Columbus Monthly / August 2012 / Erin and Francesca

 Email  Print  Feed

Erin and Francesca

How did you find Francesca? I was looking for a pet that would be easy to maintain on my own, basically one that doesn’t need to be let out to use the restroom since I had a long commute to work. So I had done some research and found that the eyelash crested gecko might be an appropriate choice. Then I was lucky to come across one at a Petsmart and my adventure began.

What made you decide to get a gecko? Growing up, my family had dogs, which I adore, but we also welcomed a few creatures from our camping trips into our home, such as lizards, a turtle and even a tarantula, Frankie, who lived for 16 years. People tend to ask, but no, I never held the tarantula.

Would you say Francesca has a personality? Absolutely! For starters, she needed to have a ladylike name to compliment her large eyelashes. She’s surprisingly attentive, probably because she can’t blink, and actually responds to hearing her name. She’s generally happy to have attention and doesn’t seem to mind being handled, which is a huge plus, especially when my 5-year-old nephew wants to see her everyday. Nothing brightens her day more than when I put a few crickets in her cage to hunt.

Does she stay mostly in a cage or is she allowed to wander around your home? She definitely lives in her cage. She’s capable of climbing walls pretty well, and I can only imagine where she might end up if she had free reign.

What do you like about having an unusual pet? It’s fun being different. It’s definitely a conversation starter, and she has turned out to be quite awesome.