Comments

• Just yesterday a Southern Leaf-tailed gecko managed to fall or crawl into my stainless steel laundry tub. Whilst they are superb climbers it appears that this one could not get sufficient grip on the surface of the tub in order to escape from from confinement (it has happened before with huntsman spiders and the ubiquitous skink).
  As I would with a skink or a blue-tongue I thought I'd pick up the poor thing and put him back into the garden. That's not to say I don't catch and release the huntsmen, it's just that I don't pick them up.
  What a huge amount of noise from such a small package! (at a guess it would have been 5 to 6 inches (125 - 150mm) in length). I must admit that I know little about the gecko but that exhibition of defensive behavior combined with a little dance which indicated aggressiveness put me on guard.
  After putting back the little brush and pan that I had used to relocate it it took me at least forty seconds to see it again. It seems that it is the wont of this species to sit perfectly still when disturbed and, even though I knew exactly where it was, I found it hard to believe that it took me so long to locate it.
  I don't see many gecko around my house - perhaps due to their ability to blend so well into their background - but if such another episode should happen I wonder if I am likely to receive a nasty nip should I use my ungloved hand to put it back where it belongs.