Francisco Llauger’s Love for Lizards

A sudden quiet noise emerges from the opening in a small cup that at one point held only motionless eggs. Alerted by the sound, senior Francisco Llauger moves quickly toward the cup with excitement, anxious to witness the creature emerge from its pale egg. He reaches the cup and peers over the rim just in time to see a tiny head break through the surface of the eggshell. Llauger smiles to himself as he watches the baby lizard crawl its way out of the egg, this newborn lizard is his to care for and watch grow, and he couldn’t be any happier.

“I’ve always kept lizards and snakes and such as pets since I was a kid, so I decided to branch off and do something different,” said Llauger.

Llauger has kept reptiles as pets for many years, but began breeding lizards three years ago. However breeding lizards is only one of the many activities that Llauger participates in, he participates in Science Honor Society, German Club, the cross country and track teams at Tompkins. Commitment to each of these activities gives Llauger the chance to experience unique aspects of every one as well as understand what is involved in taking on each activity, especially lizard breeding.

“You have to put a lot into it so that you can care for them and give them proper food and such, so it’s a lot of time and effort,” Llauger said. “It’s fun to see them hatch out and such and care for them and watch them grow.”

Despite the cost to care for lizards, Llauger feels that there is always a satisfying sensation he receives when coming in contact with his lizards. As with any pet, there is always an undeniable joy that comes from spending time with them, and for Llauger, this happens to be with his lizards.  

“My favorite part is probably seeing them hatch out. You never get bored of that, like when you look in the little cup and you see a little baby, it’s rewarding,” Llauger said.

Once the lizards grow and reach a larger size, Llauger tries his best to sell the them and make a respectable profit. Even if he is not successful in his venture to sell the lizards, Llauger keeps his lizards as pets until he is able to sell them. Llauger’s uncommon involvement with the lizards awards him with memories and special experiences that most other students have never encountered.