Ok, so I will admit, this girl is NOTHING like my poor sick old Lizzy. We have a new normal!
Lizzy sat around and you had to beg him to eat, never really tried to escape from the play yard, didn't move too fast. He was like your 90 year old arthritic Grandpa, slow moving, never a problem.
Bert is the exact opposite! She is like a 10 year old boy, ready to try or do anything.
We all suspected, with a name like Big Bertha, that she probably had an appetite. This girl will eat just about any and everything! If she sees you come in the room, she runs to
greet you (really, I know she is hoping for a handout). If you have a plastic yogurt cup in your hands, so much the better - she knows that the Dubia come out of that yogurt cup! If she sees the cup, she recognizes it and gives it her attention. All you have to do is rattle that cup and she comes running as fast as her little legs will carry her.
She figured out in no time flat how to escape from the play yard I had built for Lizzy. For being as big and heavy as she is, you might think she would not be athletic, but you'd be wrong. She can move really fast, and she is an excellent climber.She will also jump with no warning. On a couple of the sides of the play yard, I'd stood 1x10 boards on end and pushed them up against the wall. She figured out that we have base molding that holds the boards about 3/4 in away from the wall, and squeezed herself out of that by just pushing against the boards. I'd come from work and find the boards pushed around and wondered what happened until I watched her do it one day. She also had no trouble boosting herself over the wall, either. One day I came home and she was nowhere to be found. I was really starting to panic, and looking everywhere. After a while, I decided to take a break and walked into my living room on the exact opposite side of the house, and there she was! We leave the door onto our front balcony open with just the storm door latched and she was in front of the storm door, basking in a very bright sunbeam. After several escapes that always ended up with her in the living room, (she really seemed drawn to it and all the wonderful bright sun that comes in (southern exposure)), I decided a better play yard, in the living room might make the Queen happy; I built a much better one there. It is made of 1x12 boards, with white laminate coating, which I think will be much harder for her to grip and climb. Home Depot sells rubber mat that I put down as flooring. So now she owns my living room - sunniest room in the house. Gary made her a perch to climb and wrapped it in some old blue jean material so it would be easy for her to grip (as if she needs help with gripping!), and we put it under her lights.
She can get out of the sun if she wants by either going into the hide that she likes to bask on, or she can sit in the shadows of the walls of the play yard.
The Queen herself:
She turns a bright golden yellow when she's happy and that tail is always pointing straight up.
New and improved play yard with the most important feature - the glass door that lets the sun in!
Another view of the play yard
.
She is not as afraid of us as she was at first and I just got a new Dragon Tamer leash for her today. All in all, I think she's doing well.
Lizzy sat around and you had to beg him to eat, never really tried to escape from the play yard, didn't move too fast. He was like your 90 year old arthritic Grandpa, slow moving, never a problem.
Bert is the exact opposite! She is like a 10 year old boy, ready to try or do anything.
We all suspected, with a name like Big Bertha, that she probably had an appetite. This girl will eat just about any and everything! If she sees you come in the room, she runs to
greet you (really, I know she is hoping for a handout). If you have a plastic yogurt cup in your hands, so much the better - she knows that the Dubia come out of that yogurt cup! If she sees the cup, she recognizes it and gives it her attention. All you have to do is rattle that cup and she comes running as fast as her little legs will carry her.
She figured out in no time flat how to escape from the play yard I had built for Lizzy. For being as big and heavy as she is, you might think she would not be athletic, but you'd be wrong. She can move really fast, and she is an excellent climber.She will also jump with no warning. On a couple of the sides of the play yard, I'd stood 1x10 boards on end and pushed them up against the wall. She figured out that we have base molding that holds the boards about 3/4 in away from the wall, and squeezed herself out of that by just pushing against the boards. I'd come from work and find the boards pushed around and wondered what happened until I watched her do it one day. She also had no trouble boosting herself over the wall, either. One day I came home and she was nowhere to be found. I was really starting to panic, and looking everywhere. After a while, I decided to take a break and walked into my living room on the exact opposite side of the house, and there she was! We leave the door onto our front balcony open with just the storm door latched and she was in front of the storm door, basking in a very bright sunbeam. After several escapes that always ended up with her in the living room, (she really seemed drawn to it and all the wonderful bright sun that comes in (southern exposure)), I decided a better play yard, in the living room might make the Queen happy; I built a much better one there. It is made of 1x12 boards, with white laminate coating, which I think will be much harder for her to grip and climb. Home Depot sells rubber mat that I put down as flooring. So now she owns my living room - sunniest room in the house. Gary made her a perch to climb and wrapped it in some old blue jean material so it would be easy for her to grip (as if she needs help with gripping!), and we put it under her lights.
She can get out of the sun if she wants by either going into the hide that she likes to bask on, or she can sit in the shadows of the walls of the play yard.
The Queen herself:
She turns a bright golden yellow when she's happy and that tail is always pointing straight up.
New and improved play yard with the most important feature - the glass door that lets the sun in!
Another view of the play yard
She is not as afraid of us as she was at first and I just got a new Dragon Tamer leash for her today. All in all, I think she's doing well.
