Leopard Geckos - Eublepharis Macularius

Eublepharis Macularis is the Leopard Gecko's scientific name. It can be broken down to describe the Gecko's physical traites:
Eu - True, Good
bllephar - Eyelid
Macularius - Spotted



Natural Habitat

Leopard Gecko's originate from Afghanistan, Pakistan, parts of Iran and India. They are found in hot and rocky areas that have a terrain of sandy gravel, hard clay and soil. The summer temperatures range from 40'C (104'F) in the daytime and 25'C (77'F) at night. In winter, the temperatures range from 15'C (59'F) during the day and 5'C (41'F) at night. (they normally remain underground in the winter in semi-hibernation with the fat reserves in their tails for nourishment)


Housing

There is a large range of house available that you can use for leopard geckos, ranging from plastic tubs, to wooden vivariums. You can find housing in many pets shops and of course online, but if your feeling a bit handy why not make your own?

Wooden vivariums i find best, they are securely built, with only the front viewable which has a calming effect as they feel less exposed.
Plastic housing such as geo-flats, large plastic boxes and RUBS (really useful boxes)are also used with high success, although you may need to create some vent holes.

Glass fish tanks are also used with success, however they don't really allow good air circulation.

A good sized vivarium for a single or pair of leopard geckos is 2ft by 1ft. floor space is more important than height as leopard geckos do not have the sticky toe pads to climb like most other gecko species.


Substraight

Substraight, is of course down to personal preference, however you should be aware that with any particle substraight (ie sand, wood chips ect) there is of course the risk of impactation.

I recommend using either tiles, kitchen roll or newspaper. I personally use kitchen roll, it is cheap, easy to clean out and i think it actually looks nice.
If you are going to use a particle substraight, then i recommend play sand, but only with adult geckos. Young geckos are not as good at catching their food and so are more likely to get a mouthful of substraight.

Although calci sand states that it is digestible, it is not in large quantities, and as it contains calcium, there is more of a chance that your leopard gecko will eat it to gain any extra calcium they feel they need, which of course will increase the risk of impactation.

Woodchips are not a good idea, as they are not digestible and so just one piece that has been accidentally swallowed could kill your gecko.


Colonies

Some people believe that in the wild leopard geckos do actually live in large colonies, and you will find that females will normally tolerate each other in captivity (of course as with all animals there is always the odd exception)
If you do decide to keep more than one leopard gecko together, then makes sure you have the right size enclosure, plenty of hides and of course keep an eye on them to make sure that they get on fine and all get enough food. They should also be of the same size, as otherwise, larger ones will bully the smaller.

Also, never keep males together. Males are very territorial and will fight, possibly to the death. If you decide to keep a male with a female, then i recommend keeping at least two females to one male, the reason for this is of course male and female will breed, and the male will hassle the female all the time, so by having another female, you are taking some of the stress away from just one female.

Of course, leopard geckos do not require company and will be just as happy (if not a little more so) on their own.


Hides

Hides are very important, they are a place for the leopard gecko to hide away feeling secure like they would in nature.

You will need at least three hides (more if you have more leopard geckos). One at the warm end, one in the middle and one at the cool end. I also recommend you have another 'moist' hide at the warm end, this is to provide a little extra moisture for when they are shedding. This can be done by providing some damp sphagnum moss in the hide.


Heating

Of course as with any animal from a hot climate, you will need to provide heat for your leopard gecko.

The best way is by heat mat or heat cable. Leopard Geckos absorb heat from their stomachs, so having a heat source that is from the ground is best.

Some housing, like plastic tubs and glass housing, the heat mat should be placed under the cage, however, make sure there is a small gap to allow air flow and to avoid melting the plastic or cracking the glass.

With wooden vivariums, the heat mat should be placed inside the cage, however i recommend that you tile over the mat as where the mat and the cable meet, it is not waterproof and so any moisture either from the leo going to the toilet or having walked through its water bowl could pose a risk of electric shock.

Some people do use lighting as their heat source, however in order for the gecko to get the heat from the ground as needed you would need a substraight that absorbs and holds heat well.

UV is generally not use with leopard geckos, as they hide during the day, they would not benefit from it. Some people belive that UV can in fact damage their eyes, although i don't think there has been much substantial research into this, but is still something to think about.

No matter what source you use to heat your cage, you will need a thermostat to control the temperature.

You need to ensure that only just under half of your cage is heated, as they need a temperature gradient to thermo regulate.

The warm end should be between 84F - 88F, i find 88F to be the ideal, some people find that 90F is ideal, but i would recommend not going over 90F. Ideally, you this should be dropped to 74F - 78F at night (although many people do not drop their temperatures at night).

The water bowl should be placed at the cool end as so as to not increase the cages humidity, as they come from a dry arid environment, they do not require much humidity in the cage (except for the moist hide) To much general humidity with the cage can lead to illness such as repertory infection.


Interior

Of course, the general interior is up to personal preference, as long as it is safe for the gecko that is. The basics that are required are hides, water dish, and a small dish of calcium. This is so if they feel they need some extra calcium, then they can help themselves.


Foods & Feeding

Leopard Geckos are insectivores, which means their diet consists of insects. Of course as with us, variety is the spice of life. Below are some foods you can give your leopard gecko.

Crickets, Locust, Roches, Pheonixworms, mealworms (freshly shed white ones are best)

The below can be given but only as a treat

Waxworms (extremely fatty so good for putting weight on but no other nutritional value, are also highly addictive)
Fruit baby food (just pure fruit, some research has believed that in the wild they would eat a very small amount of fruit)
Pinkie mice (only to adults who are able to eat them, they are good for extra calcium, especially for gravid females, however can be bad for their kidneys so if you decide to give, only one or two in a year i would recommend as max)

Dusting food with vitamins such as nutrobal should be done once a week, nutrobal is a good one as it contain calcium which is needed to prevent MBD (Metabolic Bone Disese) Calcium should also be given at twice a week for adults and every other deed for hatchlings, as well as leaving a dish of calcium in the viv at all times so they have help themselves to it.

Also, food should be 'gutloaded' 24 hours before feeding, this means that you feed the food veg with the vits/calcium sprinkled on it.


Handling your gecko

These are quite hand able geckos, but of course new babies can be very fast. With time and regular interaction, they will tame down and tolerate you handling them occasionally.

The best way is to let them walk from hand to hand, i find that doing this over a shallow tub is a good idea for young and new geckos, as if the decide to jump (which some do) then they will jump into the tub and there is less of a chance of them escaping else where. Make sure the drop is only a small one though as they are not build for fall from heights and could injure themselves.


Autotomy

This is what the leopard geckos main defence is called. When they feel threatened, or even stressed, they drop their tail. When their tail has been dropped, it will twitch for a short period on its own. the idea of this of course is so that in the wild the twitching tail will hold the attention of a predator, so the gecko can escape.Never pick a leopard gecko up by its tail!

Once dropped, the tail will re grow, however it never looks the same again.

If you find that your gecko had dropped its tail, then some good information and after care advice can be found here.


Sexing

It is important to every animal species that you don't have more than one male else fighting will ensue.

The best way to sex a gecko is to check for the v shaped pours near the tail on the underside. in the male, these are very prominent, where as on the female, they cannot be seen. Some people recommend you look for two bulges near the tail, however, this is not always a good way to tell as females have slight bulges as well.

I have noticed too that with older males is that their tails tend to be almost waxy feeling/looking on the underneath.

Here are some pictures displaying the difference between male/female:-

MALE


FEMALE



Shedding

Like a lot of reptiles, Leopard Gecko's shed their skin. When their old skin is ready to be removed, they remove it and eat it. It is believed that there are a couple of reasons for this. One is because of nutrients that are in the old skin, and the other is because it prevents predators finding it and picking up their scent.

When Your gecko has shed, you should check, that all of the skin has been removed. Mostly around the toes keep a particular close eye on. If some old skin remains, then you will need to gently soak it and remove it with tweezers. If left, it can cause constriction and your gecko may lose their toes.



Do Your Research

When getting any animal, please do your reseach, so you know exactly how to look after your pet. And why not join some reptile forums, then you get to speak to other keeps and its great for getting advice.

real good info, thanks for sharing
jb

very good info thank you so much you have help me out and alot of people out on this site.

that is great! i am definately thinking about getting one, all i need is some space.