Leopard geckos are a crepuscular / nocturnal species originating from the arid, rocky regions of northern India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. They are probably the most commonly kept species of gecko and are generally considered the to be the ideal 'beginner's' gecko, due to their usually placid natures, the availability of an ever increasing number of colour forms or 'morphs' and straightforward care requirements. However, although they are easy to care for, they still have specific husbandry needs that must be met in order for the gecko to remain healthy and thrive.
Appearance
Wild-type or 'normal' leopard geckos generally have a pale yellow background colouring and are peppered with numerous dark brown to black spots. The head, upper body and limbs of a leopard gecko are covered in numerous tubercles. The eyes are a pale, almost silver-grey in colour and are shot through with numerous brown veins. Like Chinese cave geckos, leopard geckos possess eyelids; a feature which distinguishes these 'eyelash geckos' from most other species in the order, where eyelids are lacking. Unlike most geckos, leopard geckos lack the adhesive lamellae to enable them to climb vertical surfaces: instead, their narrow toes terminate with claws. In recent years selective breeding has produced a huge variety of different 'morphs' displaying a range of different body and eye colours and variations in patternation. Detailed information on the characteristics of the various morphs can be found at Leopard Gecko wiki site.
Photographs showing some of the variation in colour and patterning now apparent in leopard geckos. The uppermost two pictures show two Mack Snow morph leopard geckos, in which the yellow colouring of a 'wild-type' gecko has been reduced to the extent that it now appears white. The pattern of the male in the left images consists of numerous, small spots; however, the pattern of the female in the right hand photo shows far more reticulation. By contrast, the geckos in the lower images display a yellow background colouration and a noticeable reduction in patterning. The body patterning in the female hypo, shown in the left hand photo, has been reduced to only two areas on the back; the female Murphy's patternless morph, below right, displays a complete absence of patterning.
Size
Leopard geckos are a relatively large geckos with adults generally attaining a length of between about 220mm - 250mm; the healthy weight for an adult leopard gecko is extremely variable and can range from about 50g to 100g depending upon the build if the individual animal. However, the 'giant' morph is considerably larger, with large males measuring up to almost 300mm and tipping the scales at over 150g.
Sexing
Males can be distinguish by the presence of both a hemipenile bulge and a 'V'-shaped row of pre-anal pores; these pores secrete a wax-like fluid that is used for scent marking territories. Although females may possess a similar row of pseudo-pores, these are much less prominent than those of males and no wax-like secretion is apparent.
The photograph on the left shows a A) the pre-anal pores and B) the hemipenile bulge of an adult male leopard gecko. For comparison, the adult female shown in the right hand photograph shows an absence of these features.
Care requirements
Leopard geckos are extremely easy to care for and, as long as their care requirements are met, are extremely hardy geckos.
Housing
Leopard geckos are by nature a solitary creatures who therefore do not need a 'companion'; at best, they only tolerate the presence of another gecko. Although it is frequently said that multiple female leopard geckos or a male: female pair can be housed together on a permanent basis, I have found that housing them singly is preferable. With regards to the pair, the health of both animals, but especially the female, can be seriously compromised by continual breeding so housing individuals separately and introducing them only for mating during the breeding season helps prevent this. As stated previously, communally housed females will, at best, tolerate each other. However, harrassment and bullying is not uncommon in this species, with smaller or subordinate geckos being intimidated by more dominant individuals; this can cause stress and prevent subordinate animals from eating, growing and thriving. In a worst case scenario, females will fight and cause potentially serious injuries to each other, sometimes even resulting in the death of an individual. If two or more geckos are to be housed together, it is essential to make sure that they are of approximately the same size / weight; this will reduce, but not entirely eliminate, the risk of bullying. Male geckos should never be housed together; they will fight, which will result in serious injuries.
Enclosure
Leopard geckos are a terrestrial species, so ensuring that the vivarium has an adequate floor area is more important than its height. For a single, adult leopard gecko the minimum size required is 60cm x 30cm x 30cm though, obviously, a larger viv is preferable if possible (I use 90cm x 45cm x 40cm vivaria for mine). If multiple geckos are to be housed together, then for each additional gecko an extra 30cm x 30cm floor area is required.
Temperature
Leopard geckos require a range of temperatures within their enclosure to enable them to thermoregulate. This temperature range should, ideally, be from 31°C -32°C (88°F - 90°F) in the hot end, to about 24°C (75°) in the cold end. The hot end temperature is crucial, not only for thermoregulation, but also to enable geckos to digest their food properly; if this hot end temperature is not attained, then leopard geckos may prove reluctant eaters, or simply refuse food altogether. The easiest and most reliable way to provide this temperature is by the use of a heat mat controlled by a thermostat. The mat should cover between approximately one third and one half of the surface area of the vivarium, so that an appropriate temperature range can be achieved.
Humidity
As leopard geckos originate in arid areas, it is not necessary to spray the vivarium to artificially raise humidity levels; indeed, this can cause health problems, as excessively high humidity can cause respiratory infections in leopards geckos. Provision of a restricted, enclosed area of higher humidity, in the form of a moist hide containing damp sphagnum moss, eco earth or kitchen towel to assist with shedding, is sufficient.
Lighting
Leopard geckos tend to be crepuscular, i.e. they are active at dawn and dusk, though nocturnal behaviour is not uncommon either. As such, they do not require artificial lighting during the day, as long as they have sufficient exposure to natural daylight (e.g. through a window) in order for them to establish a day-night cycle.
Substrate
Contrary to popular myth, leopard geckos do not originate from stereotypical sandy deserts, but from arid, rocky regions, where individual rock outcrops are separated by hardpan with a consistency similar to that of concrete. In order to create naturalistic vivaria, I therefore use slate as a substrate, with a small amount of fine-grained play sand being used to fill in any gaps between individual pieces of slate, just to prevent toes or tails accidentally being caught and injured. Alternative substrates can include lino, ceramic tiles or kitchen towel. Personally, I would avoid using any loose substrate in large quantities, as this can be ingested by the gecko and, potentially at least, may cause impaction.
Decor
A variety of hides should be provided in which a leopard gecko can sleep during the day or retreat if feeling threatened; these can be pieces of cork bark, mopani wood, securely arranged pieces of rock, reptile hides available commonly available from pet shops etc. In order to enable the animal to thermoregulate properly, hides should be placed in both the hot and cold ends of the vivarium. Where more than one leopard gecko is housed in a single vivarium, a minimum of two hides (one in the hot end, one in the cold end) should be provided per animal. This will provide the animals with an opportunity to avoid each other, thereby reducing, but not eliminating the risk of bullying. A moist hide, containing damp sphagnum moss, eco earth or similar should also be provided, as this will assist the leopad gecko when it comes to shedding.
Feeding
Leopard geckos are insectivores and a healthy animal is usually an enthusiastic eater, taking a variety of foods, including crickets, locusts, mealworms and cockroaches. Although waxworms, butter worms and pinkie mice are also frequently used as feeders for leopard geckos, all have a high fat content; for this reason I do not offer them to my geckos. Although I have offered them phoenix worms and silk worms in the past, neither feeder has proved popular; indeed, all my geckos completely ignored them. Adults tend to eat, on average, 5 to 8 feeders two or three times per week; additionally, they have a bowl of mealworm available at all times. All feeder insects should be gutloaded and dusted with supplements as appropriate. Occasionally, adult leopard geckos may experience a loss of appetite; this can be especially common when the animal is about to shed or when the animal slows down during the winter months. This normally last only a day or two in the case of shedding or a matter of weeks during winter. Generally, this does not represent a problem; however, if any loss of weight becomes apparent then it is essential that veterinary advice is sought, as loss of appetite can also be symptomatic of medical problems.
Water
A small bowl of clean water should be available at all times; the water should be changed daily.
Supplements
A serious health problem that can affect leopard geckos is Metabolic Bone Disease, which is caused by a deficiency in calcium and / or vitamin D3 (the vitamin associated with processing calcium). In order to prevent this debilitating and, potentially, fatal disease, it is necessary to dust feeder insects with a calcium balancing powder including D3 (for example, Nutrobal) once or twice a week and a pure calcium powder (for example, Komodo Cricket Dust) for the rest of the week. Additionally, a small bowl of pure calcium powder should be available in the vivarium at al times, so that the gecko can help itself as necessary.
Hatchling care
The husbandry of hatchling and young juvenile leopard geckos is very similar to that required by adults. Indeed, their requirements in terms of temperature, humidity etc are identical. However, hatchlings should be housed, initially at least, in smaller enclosures (25cm x 18cm x 16cm Really Useful Boxes are ideal), as this will make them feel more secure and thus encourage them to eat. The size of the enclosure should, obviously, be increased as the gecko grows. As hatchlings can be very clumsy hunters, it is advisable to use only kitchen towel as a substrate, as this will remove the risk of them accidentally ingesting substrate and suffering from any resultant problems with impaction. Small hides, which can be fashioned from small plant saucers etc should be provided in the same way as those for adults. A moist hide is also required; this is particularly important, as a growing hatchling will shed much more frequently than an adult gecko (every two weeks or so, compared to once every four to six weeks for an adult).
Hatchling and juvenile leopard geckos are particularly voracious; they will frequently eat between 10 and 15 feeders (small (1st instar) crickets, hatchling locusts or dubia roach nymphs) per night. Additionally, a bowl of mini-mealworms should also be available at all times too.
Further reading
Books
Seufer, H., Kaverkin, Y. & Kirschner, A. eds, 2005. The Eyelash Geckos: care, breeding and natural history. Karlsruhe: Kirschner & Seufer Verlag.
de Vosjoli, P., Tremper, R. & Klingenberg, R., 2005. The Herpetoculture of Leopard Geckos. Vista: Advanced Visions Inc.
Websites
Unfortunately, the quality of information available online is highly variable, so it's essential to be selective in the sites consulted. Some of the best information I've found is on the following sites:
SleepyDee Geckos website
Suez Jewels Geckos website
