When Ellie Norton, freshman, discovered two eggs in her crested geckos’ Max and Mush’s enclosure, she was shocked to see them. She originally thought she only had male geckos.
“I was surprised when I found out that I had a girl,” Norton said. “I found eggs. I’m super happy now because I can see the way the different genders act.”
Norton remembers the moment when she connected with her third crested gecko, Mush.
“When we went to get a new one, and the first time I saw the female, I was like ‘I want to see that one.’” Norton said. “She immediately jumped on me, and that’s how I knew she was the one.”
Norton said taking care of the eggs isn’t hard, but she has to know how to keep them healthy enough to hatch.
“The eggs usually take two to four months to hatch,” Norton said. “You put them in rocks that can be wetted and helped with moisture, but you have to keep them in heat if you want the process faster for them to hatch.”
Like 97% of pet owners in the world who believe their animals to be family, according to Pew Research, the Norton family considers their animals to be vital members of their household.
The family has 12 animals:
- Two dogs, Bailey (9 years old) and Louie (5 years old).
- Two leopard geckos, Ziggy (1 year old) and Clementine (2 years old).
- A bearded dragon, George (9 years old).
- A day gecko, Ivy (3 years old).
- Two crested geckos, Max (1 year old) and Mush (11 months old).
- A chameleon, Rex, (5 years old).
- Two betta fish, Chuck and Kota.
- An axolotl, Frankie (9 months old).
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Bailey, a terrier and beagle mix, is held by Lainee Norton, senior. Bailey is a high energy, excitable, loyal and loving dog. Bailey loves having space throughout the house to run around. He is 9 years old.
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Louie looks back from his view of the backyard of his home. Louie is the second dog within the Norton household, only 5 years old. Louie is a mutt, dogs with a mixture of several different breeds making up their code. Louie is kind, social, and energetic.
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Ziggy, one of the two leopard geckos, is more frantic and nervous than Clementine. He communicates with chirping sounds and is easy to spot with his irregular black spots according to San Diego Zoo and Wildlife Alliance. Ziggy is 1 year old.
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Clementine, one of the two leopard geckos in the Norton household, sits inside of her cage and awaits her food. Clementine is calm. She is 2 years old.
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George is a docile and curious bearded dragon, crawling around his cage to discover more. He loves being able to leave his enclosure. Bearded dragons are cold blooded and endothermic, relying on external factors to heat according to the Texas Veterinary Medical Foundation. He is 9 years old.
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Ivy is a day gecko, a bright green reptile known for their vibrant camouflage abilities, according to the National Zoo. Ivy can move very quickly, so the family has to make sure to close her enclosure before moving on to feed the next animal. Ivy is 3 years old.
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Lainee Norton, senior, holds Max, a crested gecko. Max is the only male crusted gecko in the house, and is currently expecting two eggs with Mush, the female crested gecko. He is 1 year old.
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Lainee Norton, senior, holds Mush, the other crusted gecko. Mush is more fearful than her male counterpart, and opens her mouth, meaning she’s stressed according to Ellie Norton, freshman.
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Rex, a chameleon, is 5 years old. Rex has eyes that can move in two directions at once and a tongue that can snap out at 13 miles per hour, according to National Geographic Kids.
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Chuck, a betta fish, is Ellie Norton’s one fish that she keeps in her room. He’s calm, and moves suddenly when he swims in his tank. Betta fish are often territorial, according to the American Kennel Club.
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Kota, the other betta fish in the Norton household, has his aquarium on a table in the kitchen. Kota is slow, and usually comes to the front of his tank. Kota is one of the 70 different betta fish species, according to World Animal Protection US.
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Frankie, an axolotl, is one of the few amphibians in the household. He sits in a temporary tank in the kitchen so the family can interact with him. Frankie lives only in water, and likes cooler temperatures where he lives, according to Lainee Norton, senior. He is 9 months old.
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Norton said the animals have not only helped her bond with her family, but they’ve also assisted her personally.
“I’ve had a lot of instances where I’m really stressed or I’m not doing the best mentally, and I’ll just get my crests or geckos or hang out with the dogs,” Norton said. “They’re like a distraction to get my mind off stuff.”
David Norton, Ellie’s father, grew up with exotic animals as family pets, and said he knew his friends had pets like dogs and cats instead.
“I always felt unique because I always had lizards,” David said.
David said as an adult, he wanted to show his daughters that animals were interesting. So, he allowed “weird animals” into their home.
David said he was especially excited when his family realized that Max and Mush were having babies.
“I always wanted to have a breeding pair,” David Norton said. “And now my girls get to have it.”
Lainee Norton, senior, said her animals have helped her become more mature.
“I think it teaches responsibility and I just think it’s really fun,” Lainee Norton said. “It’s definitely important to be able to grow that empathic part of your brain.”
Childhood caregiving, especially to animals, does foster several beneficial factors to a person’s mind, such as friendship behavior, responsibility and compassion according to the National Institute of Health.
Growing up, Lainee said she was inspired to take care of animals by her dad, who is encouraging her to pursue wildlife biology at UC Santa Barbara.
“Whenever I was at my grandma’s house, he and I would always go on walks and catch lizards and skins and turtles,” Lainee said. “They always told me stories of holding a scorpion, and so I’ve really had a passion and love for animals my entire life.”
Not only did the family rescue most of their animals, but the Norton family can’t turn their heads from other creatures in need.
“We bring it home because that’s just who we are. If we can’t afford it or we don’t have the space for it, then we’ll just take care of it,” Lainee said. “We try to do what we can.”