched off the light, and figured he'd be okay in there for the time it took me to switch out his nasty plastic astro-turf stuff for slate tiles.
There was a bath mat hanging over the edge, but I pulled it up high enough that he couldn't reach.
Seems I underestimated his height, his climbing abilities, and his hatred of the bathtub! I was almost finished when a little mustard-colored blur zipped past in the corner of my vision. I'm not entirely sure how he managed to climb one flimsy bathmat-tassel to freedom, and I'm really not sure what made him decide to go back to his cage-corner instead of exploring one of the many tempting rooms and nooks and crannies between there and the bathroom, where I might never have found him again. He was there, though, and he was hiding behind the desk.
I had no idea how I was going to get him out; there wasn't enough room for me to grab him without hurting or terrifying him, and soon he was going to be under the desk. Last time he went under a piece of furniture was shortly after I got him, and he would have stayed there forever if he hadn't gotten hungry.
He went under the desk.
I was pondering what I could slide under there to guide him out, but he decided to strut out into the open all on his own. I sat very still, because if he panicked out in the open I worried he'd bolt for cover, which meant under the heater, back under the desk, or God forbid, under the recliner. None of these were good places to lose a gecko.
He looked around, tasted the air ... and made a run for it.
He didn't go under the heater. He didn't go back under the desk. He didn't go under the recliner, thank God.
He darted under my legs like he does when we're playing in the living room, and when I picked him up he climbed up into my arms and hid in my shirt. :sweetheart:
He stayed there the whole time while I was finishing his cage. Guess he'd had enough adventure for one day!
Of course, the real moral of this story is: if you think your leo "probably" can't escape from something, he will escape! :blush: Next time I'm just cleaning out a second tank for him.
There was a bath mat hanging over the edge, but I pulled it up high enough that he couldn't reach.
Seems I underestimated his height, his climbing abilities, and his hatred of the bathtub! I was almost finished when a little mustard-colored blur zipped past in the corner of my vision. I'm not entirely sure how he managed to climb one flimsy bathmat-tassel to freedom, and I'm really not sure what made him decide to go back to his cage-corner instead of exploring one of the many tempting rooms and nooks and crannies between there and the bathroom, where I might never have found him again. He was there, though, and he was hiding behind the desk.
I had no idea how I was going to get him out; there wasn't enough room for me to grab him without hurting or terrifying him, and soon he was going to be under the desk. Last time he went under a piece of furniture was shortly after I got him, and he would have stayed there forever if he hadn't gotten hungry.
He went under the desk.
I was pondering what I could slide under there to guide him out, but he decided to strut out into the open all on his own. I sat very still, because if he panicked out in the open I worried he'd bolt for cover, which meant under the heater, back under the desk, or God forbid, under the recliner. None of these were good places to lose a gecko.
He looked around, tasted the air ... and made a run for it.
He didn't go under the heater. He didn't go back under the desk. He didn't go under the recliner, thank God.
He darted under my legs like he does when we're playing in the living room, and when I picked him up he climbed up into my arms and hid in my shirt. :sweetheart:
He stayed there the whole time while I was finishing his cage. Guess he'd had enough adventure for one day!
Of course, the real moral of this story is: if you think your leo "probably" can't escape from something, he will escape! :blush: Next time I'm just cleaning out a second tank for him.
