Found A Lizard In My Bathtub

Tom

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Found this guy in my bathtub. I have no idea how he got there, but he's lucky he didn't fall down the drain. I've been seeing a lot of these recently and I think they are really cool. Rather than just put him outside like I normally would, I decided to give this little guy a head start. I've got him set up in a wide deli cup with some fresh leaves for humidity and some crushed dried leaves to hide amongst. I've been feeding him pin head roaches (Blatta lateralis) and he eats several a day. I figure I'll give him a couple of months of free food and clean water and then I'll set him free in my yard to eat all the bugs he can catch.

Having trouble getting a positive ID. I know the exotic species in the pet trade far better than my local species. Google is giving me mixed and confusing info. Australia has a similar looking "Blue tailed skink", but that is clearly not it. I believe it to be in the genus Plestiodon. Apparently we have only two native skinks here, the Western and the Gilbert's. Both have babies with bright blue tails. I believe this one to be a Western based on how far past the rear legs the body stripes go. When I can get a better pic, I will count the supralabial scales.

Apparently, the alligator skink I've known since I was a child is really not a skink at all.



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ZEROPILOT

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We have a very similar lizard here that has that same striking blue tail but a jet black body.
The females are less colorful and grow 3 to 4 times larger.
If it's in the same family, these things bite with a pressure much harder than your run of the mill lizard.:eek:
It seems as if they have a very wide range.
 

ZEROPILOT

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Very cool. They also live here in Florida, but with less pronounced stripes. Red on the tip of the face and a darker black body.
The females get MUCH larger and are less colorful.
If it is the same species, you might have already found out that these little colorful beauties have a lot more biting force than a "normal" lizard?
I wonder how he wound up in your tub?
 

mike taylor

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We have the same ones in Texas . Very cool lizards . When I get home I'll try to get a picture of one .
 

Tom

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I forgot to mention that this little one is a tiny hatchling. About 2 inches long including all that tail.
 

Loohan

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We have them here, too. Not as prevalent as prairie lizards, but 2nd most common lizard.
I once saw one zip into a building that had a bunch of silverfish, and gobble them up.
 

Tom

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I love him! How is he doing?
He's doing great! He loves his little roach snacks. He looks like he's growing, but I haven't seen a shed yet. I wonder if this species eats their shed skin?
 

Tom

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Do you still have him? How's he doing?

I fed him and hydrated him for a few days, and then set him free. He's back on his own in the wild. I put him in one of my raised garden beds next to a tortoise pen, but I haven't seen him since the day I let him out of jail. I like to imagine him eating all sorts of bugs that would be attacking my tortoise food plots.
 
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