Bill Clinton is now living in Ames, but the president is no where to be found.

Bill Clinton, or B.C. as her close friends call her, is a gecko, a domesticated lizard-like animal. Her owner, Anjeanette Levings, a junior in journalism and mass communication, is one of many Iowa State students who own reptiles.

Levings got her gecko from a breeder, but they can be purchased at Ames pet shops for about $40. Not only are they relatively inexpensive, but geckos are fairly easy to care for.

“Reptiles don’t necessarily eat on a daily basis,” said Dave Metcalf, who runs The Ark Pet Shop, 118 Hayward Ave. They are fed live food, such as crickets and mealworms, two or three times a week. “They gorge and starve,” he said.

Levings said B.C. cannot find her food if it is not alive, and she also gets startled by quick movement.

Geckos are not the only big selling reptiles, Metcalf said. The Ark has a large supply with a viewing room just for the reptiles.

Students have to consider many things before purchasing a pet, Metcalf said. They have to decide what they are willing to handle and be responsible for, especially when choosing a reptile.

“Our primary goal has got to be establishing lifelong homes for these pets,” said Lorna Lavender, director of the Ames Animal Shelter. Unfortunately, more pets are brought in from students than are adopted out of the shelter, she said. Half of the shelter’s kittens will be put to sleep this month because of a lack of homes.

“I would guess 90 percent of students can’t have pets where they live, but we will not adopt a pet to where it can’t be housed,” Lavender said.

Even though reptiles are popular, they are prohibited in the residence halls. Students are only allowed to have fish, amphibians, crustaceans and mollusks in the dorm rooms, said Patricia Robinson, coordinator of residence life.

Up to three aquariums with no more than 30 gallons of capacity are allowed in each room, Robinson said. If the pets can stay under water for a great length of time, and can not escape their confined environments, then they are legal.

“One of the most popular pets with students is fish,” said Betty Petersen, manager of Earl May Nursery and Garden Center, 1601 S. Kellogg. “You can get into freshwater fish relatively cheap.”

The American chameleon and ferrets are big sellers as well, Petersen said. The chameleon only costs $7, but the ferrets run close to $200.

“The ferrets tend to be a little wasteful. They like to scatter their food around the cage,” Petersen said. “While they are very active and playful animals, ferrets are also well-mannered.”

Petersen said her store also tries to be innovative with its pet offerings.

“If there is something new on the market, we try to carry at least one,” she said.

Metcalf, too, said his store tries to keep up on the trends.

“We like to have some of the unusual,” Metcalf said.

One “unusual” offering is a hedgehog, which both stores carry.

The pet shops sell a lot of rodents and rabbits. Store officials said few people realize that a rabbit can be house broken and quite affectionate.

But Lavender said there is an over-population of domestic bunnies in Ames. “People assume bunnies can make it on their own, and they can’t.”

“Still, nothing makes a better pet than a rat,” Metcalf added.