I agree with the book statement. I have read books about rats only to shake my head in disbelief. You need to research the internet.

Reptiles can be very hard to care for. They usually need the perfect temperature in their environment. Their food can also be quite expensive. Crickets might be about $2.00 for about 12 of them. Crickets should also probably be the staple diet, so you'll probably want to buy quite alot of them. It can definatly add up. Where I am, mealworms cost $8.00 for a small can. I've read that pinkies (baby mice) should sometimes be given as a supplement, and that vitamin supplements are necessary, although I don't know that part for sure.

You also can't be a very squeemish person. You might have to deal with a case where your gecko's tail falls off. You also have to pull the legs off the crickets so that they won't bite your gecko and cause infection.

Just make sure you know what you're getting into. You may say "it's not like I'm getting a dog" but in ways reptiles can be alot more difficult to care for than a dog. A dog, atleast, requires more common sense.