We Have a Gecko!
Bullett and Eowyn steal the spotlight a lot...I mean, they are furry and adorable. It is probably rude to have not introduced you to our leopard gecko, Owyn! We could use the excuse that she is nocturnal, and that the cat’s name is one letter different from hers. We can do better than that, though. After all, she’s been around the longest.
Owyn is going to be eleven years old next year. I’ve had her since she was a baby, and she was an impulse buy with my best friend that often lived as a contraband gecko in student housing. We assumed that this little lizard was a “he” and named our little baby Owen..when in fact most lizards in pet stores are female. We couldn’t tell her gender for six months, and low and behold our little guy was actually a little girl. In order to prevent gender identity crisis, we feminized the spelling to “Owyn.”
There are a few things you should know about Owyn:
She is a terrible hunter. We’ve seen her eat dirt when trying to catch a cricket as well as fall asleep on a live cricket. Pretty sure she is lazy and assumes her food should just walk into her mouth.
She eats her skin once a month when she sheds. (So gross!)
She is easy to handle and keeps her mellow when out of her cage.
She’s only pooped on someone’s head once.
She doesn’t do very much, but she sure is cute.
Leopard geckos are great, low-maintenance pets (they’ll even poop in just one corner)--especially for someone who is a beginner keeper of reptiles. They are the only type of gecko without toe-pads and actually have eyelids. They are native to the highlands of Asia, Afghanistan, and parts of India. We could get into how to take care of her, but I’ll save that for another blog.
If you are considering a leopard gecko, please do your research. I read this book when I first got her and it taught me a lot about leopard geckos and how to care for them--even though they are an easy pet to have around.
Sincerely,
The Girl in the Unicorn pajamas