All Creatures Great and Small

This is our new pet. Sort of. I guess we kind of just found him in our room one day, and he hasn’t left. Welllllll – he leaves when the light is turned on or if we make a loud noise. But lately at night, just when I turn the light on, I can catch him in his tracks and we both sort of stare at each other and I grab the camera, and try to take a few shots before he runs away.

I have mixed feelings on whether or not I like him. I sort of do. I mean, look at him….he’s kind of interesting and cute. His fingers are interesting – sort of something you’d expect on a tropical reptile of sorts….and I guess he’s pretty quiet and probably the only harm he’s doing is eating other bugs; which at least isn’t harmful to me. So I do suppose he’s a good pet to have.

But then at the same time, I don’t really much want him crawling on me when I sleep. Not that it would crawl on me while I slept, as I’m sure it’s MUCH more scared of us than I would ever be of it, plus I have a mosquito net (note, a mosquito net, not a reptile net) – but still – sometimes you just think about things like that when you see something like that hanging out in your bedroom.

Will likes him. He’s named him, ‘Home-slice’ but I think we can think of a better name.

Nonetheless, at least I now finally know what creature is leaving the larger sized droppings on the floor every once-in-a-while in the mornings. In some way, I do feel comfort in knowing that it is this creature that is leaving the droppings – rather than some HUGE rat. I guess,….at least I know that I like this thing better than a rat. I don’t know why. Maybe because it’s cuter than a rat? Mice can be kind of cute. But I definitely would freak out at a huge rat. Yes. Most definitely would. I hear of some stories from volunteers down south having hand to hand combat with rats. I’ve seen two enormous rats in Siem Reap. One was dead – in the middle of a gravel road; I’m talking large kitten sized. And one was scurrying along the Siem Reap river edge at water festival. That one was enough to arouse the many onlookers sitting on the grass watching the races.

This thing did get a little yelp/mini-scream out of me when I saw it for the first time, but then I settled down after I had a moment to examine it. Sigh.

Anyways…. least it’s not a rat.