Nearly every kid wants a dog for Christmas.

Not me.

After hearing about my uncles gecko when I was just 6 years old, all I ever wanted was a leopard gecko.

I was finally gifted my new pet, Davey, this past Christmas. The first day I bought him, he was staring at the lamp in his habitat. He wasn’t the brightest of lizards but he was the only one available, so I obtained him from PetSmart or Petco. I honestly don’t remember but they are the same thing, right?

As soon as I went home from the store, I ran upstairs to put Davey in his new habitat. He licked his lips and kind of smiled at me so I fed him his favorite food: mealworms. Now every time I go to feed him, he licks his lips in anticipation.

Geckos are amazing. You can feed them directly, watch them grow and they even shed skin. I could pick him up out of his tank sometimes and let him roam around for a bit before he gets cold, because he needs to stay warm at all times.

Even though I have only had Davey for two months, I have enjoyed every step that it takes to take care of him. People don’t typically like lizards because they are not a “traditional house pet,” but that shouldn’t drive people away from them; lizards are extremely playful and can smile at people.

The first time I tried picking Davey up, I was nervous. I heard all the stories about leopard geckos losing their tails when they are scared. I was also hesitant because they can bite and the worker described the bite like “skimming your hand on a brick wall.” So when I tried to pick him up, I put a sock over my hand which made him not want to go near me. When I took off the sock to feed him, he actually bit me.

It kind of hurt but it wasn’t as bad as people made it out to be. He is still a friendly lizard. He doesn’t bite that much, he lets you touch him and likes to climb on his caves.

At first glance, owning a lizard sounds easy but it can be a struggle. On top of feeding him and making sure he has a full bowl of water, I have to maintain a warm and cold corner in the habitat and assist him in removing his dead skin every few months. Even though there are struggles, he has been the best struggle in my life.