Loading ...
To be honest, I never could have imagined writing an article with this title. I am not a fan of creatures that slither, have scales, and are cold-blooded. In a moment of total confession, I will share that at pet stores I won’t go near the snake tanks. I even will use my husband or 13 year old son as a barrier between me and the tank. (Please note that my 13 year old son has 3 inches and several pounds on me, so he can handle the responsibility.)
Regardless to my fear and dislike, a few years ago I agreed to “adopting” a reptile as a pet. However, there were several conditions to this agreement:
1. The reptile needed to be a lizard.
2. The lizard needed to eat crickets, not mice.
3. The length of the lizard, when fully grown, was to be no more than the distance between the tip of my middle finger and the base of my hand.
With these conditions agreed upon, we began the search for the appropriate lizard. A leopard gecko was chosen and named Harry. I was quite hesitant around him at first, offering neither to hold nor touch him. With time I realized that this small creature was calm and nonaggressive, and so I agreed to hold him on occasion.
Unfortunately, dear Harry passed onto the big lizard tank in the sky, and we took some time off from lizard-ownership. After a few months, a new pet lizard was requested, and a new search was begun. This time a New Caledonian Crested Gecko was chosen. Brought home and named Gonzo, he needed a slightly different environment and had a different personality. He preferred to move and jump quickly, so again I waited before becoming a handler. Again, his temperament won me over, and I have taken to holding and talking to Gonzo.
I have to admit, out of all of the pets I have owned, Gonzo has been the easiest to take care of. He needs water, crickets, and a heat lamp. If we go away for the weekend, he is all set. While he enjoys a few minutes of handling in the evening, he doesn’t complain if he is alone for a few days. He amuses us with his enjoyment of tiny bites of fresh banana and his ability to climb the walls of his tank. Although I do not want a pet lizard of my own, having him be a part of our house has been just fine.
