More Prodigal reptiles

Quite a few times our tutles have runnoft.  2/3 of them have returned.  Starshine is still AWOL.  If you find a grape-fruit sized Southeastern Box Tortoise in Southeast Eugene, please give her lots of snails and be warned that she will live 40-80 years, depending on where you get your information.  I failed to research Turtles before I said yes.  Lesson Learned.

More recently the Leopard gecko when AWOL about 6 weeks ago, (See 2 posts previous).  We tore the house apart and had given up hope.  Meanwhile, life has gone on.  The hooligans have been up to various hijincks, particularly playing war, riding skateboards (with helmets), sneaking off to the corner store for candy every possible chance, and going off to sleep away camp at the beach this whole week.

In their absence, the house has been very quiet.  It is clean and peaceful.  I have been staying up late doing various projects.  Tonight I shuffled into the kitchen for water when something caught my eye  peeking out from under the stove.

The words MOUSE!RAT!ROACH! were flying at me-- it was none of these.  I know my mouse rat roach--I lived in Baltimore for 4 years, after all.   It was a yellow and black speckled head-- indubitably the gecko.  

The Man Who Lives In My House was right behind me when he heard me croak, "Lizard!"

He knelt down and peered under the stove, "She's right there!   Run up and turn on the heat rock, Kate!"

I didn't think she'd opt to crawl into his hand, but I was wrong.   Everyone loves TMWLIMH: my mother, the dog, the kids, even the lizard.

The Larger Hooligan will return to a clean, purged, and re-arranged bedroom, with his lizard restored to the tank on his dresser.

I think he may forgive me for touching his stuff.