Mali Uromastyx. Empty Nesters.

Forgive me for not promptly introducing you to the latest member of our family. Meet Gypsum Styx Farmer, a mali uromastyx. (Bought on June 4.)

Yes, I should get some crazy mom-of-the-year award for not only allowing Andrew to get Oliver, a Pacman frog, but now to be housing a lizard in our clean home. Unlike Oliver the selling point for this lizard was the fact it's a vegetarian. Pretty much whatever you have in the fridge or garden can be fed to it - carrots, lettuce, peas, bell peppers, etc. There are a few no-no's it can't eat (cabbage, spinach, etc), but for the most part we keep that stuff in the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator, so we're good.

My requirement for Elizabeth to get her is that she had to prove she could hold her. She has been interested and played with fake lizards for years. One of her nicknames at school is Lizard but has she ever held a real live lizard? No.

One of my childhood friends, Robin, is a petcare manager at PetSmart. She advised us on a good pet for Andrew (who wanted a frog) and for Elizabeth (who wanted a lizard). She sold me on the vegetarian part. I get tired of buying crickets which is a rant I may visit some day. Elizabeth did indeed hold the lizard. I will admit, I was too much of a baby scared. (I have yet to hold Oliver. Although I do enjoy watching that little fat guy.)

Gypsum (named that because this type of uromastyx is from North Africa, around Egypt and I thought of the rock, gypsum, which Elizabeth liked and it's also found in Egypt) is a pretty shy, slow-going lizard. If someone makes a loud noise nearby or gets too close to the aquarium, she runs off into her cave to hide. It took a couple of days before we decided she had started eating. I never thought I would be happy to see a lizard's poop pile as I was when she did her business. LOL

How is it Elizabeth got a girl lizard and Andrew got a boy frog? Custom ordering? Sheer luck? Divine intervention? Or selective name picking/sex choosing? The latter. Although they do have their own theories on why they think they have what they have chosen. Something about the spots on the lizard's belly and the same with the frog along with some clicking noise it does/does not make. Go figure.

The problem about having two more pets means when we are on vacation then we have to find someone to care for them. OR if Elizabeth and Andrew are gone like they are this week to church camp then Dad and Mom get to care for the animals. I immediately told Wade I would claim care of Gypsum and he could take care of Oliver. Ha ha. I didn't want be touching those ugly house crickets we buy to feed him. I think Oliver is missing Andrew. I think Gypsum likes having both of them gone. She can sun and sleep without being scared of noises or vibrations.

As I mentioned BOTH kids are gone. Wade and I have been playing "empty-nesters" and let me tell ya, we are lovin' it. We have agreed we can go a week without our kids but are sure we would miss them if they were gone two weeks. With that being said I will not admit if I do miss them or not. Being empty-nesters suits us well though. ;)

And we have decided that sending them to camp is MUCH cheaper than the two of us going away on a trip. We returned almost two weeks ago from New Mexico. I need to blog that trip soon. Wonderful weather. Splendid scenery. Fine food. And charming company. That's what I'll say about it for now. (I love my dictionary/thesaurus app on my phone. LOL)