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We bought him a leopard gecko for his 9th birthday. He named it Morris. I got laid off from the newspaper where I was a reporter at the end of that summer, and we had to move to Alaska for my new job. I had to pay $100 for a plane ticket for that silly gecko. #Thread
We didn’t think Morris would last a year, but our son was a better caretaker than we gave him credit for. Morris grew big with a fat tail and a curious, if not friendly demeanor.
After two years, I took a job with Chicago Public Radio, and we prepared for the 9-day drive from Anchorage to our new home. I had to get a vet to certify Morris to cross Canada. That’s where we learned Morris was actually a lady. Our son renamed her MoMo.
More than anything, MoMo provided a bit of comfort to our son, who was struggling with missing old friends and finding new ones. She was his constant companion. She traveled thousands of miles by car and plane and lived with us in a dozen houses in four states.
Yesterday, our son noticed that she was pale and behaving oddly, unable to lift herself up. This morning, he took her to the emergency veterinarian. He waited all day for news, only to learn she was in a coma and would not wake up.
We had MoMo for 13 years. She wasn’t a dog, but she provided, in her own reptilian way, the same good things that a dog would for a family that can’t have dogs. I’ll be forever grateful for this silly little lizard, as I used to call her before I knew better.
Rest In Peace MoMo
Rest In Peace MoMo
A small update: My son had an autopsy done. She died of several complications. She was trying to produce eggs, which lowered her immunity. She had a fatty liver, and the combination of low immunity and a liver infection caused her to go downhill fast.
I found several things interesting. The vet said she’d lived to a human equivalent of about 70. Low biodiversity in her food was probably a big part of her unhealthy immune system. Though the vet said she was as well-taken care of as they can be without expensive alternafoods.
That she was trying to produce eggs, a normal biological function, kind of brought it all home for us at dinner tonight when our son told us. That’s when the tears started to fall. Pets are wonderful. But it’s not a better life than what they can have as wild animals.
