The lizard whisperer, pt 2

One of the other animals we carry that are part of the skink family are Schneider's Skinks, much smaller than the yellow-lined plated in the enclosure above them. As with all insectivore lizards, we alternate food to give them a more varied diet. This takes place on their Mealworm day.

S: (flail against glass)
H: (opening cage) You're excited. Breakfast! I don't know how well you take to being hand-fed, but we'll try a -
S: (nom)
H: ...Well, that answers that. Hey, C*! He sucked it down like spaghetti. We're good.
S: That's because YOU STARVE ME. (flails)
H: You eat just fine. I know this. I have to feed you guys every day. Speaking of which, where's your brother?
S: I ATE HIM.
H: (checks tag) He's at the vet.
S: BECAUSE I ATE HIM.
H: Nice try. Now, do I even have to wiggle the mealworm, or do you just -
S: (nom)
H: I think you just eat whatever's put in front of your face. (looking up at yellow-lined) Why can't you be more like him?
L: I'm a majestic predator. I only hunt.
H: I made it run around the cage for you!
L: I could see the tongs, you know. That's not really hunting.
H: Whatever. You can go for weeks without eating. One day won't kill you.
L: ... (nom)
H: Was that so hard?
L: It's squishy. Why aren't you showering me with praise and thanks for saving your job?
H: Scaly little malcontent. (back to skink) Now that I think about it, there are still crickets in your cage! If you're so absolutely starving, why didn't you eat those?
S: Because that requires effort.
H: ...
S: Give me a mealworm!
H: No. No more bugs until you eat what you have in there.
S: But... But...!
H: I can't feed you until your other food is gone. It's a rule.
S: That you just made up?
H: NO. EAT YOUR CRICKETS.
L: I'll eat his crickets.
H: You won't even eat your mealworms!
L: That's because you don't make them interesting enough.

I feel like a mom with 78 fussy, whiny two-year-olds.

On the plus side, we now have four chinchillas at work. One that came in the other day was a little guy - shy, but nosy. If I cup my hands together, he can sit easily in my palms. He almost doesn't need both.

And I found out something interesting about the yellow-lined plated: when they shed, they don't lose the top layer like most snakes and other reptiles do. Instead, his scales just fall off. Like cat hair. So as I picked him up, there was a little rain of what looked like mica falling into his cage. I brushed him off, and even more fell. The downside of this, however, was that as I cleaned his cage and he sat on my shirt, I was covered in what looked like glitter for the rest of the day. =/

I'll post about the 20 bearded dragon hatchlings we have later. <3

-H

The good idea train?

Inspired by juldea's post, I'm thinking of using PhysicsDiet.com to help myself with weight loss. Since I have trouble focusing on my eating habits with the schedule I keep, I'm going to try a few smaller things (like setting my first goal small) to help me. Things like dividing large meals into smaller and better spaced ones, having an exercise regimen, and focusing on my body's trouble areas. It's not so much about the pounds as the measurements for me, as muscle mass weighs more than fat, but it seems like a good tracking tool.

This is what I get for letting myself slip over the colder months. =/

Let's see how this goes.

-H