Originally posted on Feb 21, 2024 on our Patreon.
Around September of last year, I was hunting for a new pet. A few months into my two-year lease contract, my apartment felt… Empty. My ideal companion would be low-maintance but capable of interaction. I loved the idea of bringing home a pet reptile, especially a ball python. Facebook Marketplace and Groups were the best place to look, even over Craigslist. I joined rehoming pages, messaged sellers, and explored the search features.
One query that I tried was “ball python giveaway” and “reptile giveaway” into the top bar. Only a few were active, but I entered all of them, regardless of what they were offering–red tail boas, a spider ball python, and even a lilly white crested gecko. In hindsight, it was irresponsible. But I could’ve never imagined that I’d actually win any. And for a few weeks, I completely forgot about it, returning to my classes and daily life.
Until I received a Facebook message notification telling me that I’d won. At first I was a bit skeptical, truthfully. I double-checked the page and the breeder’s instagram. There, a raffle wheel spun and landed upon my account. I showed my online friends to see if they thought it was legit. After texting back and forth with the breeder, I became more confident that it was real.
I started purchasing supplies through in-person stores and specialty online retailers. I wanted to make a bioactive enclosure, so I needed a proper front-opening tank, several substrate types, springtails, moss, building foam, and twisted branches. At one point, I sat with my big pile of items and felt the cost sink in. I’d bought about $300 worth of supplies for a pet I hadn’t seen yet, and technically could still be a scam.
The shipment date was delayed twice. The first time, it was too cold to risk shipping the gecko. The other, the breeder became busy with real-life matters. But then we decided on a USPS facility for pick-up, and a tracking number appeared. I felt anxious for the whole day that they were shipping, afraid that my new companion might become injured or loose their tail.
But when I arrived at the post office, a heavily insulated box waiting for my signature. It had “live animals” stickers on one side and the taxonomic species name on the top: Correlophus ciliatus. When I got home, there was the careful event of unwrapping. The gecko was packed underneath many sets of foam, smaller boxes, and tape, before they appeared in a round container. I felt relief wash over me when the gecko looked up at me, alive and tail intact. A tiny baby.
I couldn’t have been more happy to welcome this pet into my home for free. This gecko’s bioactive tank sits on my computer desk now. They like to sit in the nearest corner to watch my screen and to hunt my fingers. Although their main diet is fruit paste, I also keep a compost bin of mealworms handy. This has been the perfect pet for my home, happy to sleep in all day or to be taken out every so often.