Leopard geckos have been popular pets among reptile fans for a long time, and their ease of care and even temperament make it obvious why this is the case. They eat and breed more readily than nearly any other type of lizard, and can be cared for effectively even by amateurs. Of course, it's still important to know about how to take care of these fascinating lizards.
In the following posts I will give you some basic facts and care requirements.
The leopard gecko is not just an ordinary lizard. This particular species is special in many ways. Here are some interesting and
fun facts about these wonderful reptiles.
* Leopard geckos have leopard-like spots that cover their body.
Their base background color is yellow or orange, but through captive
Breeding many color variants have appeared.
* Many geckos have toe pads that allow them to climb on vertical
walls and on the glass of a terrarium. Leopard geckos, however, do
not have toe pads; instead, they have small claws.
* Leopard geckos are very gentle, which separates them from
the rest of the lizards and makes them great as pets. You really need to
provoke leopard gecko in order to make him angry, and even if he is angry
he usually won’t bite you.
* Nearly all geckos have a voice! Leopard geckos have a voice that
resembles a small ‘‘bark.’’ They will use it if agitated.
* Leopard geckos can live 20 years in captivity, and in some cases
they can live even up to 30 years.
* Leopard geckos are nocturnal animals. They like dim light and they
come out at night, and sleep during the day.
* Leopard geckos are immune to scorpion stings.
* Leopard geckos are great pets. You can play with them and they are
not aggressive at all.
* A housed leopard gecko will eat bugs and bugs only, so be sure to
find a specialized pet shop that sells them. The gecko likes to eat
waxworms too, but avoid giving them too many because they contain
a lot of fat. You can give them to your gecko as a treat once a week.
This is a great refresher "course" article on Leopard Gecko genetics and how various morphs come about.
From Gecko Daddy:
"Have you ever felt like you needed to be a geneticist in order to figure out the difference between one leopard gecko morph and another? Have you ever wondered why one leopard gecko may cost three times as much as another when they look virtually the same? Do you have great plans to create a new leopard gecko morph that has never been seen before?
Leopard gecko breeding often requires a basic, and in some cases advanced, understanding of genetics. Good thing we all paid attention in our biology classes, right? When we understand genetics, we not only understand why a gecko may look the way it does, but we can also predict what it will look like before it even hatches. Here are some of the basic genetic terms and concepts that we needed to be reminded of:"Read on....
Before deciding if you really want to breed leopard geckos, make sure
you know all about this specie. Keep in mind that breeding geckos comes
with risks, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly.
When it comes to breeding, if done properly it is relatively easy
once you have the female and male geckos. However, do not house a female
and male together because it can cause stress on the female and trigger
some health issues.
Making a mistake by putting two females or two males together can be
disastrous, and even fatal for one of the geckos, so make sure you know the
gender of each of your leopard geckos before placing them together.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to determine the gender of a young
leopard gecko, especially a baby. Contrary to other reptiles, the gecko’s
appearance and head size won’t tell you. Instead, you need to check the
vent, which is the base of the gecko’s tail. Both of the genders will have
the femoral pores in the shape of ‘‘V’’ at the vent. However, a female’s
femoral pores will look much fainter than a male’s. Males will also have
two hemipenal bulges below the vent.
Leopard geckos need to be mature before you even think about breeding
them, so make sure they are at least 1 year old. The female shouldn’t be
too young and she needs to be healthy and not underweight.
The mating process itself won’t be noticeable, but if the mating was
successful you will notice bite markings on the female. The mating pair
needs to be kept together for a few days — up to a week.
When the eggs start developing, you will notice that the female has
gained weight. The first clutch usually consists of only one egg, but it
can happen that they come in pairs. After 4-6 weeks, the female needs to
lay her eggs.
For the first year don’t expect many eggs, but keep in mind that
leopard geckos can lay up to 10 eggs at a time.
Prepare a laying box where your female gecko will lay her eggs. Fill
the box with around 1-2 inches of damp perlite or vermiculite. You can find
these at a garden shop. The laying box will give you some time before the
eggs start to dehydrate. If a female does not lay her eggs in the lay box,
they won’t be fertile. However, if you catch them in time before they
dehydrate, try to incubate them.
For this process, you will need an incubator to ensure that the
gecko’s eggs have a constant temperature. If any temperature fluctuations
occur during the incubation process, deformities may result.
The eggs’ incubation lasts for 40-60 days. The embryo will develop
faster in higher temperatures. Around a week before the egg hatches, you
will notice that it is somewhat swollen.
When a baby gecko starts to emerge, it will use a tooth to break the
egg’s shell. The tooth serves only for this purpose and a gecko will lose
it afterward. The process of hatching is fairly quick, so when it starts be
prepared to care for a newborn leopard gecko!
