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So these last two weeks have been crazy. I work at a wildlife center (I should post some pics form work one day) and we are located in a very high fire area. Well 6 fires broke out right near the center. I was there for a week straight which meant I was not able to give Bosco (or Darwin for that matter) and TLC. Well I got home Thursday morning and went to check on all the reptiles. Darwin looked fine but Bosco's cage was wide open. He is very good at opening almost any cage and I guess the week of confinement was just too much. I tore the whole house apart and could not find him. I was not too worried there are not too many places that he could go that I could not get him out of and the house was sealed up due to smoke. I decided to look more later but really needed a nap. Woke up an hour later and could literally smell myself (no shower for a week as well) so I figured a shower would be a good thing. Turn on the shower and was about to step in when bam there was Bosco enjoying the warm shower. I must have woke him up because he bolted right under the sink. Now I could have just pulled him out but I didn't want to risk a bite and I didn't want to force him out with a broom stick, so I did what would work on any dude I bribed him with food, a half pound of elk meat I was going to have for dinner. He seemed to enjoy it and once he realized it was me was fine with being picked up and taken back to his cage.
Well the downside is now he won't stay in his cage! Came back on Friday (only got one day off) and he was out, luckily in the reptile room. He came over to the pup gate I have up to try and keep him in. So i put on his collar and harness (both have bells so I check where he is) and let him free roam the house. An hour later he has wedged himself in the only and I mean only tight space in the whole dang house, he went under my wood burning stove! He was still full from his meal so food wouldn't work and he was well lodged in there. He seemed to know there was no way for me to get him out without taking the stove apart, but the thing is welded together. So I went into my vet tech bag (I have a lot of skills I was also a mechanic and a slaughter house worker just to name a few occupations) and got out some KY Gel. Ok some explaining here I was a large animal vet and with wildlife we use it to make temperature taking a little less uncomfortable. So I can barley get may hands where he is at and squeeze the tube on one side, move over and squeeze on the other. I am able to move him around by the leash that is attached to the harness. Once he is covered (made sure to avoid the head) I grabbed the base of his tail and around the front leg and have to twist him out of this long be narrow 8" by 1.5" gap (Bosco is a fully ground 4 foot male tegu with a full belly. Right when I got him out (celebration grunts and chants included) my landlord walks in. He was concerned about the fires and had said he was coming up to check on everything and see what brush clearing would be needed. So he walks in on his tenant hold a lizard victoriously above their head, shouting, with a tube of empty lube on the floor and the lizard and by this time myself covered in it. I have to say it was hard to explain to him how it all happened. Luckily he is a cool guy and just laughed it off.
The bath went uneventfully, just some dawn and all the lube came off. He seemed mad that I had preyed him from his amazing hiding place. The whole battle took about two hours.
Well I am at work again today and I am taking no chanced the cage is locked tight (he can still get out) the reptile room door is shut and window is opened from the top rather than the bottom. Let see him get out of the room now!
Well the downside is now he won't stay in his cage! Came back on Friday (only got one day off) and he was out, luckily in the reptile room. He came over to the pup gate I have up to try and keep him in. So i put on his collar and harness (both have bells so I check where he is) and let him free roam the house. An hour later he has wedged himself in the only and I mean only tight space in the whole dang house, he went under my wood burning stove! He was still full from his meal so food wouldn't work and he was well lodged in there. He seemed to know there was no way for me to get him out without taking the stove apart, but the thing is welded together. So I went into my vet tech bag (I have a lot of skills I was also a mechanic and a slaughter house worker just to name a few occupations) and got out some KY Gel. Ok some explaining here I was a large animal vet and with wildlife we use it to make temperature taking a little less uncomfortable. So I can barley get may hands where he is at and squeeze the tube on one side, move over and squeeze on the other. I am able to move him around by the leash that is attached to the harness. Once he is covered (made sure to avoid the head) I grabbed the base of his tail and around the front leg and have to twist him out of this long be narrow 8" by 1.5" gap (Bosco is a fully ground 4 foot male tegu with a full belly. Right when I got him out (celebration grunts and chants included) my landlord walks in. He was concerned about the fires and had said he was coming up to check on everything and see what brush clearing would be needed. So he walks in on his tenant hold a lizard victoriously above their head, shouting, with a tube of empty lube on the floor and the lizard and by this time myself covered in it. I have to say it was hard to explain to him how it all happened. Luckily he is a cool guy and just laughed it off.
The bath went uneventfully, just some dawn and all the lube came off. He seemed mad that I had preyed him from his amazing hiding place. The whole battle took about two hours.
Well I am at work again today and I am taking no chanced the cage is locked tight (he can still get out) the reptile room door is shut and window is opened from the top rather than the bottom. Let see him get out of the room now!
