Not literally...real kids are out of the picture until after my husband deploys (in March) and safely returns. But I work for PetSmart, and we don't breed our animals...fry are eaten by tankmates, mammals are all the same sex from the breeders, reptile/bird eggs are tossed or fed to the oscars. A little over a week ago, I was opening and saw that one of our panther (pictus) geckos had laid an egg and got permission to try and hatch it at home. She's been known to lay duds before so I've been curious about whether there's life in there, especially since the shell has a little dent in it. I've been keeping it in a deli cup with moist sand in my spare bedroom with the heat cranked to 83, and read that after about a week, you can hold it up to light and if it's pink/you can see veins n whatnot, you have a live one. And...I do! Heres an egg pic, a pic of what I saw when checking (it already has a little heartbeat and eyes!!!), and a pic off the internet of what the parents look like. Word to the wise though...don't handle the eggs. I did this to check, and took a pic while checking because it was so amazing, and still, with the lightest touch I could manage, I put a hairline crack in the outer shell. They are super delicate and now I'm feeling paranoid and guilty and won't do more than mist it and visually check it from here on out. Today I stuck the flashlight in the container and could see the heart still beating so I think it will be ok...we just have to make it another month and a half til hatching. Wish me luck!
