The mouse that saved the gecko

in #wildlife2 years ago (edited)
A couple months ago I was woken up at some stupid hour of the morning by my kitty coming through the window and I thought he had caught a bat. The squeaking was ear drum piercing and I shot up to go see what creature I had to save from his fangs. It wasn't a bat but a mouse. He dropped it and wanted to play catch but I wasn't having any of it.

The commotion woke LL and she also got involved with this silliness of trying to get this mousey out from behind the fireplace and then release it OUTSIDE preferably while our cat stays inside so he doesn't just rinse and repeat the process. Oghma was not impressed with this whole idea and was probably quite deflated as he watched us, then unimpressedly jumped back out the window and was gone. He probably thought F*** this sh*t! Thanks Oggs.

The mouse didn't seem punctured because it shot across the floor like a blur and went under the couch. I got the broom to try and coax it out using the handle to nudge it in the direction of the corner of the room, but it went under the table and when I went in to scoop it up, it shot across infront of the door to the outside room and literally vanished. I searched for a good solid while without any luck.


Yesterday I was convinced I was going mad. Well, more than I usually believe anyhow. I had walked into the kitchen and while busy packing away the dishes, I heard squeak. I froze in place and listened thinking "oh gosh, the mouse is in the kitchen". Nothing. I tried to trace where I had thought the noise had come from and heard it again SQUEAK.

I opened the cupboard doors thinking that's where it was from and had a look around. Didn't immediately see an animal in distress but I knew that it could be IN something in the cupboard that maybe it couldn't get out of. Started taking out bowls, pots, pans, jugs. Then I saw movement in a catbowl and because I'm rather blurry eyed without my glasses on, I figured that must be it. I took it out of the cupboard, but it wasn't a mouse.


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I don't know how long this little gecko had been in the bowl, but it didn't look emaciated so it probably wasn't too long. I could tell that it was cold though and would probably need some warmth in order to get energized.

Carefully I emptied it onto my hand and outside for the last little bit of sunlight on the balcony so it could absorb some heat from me and the sunshine. It squished itself flat onto my finger to get maximum coverage and I sat with it chatting to it softly for a few minutes while removing cat fur from it's toes. It seemed quite relaxed to just sit and recharge it's batteries. Such a cutie with it's shiny eyes.


Gecko on my hand.jpg


This is a Cape Dwarf Gecko Lygodactylus capensis. It's quite common around here and I often see them scurrying up and down the picket fences in the mornings. This little one eventually had enough va-va-vooma to get up and run up onto the outside wall in the sun. I bid it farewell.


Lygodactylus on my hand.jpg


When I walked back inside to get back to what I was originally doing I heard squeak and thought "hold on, I'm in a different room. I looked down at my shoes listening and slowly moved forward. SQUEAK as I slowly pressed my foot down again. Then I chuckled at myself and shook my head.

It was my freaking shoe which has squelchy water in the sole from walking through wet grass, not a mouse at all. I felt like a right fool, but hey, my squeaky shoe saved a gecko so that counts for something. I'm going to have to find a way to gecko proof the crockery, that's my next conundrum.


Ranger Andy South Africa River Scene Reduced.jpg

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I love the little Geckos, we have loads here feasting on mosquitos. We live with them in the house but their tiny shit is a nightmare to clean up, especially if it dries. Some of them will come and take crumbs out of my hand but I have to say, yours is far more handsome!
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Then we have these sun skinks which are so tame, this one takes crumbs from me too and lives in the yard under a bucket!

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As your post was about a non-existent mouse, I won't mention the size of the very-existent rats we have here all over!

Hope you're feeling better and having a good week :-)

Hi Nathen

How are you doing?

Oh my gosh, you have befriended my favourite beasts. This is so cool! I like the skinks too, they're naughty little shits though. I tamed one as a kid and called her "Elizardbeth" - yes, yes cheesy I know 🤣

I like how soft skinned your gecko looks. It's so awesome that you appreciate them, please give them a few extra crumbs on my behalf.

I'm on the mend thanks. Still feverish and foggy headed but most of the other symptoms are waning. Thanks for taking the time to send pics, that's really cool of you. Have a good day. Cheers

Andy

Sorry to just barge in like this but :

yours is far more handsome!

What is wrong with you people!!!! Geckos??? Handsome?🙂

Has the Hive world gone mad!!!


Also, I'm very curious to know the size of your rats :)

Welcome to Africa! Got to love it. But those cats dragging in half the wildlife doesn't thrill me either

Lol Hey @buckaroobaby the struggle is real with the felines nogal. How are your goats? They aren't bringing in weird animals are they?

I imagine you'll be "hearing" that mouse for a long time.

In Southern California where I grew up we had alligator lizards, cute little lizards with long tails. Once I was at my dad's office and we heard a sound in the kitchen. We were so worried it was a mouse, and you know how one mouse usually means there's a whole slew waiting to take over. But after poking around for a bit I discovered the "mouse" was actually an alligator lizard! They were hiding in the toaster oven tray. Good thing I found them before anybody made toast...

Lol in the toaster oven tray? Maybe they figured it was a good place to keep warm? That's cool that you were able to find them and get them back to their rightful place OUTSIDE. Silly things, but super charismatic.

Yes, the mouse shoe has been squeaking at me all day and I'm contemplating whether I should start squeaking back at it 🤣

LOL do it! Or change your shoes...

I was a gecko in a former life.

Lol, you and me both then. They are just the coolest creatures. I miss my gecko Dacto, I had him for almost a decade, had to rehome him. Got a message a few weeks back that he's expecting his first clutch of eggs there. I miss my little dragon so much 😔

Picture 1551.jpg

What a dragony looking fellow he is.

That explains a lot...

Damn you Andy!!! You took out the freaking outro pic for real!

Don't worry though, I can always come up with another meme for this one🙂...

Yes, soon... SOON!!!


Also,

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! You carried the gecko with your Bare hands!!!

Sure the gecko is sort of cute and sure, you were dumb enough to fall for your squeaking shoe😂 But, the real problem here is the fact that you let that beast on you hand!!!

Oh good lord...

Hahaha hello Eche

How are you doing?
Geckos are my spirit animal yoh! I even have them inked in my skin. How can you not want to carry them?

Yes, I took out Outdoorsy Andy, there's been so much change of late, that I figured I might as well transmute that on here too.

What's been going on in your part of the world?

Oh me?... I'm good, I'm alright.

Inked you say... As in like a tattoo? That's actually pretty badass!

How can you not want to carry them?

A gecko ate my brother once, can't even think about touching em!


Oh, I see... That's understandable. I'm sure the changes are for the best.

I'll still meme this one nonetheless :)

And on my side, nothing too crazy really... Just the usual: work, study, and preparing for my German B2 exams. Oh, and I've been having these very strange dreams lately - just saw a therapist about it the other day infact.

I read about your dreams in one of your previous posts, they sound ummm, painful. I'm sorry you're dealing with that, it's rough. I hope your therapist was able to help shed some light into that darkness so you can process it.

Good luck with your exams, I'm sure you'll do well.

A brother eating gecko? 🤔 Sounds more like an alligator to me

Oh, I see. Why thank you! Surprisingly, therapy was more helpful than I thought it would've been.

And thank you, I know I'll do well :)


LoL, it was suppose to be a metaphor.

What a cute little thing...Or, maybe you have gigantic hands and the lizard is simply huge!

I think my hands are pretty well proportioned to the rest of me - small lol. The gecko was so cool, it was nice to have a conversation with him/her before they got on their way to go do gecko things.

I was going to comment on your hands actually, sort of cute to be honest. I hope you don't mind me saying. I noticed your short nails which bucks the trend mostly these days, but I also keep mine short. Please tell me, do you paint them? I am going to guess that if you do you use natural tones.

Here's to a geckoish weekend.

Becca (If my nane was Becco I could be Becco the gecko.) 💗

Hi Becca

I had a chuckle at your gecko name, that was sharp.

My hands I try to look after, my nails not so much, I don't get time to paint them even if I'd like to. LL sometimes does though. She chose purple the last time (a while back) and considering that she's not even 5 yet, she did a great job.


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Do you paint yours?

#nailpaintinggirldate

Becco (the gecko) 💗