So I see "Bill" over on the wall. When I get up from the porch seat to go get some worms, he bolts away. I go get some food and walk back over there and I can't figure out why he's being so skittish until he comes up close and turns out it's… A different lizard!
This one is much lighter, a little thinner and has an original intact tail. It has tamed up extremely fast though! Already lets me stroke his chin a little bit.
I was doing my little whistle while I was feeding it in order to whistle train it and I guess Bill heard that and popped out from his hiding place at the other end of the wall.
He got fed too and now they are both facing each other about 30 feet apart. There is plenty of room for both, so I hope they don't start fighting.
#BillTheLizard looks like he shed his skin recently. His right eye still has some old flaky scales hanging around the edge of it. I think that's why I thought it may be a different lizard because he looked a little darker but I think it's just because he has new scales and decided to hang out in a new spot. Up close, that's clearly Bill.
Bill the lizard showed back up on the wall today. Just went over and fed him. I'm surprised he's being so scarce. Before it cooled off last fall and he went in hibernation, he would routinely come into the house all the way into the kitchen demanding to be fed in the morning. He does totally remember me though.
I just realized something that may indicate a problem: when all the lizards are out, I spend more time in any given day talking to them than I do to humans.
I went and got another beetle for him so I could get a close-up.
Yay! yay! Bill woke up and remembers me! Just this morning I was thinking that this week of hot weather should be enough to bring the other lizards out of hibernation came out on the porch just now and there was Bill on the small stone wall. He was a little skittish so I had to throw the first couple mealworms to him and after that he practically let me pet him.
If you scroll back through this thread, there is a shot or two of him when he first came out and I wasn't sure it was Bill from last fall. I'm still not totally sure, but his behavior seems very similar. Or I think I have some shots of him under the #BillTheLizard tag from last year.
The nearest mealworm store is over 100 miles away. I have two left, which I'm saving for Harriet The Lizard. Bill The Lizard here just got the other two. They're used to getting a handful, so he's sitting on me giving me this expectant look. I even went to the park today to look for grasshoppers, but with the weeks of dry heat there's not a bug to be found anywhere.
I think it might be time for another social visit to Tucson.
#HarrietTheLizard #BillTheLizard #Lizard
Bill The Lizard is completely whistle trained. With just a couple of whistles, he came running across the yard from the neighbor's wall to get his morning mealworms. Then when I ran out, he started climbing all over me.
Harriet The Lizard and I already had our morning coffee and mealworm time together.
Harriet The Lizard seems to be mad at me. She's not being friendly and is being very skittish around me. I can't tell if it's because of all the commotion I made cleaning and vacuuming the porch yesterday or whether it's because Bill, pictured, and the other big lizard have also started hanging around her chair now.
Bill is actually kind of annoying. As soon as I run out of worms he nips at me or climbs all over me like this.
My camera shoots fascists