Do you think this is a good experiment for a science project for a junior in high school?

I'm in an advanced science cl and we have to have a project to take to the science fair. It needs to be on something in an upper high school or lower college level. So my biology teacher has a pet leopard gecko and I was thinking (uming she gives me permission) about doing a project with him. He wouldn't be allowed at the science fair, but that would be ok. And because I detest the idea of animal testing, I would NOT be testing directly on him. I was planning on collecting some of his skin cells and experimenting with the effect of various temperatures on them over a period of two weeks. It's importance would relate to the damaging effects of habitat loss and forced migration. Any ideas/thoughts? Oh, and will the skin cells like 'die' after I detach them from him? If so how long will they 'live'? I can't experiment on dead skin cells.