He’s a leopard gecko and Silas’ first pet.

Ever since Spring Break, Silas has been learning all about leopard geckos and telling us all the facts about their care. When we had first arrived in Bend for Spring Break, we were early for our check-in time at the rental house, so I suggested we pop in to PetSmart and let the kids look at all the animals. That’s where Silas decided he’d like a leopard gecko.

He earned his money by weeding the garden and washing and vacuuming our cars. So, Stephen and the kids piled in the van for a trip to the pet store a couple of weeks ago and came home with Marvin and all his accoutrements–including live crickets, which Cooper was happy to hold.

It was a family project to set up the terrarium and get Marvin situated in his new home. Silas has been very responsible with his care. There’s more to gecko care than I had thought! We’ve learned that geckos are crepuscular (new word for us!), which means he’s most active at dawn and dusk.

Silas feeds the crickets and dusts them with calcium and reptile vitamins before putting them in Marvin’s habitat. He changes the water every day and mists Marvin every other. We keep him in Stephen’s office–the warmest room in the house–and I think Marvin likes his new home.