Pets have a special place in our world and in the hearts of pet owners. To take on the responsibility of another life reveals a deep bond similar to that of parent and child. For example, dogs, the “man’s best friend,” or cats, which some may think choose us instead, are very popular modern pets.
However, around 40 different animals are domesticated worldwide, expanding across 8,000 breeds within those species, according to an article to “The Domestication Makeup: Evolution, Survival, and Challenges” on Frontiersin.org. Arguably, one of the most popular species of domesticated household animals is reptiles, most commonly chameleons, bearded dragons, iguanas, or, in senior Serena Lam’s case, a crested gecko.
Crested geckos are a pretty low-maintenance pet, Lam said. But as for all pets, you do need to have done research about Crested geckos and how to take care of them, she added.
“I have a crested gecko, and I think I’ve had him for around 4 years,” Lam said. “It was from Ms Necoshea (4th grade teacher).” “I had reached out to her during COVID in eighth grade, and so it was one of the babies (she had in our classroom during 4th grade),” she added.
People react in different ways to geckos; some people are actually scared of geckos, but some are fine with them, Lam said. It’s more of like a 50/50 when it comes to that, she added.
“They’re nocturnal, so I only see him during the night,” Lam said. “I usually just take him out and get him to exercise a little bit, then I spray him with water every time, too.”
He doesn’t get yearly checkups, Lam said. But if I figured he were sick or something, then I’d probably take him just for special emergencies, she added.
“I remember the first time I took him to the vet, and I thought Panpan (her gecko) was a girl, and the vet looked at him, and they were very confused because it was a guy, so instead of a fat female, I just got a regular male,” Lam said. Geckos cannot have any citrus fruits, and mealworms are too fattening for him, Lam said. He’s already small in size; he does eat basically anything in front of him, like crickets, apples, mangoes, bananas, and gecko food.
“I would recommend a crested gecko as a pet to others,” Lam said. “It’s pretty good for a beginner gecko, but there’s a lot of research you need to do still,” she added.