Blue Tailed Skink Moves in

   We have so many blue tailed skinks hereabouts that I often wonder what's going on. What do they like so much about this place?

 I suppose pert of it is Pinehaven's age - 130 years at the moment - and the fact that the original builders decided on a small basement of stone walls. The house sits directly on the soil, too. There's one huge rock dead center and the house seems balanced on it.

 Then, too, in more modern times (1970's?), a large concrete patio was placed behind (and connected to) the house. Skinks love rock walls and concrete pads and sidewalks, all giving them perfect places to scamper, to live and to breed.

 And so years ago when I saw my first skink beside the driveway (actually living inside the large wooden railroad ties that once lined the entire path) I had no idea that their numbers would multiply through the years. Now, on hot summer days, we see them sunning on various areas of concrete, usually running away when they see us but  returning to their chosen spot when we leave (I've watched).

 Yesterday Tom and I were sitting on the sofa, both quietly reading on a very hot, humid day. I was probably half asleep when I heard him say "Look!".

 There, across the room on the brown carpet, was a young blue tail slowly slithering across the floor. They've been in the house before, even beside me on the same sofa and on the brick hearth. They run so quickly that I can barely catch them and often, when I do, it is fatal. I've broken more than one tail off,  too (they shed them to avoid capture).

 I've written about this here on the blog.

 Yesterday I acted quickly and grabbed an electric fly swatter that produces a lively voltage (but low current) that kills flies and other insects. The skink, seeing me coming,  ran under the footstool in front of Mom's chair.

 I  quickly lifted the stool and slammed the fly swatter down atop the skink, trapping him between the wire grid and the carpet. I then pushed the button to energize it.

 I saw the skinks tail flail about with the voltage. I took my finger off the button and could see that the skink was only inconvenienced, neither dead nor truly stunned. So I applied more voltage until he quit moving. I then carefully lifted the fly swatter from his still body.

 I figured I had killed him so I ran to find something to put the body in so I could carry him outside.

As I scooped him into the box I saw him move a hand and squirm a bit so I knew he was only knocked unconscious. Soon enough - now in  the bakery box - he revived and began moving about. The jolt of electricity had certainly knocked him out for a few minutes but seems to have done no long-term damage.

 My solution was to take him far away from  the house and release him into the wild. I carried him over to the woodpile where I've seen other skinks. I know it is a spot they can thrive in. And so I poured him out of the box and warned him that there was another jolt awaiting him should he ever come into my house again.