This is very controversial but I'm glad I did it...

[Lula2002]

So,
8 years ago on my 9th birthday I opened my present from my parents to find a leopard gecko. I named her Tiger Lily. I loved her and I used to spend time every day bonding with her. For the first few years of owning her, I had a lot of time for her, but as I grew older, I'll admit, my interests changed. I was still attentive: feeding, watering and cleaning her, but I got her out less and less as time went on. A few years ago, she stopped hunting, I suspected she had trouble with her eyesight. I had to hand feed her. Recently she had been rapidly losing weight. However much I fed her no weight was going on. Looking at her a week ago she was 8 years old, stick thin, lethargic, could barely see, being hand fed. I made a decision. She had had a great life for many years, but now she was sick. Her quality of life was bad. Everytime I looked at her I felt bad because I knew she was having a terrible life. I thought about my grandad in a home and the similarities between him and Tiger Lily. Today I took Tiger into the garden and set her free. She moved around more than she had in months. She sunbathed. She eventually walked off into the undergrowth where she still is now. I know she can't survive, but at least she can live one potentially happy day as a free gecko. If I could give my grandad one happy day again before he dies rather than letting him rot in a home I would. I know I won't get another gecko, my views have changed a lot about keeping wild animals that have been bred in captivity.
I know many people will think what I've done is cruel but I wanted to get this off my chest. I guess I also want to hear just one person that thinks I have done the right thing. I love Tiger and I will miss her, but I'm so glad that I've done this.

 

[acpart]

I can understand what you did. I don't particularly feel you did the right thing, but you made a decision that felt right to you. I agree this gecko was not going to survive much longer. Probably a better decision would have been to either let her pass away where she was warm and comfortable (I don't know exactly where you live, unless you mean Lancaster, PA) or to bring her to the vet to be put down. We each have to make decisions about what we feel is best for our pets and we may not all agree on that decision.

I would hope that other comments to this post would either be sympathetic agreement or compassionate, polite disagreement.

Aliza

 

[Lula2002]

I can understand what you did. I don't particularly feel you did the right thing, but you made a decision that felt right to you. I agree this gecko was not going to survive much longer. Probably a better decision would have been to either let her pass away where she was warm and comfortable (I don't know exactly where you live, unless you mean Lancaster, PA) or to bring her to the vet to be put down. We each have to make decisions about what we feel is best for our pets and we may not all agree on that decision.

I would hope that other comments to this post would either be sympathetic agreement or compassionate, polite disagreement.

Aliza

Thank you, I can totally see where you're coming from but there's no way my parents would pay for her to be put down at the vets. I didn't want to just leave her to die slowly because I could tell she was unhappy where she was. She could have lasted a bit longer but what's the point when she's had a good life and it just wasn't anymore.

 

[Lil Biscuit]

I'm a bit late but I enjoyed your story. She sounds like sweet baby. I'm glad she was warm until the end.