Kristin Rescues Baby Animals

I thought hermit crabs were plenty of pets for the time being. They do cute things like play in the water dish and make noises in the night.

Aww...

But then at work one day, a tiny lizard showed up on some tropical plants. He jumped around a lot, so the guys named him Jumpy. Then his tail broke off, and he was called Stumpy.

Stumpy!

I thought he was cute, thus I became Stumpy's new guardian. I didn't know what to do with him, so I put him in a lemonade pitcher and emailed the Columbus Zoo.

Hey, it beats a coffee can!

Don Winstel at the Columbus Zoo was very helpful. He identified Stumpy as a brown anole hatchling and gave me suggestions for care and feeding. Stumpy now has some fruit flies to eat and some moss to play in. I'm going to have to get him a nicer terrarium, though, and probably a real heat lamp (although I'm sure he loves the heat from my desk lamp).

Stumpy and fruit flies!

There you have it: the story of Stumpy.