1. http://www.parenthood.com/articles.html?article_id=9920&printable=true
Right from the Gecko
By Carol Band
Buying presents for preteens is tough. For my son's 12th
birthday, he said he wanted a dirt bike, a cell phone, an
Xbox 360 or a gecko.
Hmmm … Let me think. The dirt bike was totally out of
the question. An XBox 360 costs $400 and would be
another screen for me to monitor. A cell phone has
monthly charges and text messaging fees and I'm sure
Lewis would lose it within a week. Then there's the
gecko, which he says would be educational, and only
costs $6.99. Frankly, it was a no-brainer.
We got Lewis the XBox. No seriously, we bought a
gecko. But, now I am thinking that the XBox might have
been a better choice. Turns out, there are hidden costs
with a $7 pet.
We already owned a 10-gallon aquarium, which had
formerly housed a hermit crab (see my October 2004 column, "The Living Dead"). So, I scrubbed it clean
and we went to the pet superstore to pick out a gecko. Turns out, a baby leopard gecko needs more than
just a clean tank.
According to the teenage reptile expert at the store, geckos are desert creatures and for their health and
well-being, you must recreate the climate of sub-Saharan Africa in their habitat. That means that in
addition to the gecko, the tank would also contain a heating pad to maintain an 85-degree temperature
($29.99), a ceramic basking lamp with realistic moon light simulator ($24.99) and a $16 light bulb that
gets hot enough to make toast. The gecko also required a synthetic rock to climb ($12.99) and a piece of
sterilized bark ($4.99) to rub against when it sheds its skin (had I known about the skin shedding, I might
have gone with the cell phone). Lewis also insisted on two plastic plants ($5) for added feng shui.
"What about food?" I asked the lizard wizard.
"They eat crickets," he said.
"Live crickets?"
"Yep."
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2. http://www.parenthood.com/articles.html?article_id=9920&printable=true
"Ewwww," I thought.
"Cool," said Lewis.
Conveniently, the pet store sells crickets. It's kind of like buying pets for your pet. The store puts the
crickets in plastic bags. But the gecko guy said that ours couldn't live in the bag for more than a few
hours. They would suffocate or chew through and escape. My priority was that our crickets remained
captive. So I purchased a Cricket Corral ($7.99), where they would be under maximum security but could
still live, fall in love and possibly reproduce before being consumed by the gecko. I bought a container of
cricket food ($3.99) and a little sponge ($1.25) so they could have a little drink with their last meals.
I also bought vitamin powder that the sales clerk said we should sprinkle on the crickets before they are
introduced to the gecko.
"It's simple," he said. "Just put the crickets in a baggie, add a teaspoon of powder and toss gently."
"Just like Shake 'n' Bake," I thought.
According to the gecko guy, our little lizard would consume five to 10 crickets every day.
"Until it matures," he said. "Then you can also feed it pinkies."
I stared blankly.
"Newborn mice," he explained.
"Ewww," I thought.
"Cool," said Lewis.
"Let's stick with crickets for now," I said, as the sales clerk handed Lewis a bag of 50 skittling crickets
that cost 22 cents each.
Then I did the math. Eight crickets times 22 cents. That's $1.76 every day. That's $12.32 a week, $640.64
a year! I didn't tell my son, but that is way more than an XBox 360.
"Ah … how long do these geckos usually live?" I asked, trying to sound casual.
"With proper care, about 20 years," said the gecko guy with a sadistic little smile.
Turns out, Lewis was right. Owning a gecko is educational. I've already learned that a $6.99 gecko may
sound like a good deal, but it's way more than I bargained for.
Carol Band knows that pet ownership, like motherhood, is not for the squeamish. Write to her at
band_carol@hotmail.com. To read more of her Household Word columns, visit the Household Word
Archives
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