When my boyfriend and I got back from town, I saw something that looked like a tail sticking out of our bug trap (it's basically just a box, lined with a strong adhesive) . I actually thought it was a snake until I saw some legs. I have NO idea how it got inside, but apparently it got into the trap and ate all of the bugs that were stuck (which, is worrisome enough on its own, due to the residue that was left on them), then flailed around until it got stuck to walls and itself. I mean, it was the most pitiful thing ever - just a little colorful wad of lizard, hair, and bug bits. We took him outside and tore the trap open and got most of the debris off. We tried to hold him still, but he was still just rolling around and getting stuck to himself more so he could barely move at all (though he did manage to bite me a couple times -- contrary to popular belief, they are not poisonous). We tried this for about 30 minutes, until Bill suggested we put him out of his misery because he did look completely hopeless. But I just love reptiles so much and I knew we couldn't give up so easily. Instead we went inside and put him in the empty bathtub to try and gently wash him off with some warm water. Google said that you could use vegetable oil to loosen the glue. This worked like a charm! He was then a slippery mess trying to run around the tub. Also, earlier I could tell that he was trying to shed his tail when I was trying to untangle it, but by using the oil, he didn't have to! I washed him off with a little more warm water, then let him calm down and dry off before we released him outside in the garden where I’ve been seeing a lot of young skinks hang out. He ran right off! No pictures were taken (the one shown is stock from Google) because I was trying to hurry so that he wouldn't be any more freaked out than he had to be. I’m actually surprised that he didn’t die from stress during the whole process, and that’s not to say that he’ll even make it, but at least he’s got a chance. I'm sure I could've done things a lot better or easier, but I did the best that I could at the time. (Plus, we don't have a facility around here that would've rehabilitated him.) I feel good about myself today.

PS: This has made me think of something to add to my bucket list: see a lizard hatch from its egg.

Labels: animals, bad news, good news, personal, random