Reptilian Guest

We are are currently trying to keep a baby blue-bellied lizard alive. He is ridiculously cute. My son found the lizard at the mercy of our cat's claws and intervened. While it might have been best to let nature take its course, that is not how we roll here at Smokey Acres. We love creatures great and small and all life is worth saving.

Sam, because he needed a name right, is currently residing in a makeshift terrarium complete with dirt and branches. A Tupperware lid is serving as a shallow water dish and a sized-down paper plate holds his feast of worms. But Sam is clearly a baby and I am fretting over him. 

I went to the pet store yesterday to find food for blue-bellies but Gecko's appear to be the lizard of choice these days. I debated between a can of dead crickets and a can of dead worms. Knowing I would have to dice this delicacy up I went with worms. Never, ever would I imagine I would someday find myself in the kitchen whipping up a meal of worms for a lizard. I realized at that moment that I would do the absolute unexpected for my children. I do indeed love them that much. And, by choice or not, we are fighting to save a reptilian life.

At first glance it appeared Sam had a wounded leg but after observing him it seems like the area of damage is his neck. He is a pretty rough case. I am not sure if he will make it but we continue to pray over him and try our best. Our goal is to nurse him back to health and release him to be free and in the wild again. 

One thing I do know is that a child's love knows no limits and love can be extended to even the smallest creatures. While Sam likely never intended to tangle with a cat, I am sure he also never expected to find a group of humans rooting for him. He never thought his best friend would be a 9-year-old human boy with an amazing heart. 

So, for Sam and my kids I will continue to disengaged while I dice up worms and I will pray over the wounds of our tiny little guest. And, hopefully soon, he will be strong and able to survive in the wild. And, if not, perhaps a trip to buy a better terrarium will be in our future!