The Difference Between a Hermit and a Ghost

Kedar and I have always had a difficult time sharing our home with animals. Both of us grew up with pets and consider ourselves "animal people" but having our own home makes things different. While growing up, having animals in my parents' house didn't seem like a big deal, but having our carpets peed on, and our furniture chewed, or even our grass pooped on doesn't seem very appealing. I realize now what a pain pets must have been for my parents.  Kedar and I have been very reluctant to invite four-legged friends into our home.

You can imagine how our kids have felt about this arrangement; not very good.  A few years ago, Conner really wanted a pet. I mean, he reallyreallyreallyreallyreally wanted a pet. After a lot of thought we came up with the perfect pet for our family.  We thought we were being quite generous when we gave him a Hermit Crab for his birthday. Then, we gave Ethan a Hermit Crab for Christmas that same year and we were feeling really good about ourselves; the kids had pets and our home was remaining intact.

For the most part, the Hermit Crabs were working out quite nicely but it didn't take long to realize that they are not the most exciting pets. In fact, quiet shortly I became convinced that they are indeed the most boring pets out there. Turns out they are called Hermit Crabs for a reason. Just as their name implies, they rarely venture out. Most of the time they could easily be mistaken for any other shell just sitting there, not moving, not showing any sign that there is a living creature inside.

They do move around a little but only at night when the kids are fast asleep and unaware. We can go for weeks without seeing them move at all, so every so often Kedar will pick them up and turn them over to make sure that they are still alive.

A pet that you have to turn over to make sure is alive = A very boring pet

In fact, Aubrey had a crab that died several months ago- she is still convinced that it's alive (there is an empty shell in the cage that looks similar to the one her crab lived in).  The boys have tried telling her that her crab is dead but she staunchly refuses to believe them.

Apparently, an empty shell as a pet is just as fun as a Hermit Crab.

Recently, Ethan has become dissatisfied with our current pet situation (and who can blame him?).   He's been on a mission to convince Kedar and I that a dog would make our family complete.

But about a week ago I got a phone call from my parents that seemed to provide a great solution.  My parents asked if it would be okay if they gave the kids a lizard for Christmas.  I thought that this could be the answer to our pet predicament.  My parents were offering a pet that is way more exciting than a Hermit Crab but still not a dog!

In my mind, I saw an inch long, lime green lizard in a five gallon tank.  "Awww, cute!" I said to myself.    When I actually saw the lizard for the first time I was surprised to see a thirty gallon tank with a five inch long Ghost Leopard Gecko inside.   Now I was thinking, "Wait...is this what I agreed to?"

Of course the kids were ecstatic, and to be honest the more that I watched her (yes, we have a girl) the more intrigued I became, in fact, now I think she's kinda pretty. 

We've had Jasmine (you can call her Jazz if you want) at home for a few days now and we have been able to enjoy all sorts of pet related fun with her.  Here are a few things we have already done that we could never do with the Hermit Crabs:

1- Watch her breathe (a sure sign that she is alive, no need to pick her up and turn her over).

2- Watch her blink (after 3 years of owning hermit crabs I'm not sure that I could acurately locate their eyes). 

3- Watch her walk, eat and drink (all within a short amount of time).

4- Hold her (the kids are thrilled that I will let them hold her, I am thrilled that I don't have to worry about crab claws).

So, we are now the proud owners of 2) Hermit Crabs and 1) Ghost Leopard Gecko.  Who knows, maybe in ten years or so we will have worked ourselves up to owning a dog.