I had to live with my parents for a couple months this summer while looking for a new place closer to work. While living there, a couple of my northerns gave birth - my older female had a nice clutch of 13 babies.
And that night she managed to open her cage door and let them all out.
My folks and I found 11 of the babies, but since it was summer we had all the doors open to cool down the house...we figured the last two must have gone out the nearby front door and were probably lost for good. That was mid June, and we haven't seen or found anything about them in all that time, and again, figured they were eaten or otherwise met their demise in the great outdoors. My folks have 10 acres in a very rural area of San Diego County, and the area is full of oak trees and arid scrubby type habitat. It's a nice area, and we're overrun with fence lizards, and regularly find horny toads, rosy boas, and plenty of kingsnakes and rattlesnakes. Great place for a herper to grow up in
So Friday, I get a text from my dad. "Found one of your skinks." SERIOUSLY?? Yup. Turns out at least one has survived in the yard all this time, with all its toes and a full tail. The only issue is an old scar on the face - otherwise, this baby is perfect. My folks found it on a patio under their lattice full of chardonnay grapes, eating some that had been knocked on the ground by birds.
It's a bit skinnier than I prefer, but surprisingly large and bigger than its captive raised siblings that my coworkers have. No idea what it's been eating this whole time, presumably stink bugs, snails, and clearly wine grapes.
I'll post pics tonight when I get back home, I picked it up yesterday and it chowed down on some fuzzies without hesitation.
Just had to share - I've never been so surprised in my life.
And for anyone wondering, all the skink cages now have locks on them, lol. Don't want to lose em again!
-Jen
