Spotlight on Vanya

Hello everyone,

My name is Ljudmila, and I'm an ICU nurse. My days are spent caring for people, a job I'm deeply passionate about. But my passion for care doesn't stop there. I've always had a deep love for animals, and they seem to sense it too. My home is a lively place, filled with the happy energy of one dog, three cats, and two lizards.

Among them all, there's Vanya, my leopard gecko. Today, I want to share Vanya's story because I often get questions about caring for exotic pets, and he's such a special part of our family.

Vanya is six years old and about 20 cm long, and his natural home is the desert. We named him Vanya because of the box he came in. It had a bit of a faded name that looked like "IVAN." It just fit him.

He's such a calm, quiet creature. Vanya enjoys his meals of insects and worms, and he loves to sleep. He also has this funny habit of riding on my hand and just looking around, and if he can, he’ll climb under someone's hair to get warm. He's definitely a solo guy, though. Vanya prefers to be the only male and doesn't like competition.

Our first meeting with Vanya was a bit sad. He was half-dead in a pet store. My child really wanted to bring him home and learn how to care for him. They were already learning about animals at the zoo, so it felt right. But for Vanya, it was a big change. He was scared, hid a lot, and looked lost in his new environment.

Now, he’s so different. He smiles, or at least I think he does, and he yawns and waits for us to interact with him. He enjoys walking around the apartment, exploring. My happiest memories are when he finally survived that rough start and when he started hunting on his own. We didn’t have to hand-feed him anymore.

Every day with Vanya is peaceful. I wake up, and he's often still awake, watching my morning routine. He sleeps during the day, and then in the evening, he comes out to hunt in his terrarium. It’s fascinating to watch him. He wiggles his tail just like a cat when he's hunting. Vanya loves his warm mat and his humid chamber, which we call his "sauna." and when he's excited, his colors become so much more vibrant.

Caring for Vanya has taught me so much about exotic animals. It was all new to me and it’s always funny when he's shedding. Sometimes, he's left with old skin on his head that looks like a little scarf.

If you're considering a pet for your child, I really recommend a lizard. They're easier to take care of, live longer, don’t smell, are quiet, and they don’t run off like other pets might. Vanya has been such a wonderful addition to our animal family here.

Epilogue

Vanya is a six-year-old leopard gecko, about 20 cm long.

Ljudmila is a dedicated healthcare professional who extends her caring nature to people and animals and has a genuine curiosity about the animal world.

Editor’s note: Vanya’s story came to life through a questionnaire completed by his loving human parent, Ljudmila. The story was collected in the Russian language and translated into English

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Credits

Gratitude to 

• Ljudmila for submitting Vanya’s story.

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Dayo, Editor - Paws of Tallinn

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