In the Wild
The leopard gecko (scientific name Eublepharis macularius) is a species of gecko native to Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq. They live on an arid, rocky terrain with minimal foliage. This provides them with plenty of crevices for hiding from predators and is ideal for basking - the act of lying in the sun to absorb its heat that is necessary for life as an ectothermic reptile. More than 30 years ago, exotic animal breeders first brought leopard geckos to the Western world to both sell directly as pets and to breed for future sales. Today they are perhaps the most common species of reptile kept as a pet due to their docile nature and simple upkeep.
Appearance
Leopard geckos have the typical gecko body shape, with a triangular head, a mouth that is wide enough to permit the gecko to use its tongue to clean its eyes, a slightly rounded abdomen, and a fat tail, which is used for energy storage. However, unlike the majority of geckos, leopard geckos do not have ability to climb steep, smooth surfaces such as a glass wall. Instead, they have thin toes with a tiny yet sharp claw at the end of each. They also differ from many other geckos in that they belong to the eyelid family of geckos. While the majority of geckos are unable to blink or close their eyes, leopard geckos can.
A recently hatched leopard gecko is 7-10 cm in length from the tip of its snout to the end of its tail. They grow to be between 17 and 25 cm long, with the males tending to be somewhat larger than the females.
The standard, or wild-type, leopard gecko gets its name from the its pattern of dark brown spots on a mainly yellow background. The background may have some faint striping left over from when the gecko was a juvenile, during which time they have a boldly striped pattern running down their backs.
Through selective breeding for specific colours and sizes, a wide variety of "morphs" of leopard geckos have come into existence. While the majority - and the cheapest - of leopard geckos closely resemble those in the wild, other morphs, such as "blizzard", "jungle", and "tangerine" have different colours and patterns, or may be much larger than typical leopard geckos, such as in morphs whose names are preceded by "Super".
A recently hatched leopard gecko is 7-10 cm in length from the tip of its snout to the end of its tail. They grow to be between 17 and 25 cm long, with the males tending to be somewhat larger than the females.
The standard, or wild-type, leopard gecko gets its name from the its pattern of dark brown spots on a mainly yellow background. The background may have some faint striping left over from when the gecko was a juvenile, during which time they have a boldly striped pattern running down their backs.
Through selective breeding for specific colours and sizes, a wide variety of "morphs" of leopard geckos have come into existence. While the majority - and the cheapest - of leopard geckos closely resemble those in the wild, other morphs, such as "blizzard", "jungle", and "tangerine" have different colours and patterns, or may be much larger than typical leopard geckos, such as in morphs whose names are preceded by "Super".
An adult wild-type leopard gecko.
A newly hatched leopard gecko. Compare its striped pattern with the heavily spotted adult pictured above.
The spotless, solid white "Blizzard" leopard gecko is just one of many morphs developed through artificial selection.
Behaviour and Handling
One of the reasons why leopard geckos are highly recommended in the herpetological community as a beginner pet reptile is due to their extremely docile nature. Most individuals do not mind and sometimes even enjoy being handled. They do not try to run away nor do they intentionally bite (they may bite if they mistake fingers for food, but this bite is pinch-like, does not draw blood, and the gecko will release its grip when it realizes its mistake).
When handling a leopard gecko, maintain a fairly loose grip so that it does not feel like it is being attacked by a predator. Avoid touching the head and the tail. Being touched on the head may make the gecko feel uncomfortable, and being grabbed by the tail will cause the gecko to autotomize its tail. Autotomy is the act of self-amputating the tail in order to give the gecko a chance to escape its predator. While the gecko will grow back its tail eventually, it sacrifices its main energy reserve, will require extra food in order to regrow the tissues, and the new tail will not be as visually appealing as the original.
Leopard geckos are crepuscular, which means that they are most active at dusk and at dawn. Thus, this is an ideal time for feeding and handling your gecko.
Leopard geckos are fairly solitary animals and prefer to be housed alone, but it is possible to house two or more together. However, be careful not to house two males together as their territorial nature will lead them to fight and likely injure each other.
When handling a leopard gecko, maintain a fairly loose grip so that it does not feel like it is being attacked by a predator. Avoid touching the head and the tail. Being touched on the head may make the gecko feel uncomfortable, and being grabbed by the tail will cause the gecko to autotomize its tail. Autotomy is the act of self-amputating the tail in order to give the gecko a chance to escape its predator. While the gecko will grow back its tail eventually, it sacrifices its main energy reserve, will require extra food in order to regrow the tissues, and the new tail will not be as visually appealing as the original.
Leopard geckos are crepuscular, which means that they are most active at dusk and at dawn. Thus, this is an ideal time for feeding and handling your gecko.
Leopard geckos are fairly solitary animals and prefer to be housed alone, but it is possible to house two or more together. However, be careful not to house two males together as their territorial nature will lead them to fight and likely injure each other.
Housing
Leopard geckos should be housed in a plastic or glass terrarium with a metal screen top. This terrarium should be around 30 cm tall and between 40 and 75 litres in volume. If housing more than two geckos, the terrarium should be larger than this.
Because leopard geckos originate from a desert environment, and because they are ectothermic and are rely on an external heat source, their terrarium needs to be heated. Some pet stores sell heated rocks or mats, but these should not be used as they can cause severe burns. Instead, a heat lamp can be used to heat the terrarium from above. This heat lamp should be turned on at all hours of the day and should be on one half of the terrarium. The other half of the terrarium should be lit by a regular light. This light is meant to imitate the sun, so it should only be turned on for half of the day, making the gecko's habitat feel more natural. The warmer half of the terrarium should be heated to around 30 degrees Celsius, while the other half should be somewhere between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius. Thermometers can be placed on the walls of the terrarium to monitor these temperatures.
In the wild, leopard geckos have many predators and the instinct to hide is still present in captive bred individuals. A couple of carved out rocks or logs should be placed in the terrarium for this purpose. At least one of these should be kept moist on the inside. Leopard geckos shed their skin periodically, and the moisture helps to remove the dead skin.
It is also important to choose an appropriate substrate. Leopard geckos' clawed toes do not grip well to the bare glass or plastic bottom of a terrarium and so something should be placed on the bottom so that they do not have trouble walking. Many pet stores sell special sand for this purpose, but this is not an ideal choice because the gecko may accidentally ingest some while it eats, which can build up in the intestines and cause impaction. Many reptile owners recommend paper towel as a substrate as it will not be ingested by the leopard gecko, it is cheap, and it is easy to replace frequently to keep the terrarium clean.
Although they do not drink often, the leopard gecko should have access to fresh water at all times. A shallow dish is ideal because leopard geckos cannot swim and would not be able to escape if they fell into a deeper dish.
Other decorations, such as plastic plants, can be placed in the terrarium provided they are safe for the leopard gecko. The gecko should not be able to ingest any parts of them and there should be no risk of anything falling on the gecko.
Because leopard geckos originate from a desert environment, and because they are ectothermic and are rely on an external heat source, their terrarium needs to be heated. Some pet stores sell heated rocks or mats, but these should not be used as they can cause severe burns. Instead, a heat lamp can be used to heat the terrarium from above. This heat lamp should be turned on at all hours of the day and should be on one half of the terrarium. The other half of the terrarium should be lit by a regular light. This light is meant to imitate the sun, so it should only be turned on for half of the day, making the gecko's habitat feel more natural. The warmer half of the terrarium should be heated to around 30 degrees Celsius, while the other half should be somewhere between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius. Thermometers can be placed on the walls of the terrarium to monitor these temperatures.
In the wild, leopard geckos have many predators and the instinct to hide is still present in captive bred individuals. A couple of carved out rocks or logs should be placed in the terrarium for this purpose. At least one of these should be kept moist on the inside. Leopard geckos shed their skin periodically, and the moisture helps to remove the dead skin.
It is also important to choose an appropriate substrate. Leopard geckos' clawed toes do not grip well to the bare glass or plastic bottom of a terrarium and so something should be placed on the bottom so that they do not have trouble walking. Many pet stores sell special sand for this purpose, but this is not an ideal choice because the gecko may accidentally ingest some while it eats, which can build up in the intestines and cause impaction. Many reptile owners recommend paper towel as a substrate as it will not be ingested by the leopard gecko, it is cheap, and it is easy to replace frequently to keep the terrarium clean.
Although they do not drink often, the leopard gecko should have access to fresh water at all times. A shallow dish is ideal because leopard geckos cannot swim and would not be able to escape if they fell into a deeper dish.
Other decorations, such as plastic plants, can be placed in the terrarium provided they are safe for the leopard gecko. The gecko should not be able to ingest any parts of them and there should be no risk of anything falling on the gecko.
In this example of a leopard gecko terrarium, the owner has used a special reptile carpet as a substrate - it is one piece so it will not be ingested, and its design does not allow the gecko's claws to snag on it.
Food
Leopard geckos are strict insectivores. This means that they will only consume living insects. In the wild, they will eat any insect or other arthropod that will fit into their mouths.
In captivity, the most common staple diet for leopard geckos is either crickets or mealworms. Treats can be given on occasion, such as waxworms, hornworms, silkworms, and other similar insect larvae.
In order to keep your leopard gecko as healthy as possible, it is important to gut load its food at least 12 hours prior to feeding. This means to feed the insects a diet rich in vitamins and minerals which will then be passed on to the leopard gecko. Specialized insect diets can be purchased at most pet stores for this purpose. You may also want to coat the insects in a vitamin-mineral powder prior to feeding for additional nutrition.
As reptiles, leopard geckos do not have very fast metabolisms and so only need to be fed a few insects every other day. Your gecko should be able to maintain its fatty tail while not becoming overweight.
In captivity, the most common staple diet for leopard geckos is either crickets or mealworms. Treats can be given on occasion, such as waxworms, hornworms, silkworms, and other similar insect larvae.
In order to keep your leopard gecko as healthy as possible, it is important to gut load its food at least 12 hours prior to feeding. This means to feed the insects a diet rich in vitamins and minerals which will then be passed on to the leopard gecko. Specialized insect diets can be purchased at most pet stores for this purpose. You may also want to coat the insects in a vitamin-mineral powder prior to feeding for additional nutrition.
As reptiles, leopard geckos do not have very fast metabolisms and so only need to be fed a few insects every other day. Your gecko should be able to maintain its fatty tail while not becoming overweight.
Sexing and Breeding
As juveniles, it is extremely difficult to differentiate between male and female leopard geckos. However, once the leopard gecko has grown and is sexually mature (at around 18 months old), it is possible to look at its reproductive organs to determine its sex. Male leopard geckos have a V-shaped row of pores above their vent and a pair of bulges at the base of the tail. In females, these pores are very faint and the bulges are absent.
Females lay clutches of one or two eggs at a time every few weeks throughout the leopard gecko's breeding season, or approximately five clutches per year. In order for these eggs to develop and hatch, they must be incubated at a temperature between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius. Leopard geckos are special in that the temperature at which their eggs are incubated determines which sex their offspring will be. Warmer temperatures produce more males while cooler temperatures produce more females. The eggs will hatch 45 to 65 days after being laid.
Females lay clutches of one or two eggs at a time every few weeks throughout the leopard gecko's breeding season, or approximately five clutches per year. In order for these eggs to develop and hatch, they must be incubated at a temperature between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius. Leopard geckos are special in that the temperature at which their eggs are incubated determines which sex their offspring will be. Warmer temperatures produce more males while cooler temperatures produce more females. The eggs will hatch 45 to 65 days after being laid.
Sexing a leopard gecko.
References
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/reptilesamphibians/facts/factsheets/leopardgecko.cfm
http://www.thegeckospot.net/leobreeding.php
http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Lizards/Leopard-Gecko/
Images:
http://www.geckotime.com/wp-content/gallery/gecko-substrate/geckos_on_repti_carpet.jpg
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc213/The_Interloper/Reptiles/Hatchling.jpg
http://www.reptilecare.com/LGsexing.jpg
http://www.vmsherp.com/images/Leopards/BZ2.jpg
http://www.thegeckospot.net/leobreeding.php
http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Lizards/Leopard-Gecko/
Images:
http://www.geckotime.com/wp-content/gallery/gecko-substrate/geckos_on_repti_carpet.jpg
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc213/The_Interloper/Reptiles/Hatchling.jpg
http://www.reptilecare.com/LGsexing.jpg
http://www.vmsherp.com/images/Leopards/BZ2.jpg