WhereToBegin
New member
What do you guys do? I know it's a difficult topic, but I recently lost my eldest leopard gecko and I'm trying to decide what to do.
My plan was to have my next gecko's skeleton removed and reassembled. I'm studying biology(aka surrounded by skeletons and taxidermy) and personally find skeletal taxidermy beautiful. Leopard geckos are adorable and I love their skulls, so this seemed like the best way to show my love for them and keep their memory after they had passed.
However my gecko didn't pass from old age/illness, he escaped his enclosure and fell into a hole in my attic(old house). I looked everywhere but didn't find him until the first fall cold snap had passed and he died just in view if you crouched and shined a flashlight at the right angle... I only found him because I finally got so frustrated I cleared out the whole attic and he was just there(I had been checking the hole since day one, but had a lot of anxiety that my flashlight would spook him and he would fall into a wall). I'm devastated, Banunu was my first gecko and I'd say he was my heart animal. I felt a special, albeit one sided, connection to him. So the fact that he was only 8 this year and the feeling that maybe there was more I could have done("Why didn't I clean the whole attic out?" "Why didn't I put heaters in every hole in this busted up building?" "Why didn't I notice that he could push the tape up and squeeze out?") is making it harder to decide what to do.
My thought is that seeing his skeleton every day might be too hard for me. The idea of picking him apart makes me feel gross and depressed. I've heard of people planting fish, and I know fish make an amazing fertilizer so it makes sense and is an amazing way of resting a beloved pet. Does anyone know if this could work for a gecko? A burial in the yard is not possible, I want to keep him with me and this house is temporary, so I'd like to plant him in a pot that I can bring with me when I leave. I know it would have to be a larger plant, and I've always wanted a Monstera deliciosa, so maybe the best way to honor him would be to lay him to rest under one of my favorite plants? But I don't know how this would work for a lizard, and I don't want to mess this up. It's too important to me and after planting him I don't know how easy he would be to move.
Another option is maybe cremation. But it's expensive, he's so small, and who knows if I'd get any of him in the ashes?
I tried to do a little research before coming here, but a lot of people dispose of their geckos in the trash or generally bury them in the ground, so that's what I've been finding for answers.
Also I'm not sure if this is the right topic to post under. It seems to be the most applicable, since this isn't leo specific? If it needs to be moved then I can do that.
My plan was to have my next gecko's skeleton removed and reassembled. I'm studying biology(aka surrounded by skeletons and taxidermy) and personally find skeletal taxidermy beautiful. Leopard geckos are adorable and I love their skulls, so this seemed like the best way to show my love for them and keep their memory after they had passed.
However my gecko didn't pass from old age/illness, he escaped his enclosure and fell into a hole in my attic(old house). I looked everywhere but didn't find him until the first fall cold snap had passed and he died just in view if you crouched and shined a flashlight at the right angle... I only found him because I finally got so frustrated I cleared out the whole attic and he was just there(I had been checking the hole since day one, but had a lot of anxiety that my flashlight would spook him and he would fall into a wall). I'm devastated, Banunu was my first gecko and I'd say he was my heart animal. I felt a special, albeit one sided, connection to him. So the fact that he was only 8 this year and the feeling that maybe there was more I could have done("Why didn't I clean the whole attic out?" "Why didn't I put heaters in every hole in this busted up building?" "Why didn't I notice that he could push the tape up and squeeze out?") is making it harder to decide what to do.
My thought is that seeing his skeleton every day might be too hard for me. The idea of picking him apart makes me feel gross and depressed. I've heard of people planting fish, and I know fish make an amazing fertilizer so it makes sense and is an amazing way of resting a beloved pet. Does anyone know if this could work for a gecko? A burial in the yard is not possible, I want to keep him with me and this house is temporary, so I'd like to plant him in a pot that I can bring with me when I leave. I know it would have to be a larger plant, and I've always wanted a Monstera deliciosa, so maybe the best way to honor him would be to lay him to rest under one of my favorite plants? But I don't know how this would work for a lizard, and I don't want to mess this up. It's too important to me and after planting him I don't know how easy he would be to move.
Another option is maybe cremation. But it's expensive, he's so small, and who knows if I'd get any of him in the ashes?
I tried to do a little research before coming here, but a lot of people dispose of their geckos in the trash or generally bury them in the ground, so that's what I've been finding for answers.
Also I'm not sure if this is the right topic to post under. It seems to be the most applicable, since this isn't leo specific? If it needs to be moved then I can do that.
