Yesterday, after I got home I looked in my frog's tank and for the first time she didn't run away and hide as soon as she noticed me. Not good. I buried her in the backyard before my husband had the misfortune of seeing her like that. There was one uneaten cricket who gleefully jumped out of her cage when released in the backyard, the lone survivor of an insect Battle Royale.

I've never owned a pet that actively disliked my presence the way that Skinny did. She spent almost all of her time squatting in her cave, trying to hide as much of her body as possible. She would only leave it at night and if she thought we weren't home, although it was possible to catch an unsheltered Skinny stalking crickets if we approached quietly. Skinny always looked completely busted when spotted and any sudden movements would send her scrambling back to her hidey-hole.

Skinny was 3 years old when she died. We raised her from a fat, constantly pooping tadpole into a silent, shy adult. We started out with two tadpoles, Skinny and her gluttonous brother, Fatty. He died after eating too many crickets at once. Skinny never made the same mistake. She only ate when she was hungry and some crickets would wander terrified around her pondscape for days until she was ready to finally partake.

It's weird to live again in a house with zero pets. I suppose this is a sign that we shouldn't be pet owners...or parents.

Labels: polymer clay, projects

posted by Alison 4/02/2009 11:37:00 PM : (1) comments : splink