So, there we were, Laura and I just minding our own business in PetSmart because you know, we do that; we mind our own business. There we were thinking we needed to buy a few crickets for her Leopard geckos, when out of the blue, completely unrehearsed, and without any real plan whatsoever (except we generally ask when we go into the store) Laura asked the store associate if the store had any geckos for adoption. You see, the adopted pets are free; not the cats, and yeah, not the dogs, if they have them there through an organization, but if you find an adoptable lizard, snake, bird, or rodent at the store, you can actually take them home with you for free!
We do that from time to time because we enjoy rehabbing and rehoming. We never charge anyone for the animal, just for the tank and supplies if we sell that with the animal. This time, however, I'm keeping the little Fancy Leopard gecko that I've chosen to call "Ferguson" until I find out if he is a he or she is a she. Then, it will still be named Ferguson, but I'll call it "Fergy" or "Fergus" probably. For simple and probably biased reasoning, I am referring to the little reptile as a she currently. I have every intention of making my apologies to him/her if I need to later.
You do feed live crickets and mealworms to geckos, but it's not the same feeding those live creatures as it is (for me) when you have to feed live rodents to snakes. In the past, I've rescued snakes, but I didn't like having to feed live. I had one and only one that ate frozen pinkies, but even those are sad because they're all fuzzish or about to become so, and they're dead in your refrigerator; not a good look when friends and family go snooping...it does raise the eyebrows.
Ferguson is what is called a Fancy Leopard, and I really haven't seen much of a difference in the various types. My daughter Laura knows a great deal more than myself. I have had them, and I have loved them. I have also had bearded dragons and love the stuffings out of them as well. To be honest, I'm sort of waiting for one of them to become available through adoption. I need to set it up first, so I'm ready when they get one. I wasn't ready this time, but Laura had a spare tank.
What I think I'll do is get a couple of smaller tanks on Craigslist or Marketplace. I'll clean them really well, make sure they have lids and such, and then I'll start collecting hides, plants, bowls, and a lamp or two. That way when a dragon comes along, or another sweet Leopard gecko, I can do that...you know me, or maybe you don't, but if you did, you'd know I love to rescue. I don't like to spend a lot of money doing it, but I do love to rescue and care for animals that others have either thrown out or given away.
In the past, I was all about rehabbing and rehoming. I thought I was going to keep my last dragon but she was very shy and didn't want to interact whatsoever after having her for six months. She was abused I suppose. She was gifted to a classroom where she can have plenty of things to at least look at and watch. I'm told she comes out of her hide and watches the kids. She doesn't like them getting too close, but she's intrigued, so that's good. I hate that people abuse anyone or anything, but they do.
I don't know PetCo's policy, they may or may not have adoptable animals for free, but check out your local PetSmart if you're into reptiles, spiders, and such. This will give you the chance to be kind to a life, and if you decide to keep it, it will give you the joy of being a friend to someone who could use a good face to stare at now and again. We play with our animals. We take them out, hold them, love them, talk to them, and even let them watch TV with us. (We don't do that with the cats or dogs in the same room...just need to clarify that for anyone who may know I have furry things too.)
So, Ferguson is about 3 inches long because she's lost her tail. She's about 2 months old, so I'll give her September 1 as her birthday, and she's sort of Ball Python looking, to be honest. I think the term is: Tug or Tug Snow if she is apt to remain light with darker spotting. She's pretty. I like her. She's really fast too, by the way. Laura transferred her from the little box thing to the cage and lost her! Zip! Bam! Gone!! That was fun, and yeah, a little scary too. For now, she seems content, and I'll keep you posted.
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