Pics - DUW

[Katrina]

Massive DUW.

Brief history - I've been insanely fortunate lately. Jeff needed a bit more room to focus on other species. I LOVE meraukes and they are my main focus (because I can't afford shinglebacks! ). So we devised a brilliant plan for Jeff's Meraukes to find their way north so I could help facilitate their love lives. The tricky part is that for them to get from the USA to Canada, you kind of need to drive them over the border, rather than ship them. So, the other part of my good fortune (in addition to just having an opportunity to acquire these incredible BTS!) was that my mom was going for a road trip around the states. And agreed to go to Arizona and pick up three BTS and drive them back. My parents are incredibly nice.

So, a couple weeks later my mom delivers three Meraukes to my door. Her only concern out of the whole "drive out of your way to Arizona, meet a stranger and pick up 3 lizards and then drive them back for 4 days across an international border while keeping them safe and warm and drop them off at my place" plan was that when she picked them up they didn't have names. So she had to help name them. See where I get it from, Brad??

Anyway, these guys have been in Canada about a week. Here is pics of everyone, not just the new acquisitions, as I weighed them all the other day....

Littlest of the bunch and new Canadian - Phoenix (named by my mom):

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Second littlest, the shortest but pretty chunky - Sami:

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The boy named Kira:

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How is this chunker not gravid?! I swear I only feed her weekly, and she doesn't eat all that much! Jaxi:

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The heavyweight champion, straight out of brumation and hasn't touched food since early November - Callie:

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Callie's hopefully other half, the little sausage (going into shed, so not looking to bright) - Stewy:

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The houseguest - RiffRaff:

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You'll notice a theme with my mom's naming - this is Nevada:

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My sweetpea, also going into shed - Simon:

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The handsome and studly Rollie (almost keeping up with the big girls for weight, but he is all length / tail!):

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The last American import - Roswell (you know, area 51 type thing? My mom went with names from 3 states, although 2 names are of cities in those states):

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[Bird_Brain]

Amazing collection! Your mother is too kind to pick them up for you (as well as helping name them!). I know my parents would not be so willing to help lol.

[Karen]

Sounds like they had quite an adventure! A lovely little Merauke colony.

[Roheryn]

Quite a collection! Your mom is awesome

[Alioop]

Hmm my mom is taking a trip to Arizona in a few weeks.... I wonder if I can convince her to bring back some awesome souveniers for me, too!!

Thats a REALLY gorgeous looking bunch of skinks Kat! Congrats on the new additions, that Jeff guy ain't half bad.

[Fatal_S]

[StaceyLeigh]

Gorgeous! Congrats on the new additions!

[Nae]

Easily the best souveniers ever!

So how many is that now? This isnt everyone is it? I am adoring Phoenixs colouring!

[Katrina]

Thanks everyone. My mom is awesome, I'm very lucky. She was happy to help. And Jeff went out of his way to get them to me just because he wanted them to go to a place where someone would have time to pair them and try to breed them. I know everyone knows this, but he is one of those amazing people that really cares about blue tongue skinks and producing CBB babies and not about profits or any of that stuff.

Nae - I'm up to 11 now, 3 Northerns and 8 Meraukes (although Riff-Raff isn't really a Merauke, he is an in betweener of sorts - I wouldn't breed him... and he isn't officially mine, I'm just housing him indefinitely). I have room for Ms. Canasta on a breeding loan from Mel and could use a beautiful Merauke lady!! I also should be getting baby QD from Mel, so I'll have 4 Northerns when that happens.

[Spindown]

your collection of skinks is just awe inspiring! Beautiful, every single one

[lemon1]

They are beautiful . I hope that you get some Canadian baby Meraukes . I really want a Merauke . Congrats they R beautiful

[Kbell31]

Kira =

[Susann]

[xxmonitorlizardxx]

[Scooter_in_Kindergarten]

wow! You have quite a nice bunch there! Would love one of their babies

[El Lobo]

The herd is increasing rapidly.

I see the blotchies and think they are rather chunky and yet they only weigh around 700gms, considerably less than some of these. I suppose the main difference though is the blotchies have a much shorter overall length and really pack quite a lot of their weight into the tails, particularly the girls.

[Katrina]

ML - Sorry, my mom couldn't find your place... so she gave them to me instead.

Thanks all! I'm hoping for babies, but most of the Meraukes are male... so ratios aren't very good. And the Northerns aren't getting it done... so

Might not be many babies, but at least they are all wonderful houseguests. KBell - Kira is such a poser. He is always ready for the camera. And a total sweetie, very personable.

El Lobo -the herd is getting close to its max. They all need the same sized homes and the same decorations, so no one feels less loved... so I'm pretty close to the ceiling!

[Jeff]

I am having a really hard time getting on the forum lately due to long hours at work and being in the middle of breeding season, but I am so glad the guys arrived safely. I am really hopeful that the end result will be lots of CBB meraukes in the future. I know they couldn't be in better hands for making that happen. Thanks for being willing to take them Katrina!

I knew for sure that I was a terrible keeper of the skinks that I sent to Kat by the way her mom reacted when she asked the skink's names and I told her that they didn't have names. You should have seen the disappointment on her face. I felt like an animal abuser. She insisted on inspecting each lizard herself (I think to make sure the heartless person who had not even named them, had not caused them any harm). As Kat's mom scooped them up out of their tubs, all I could think of was how loud my own mom would have been screaming while she ran into the next state. Kat is lucky!

[Nae]

You are a terrible person Jeff...How could you be so heartless!! (But then again, I get funny looks for being on the opposite end of the spectrum -chickens, quails, fish, spiders, EVERYONE has a name )

[JoshChimera]

What a great variety of BTS!