Scientific Name : Eublepharus macularius

When cared for properly Leopard Geckos can live up to 20 years or more.  The average size of an adult Leopard Gecko is 7 to 10 inches from Head to Tail tip.  It would be best to keep your Leopard Geckos separate unless you have confirmed you have a male and a female or two females.  Males are territorial and they will fight.  This will cause injury to one or both geckos and possible death.  Leopard Geckos store reserves of food and water in their tail.  When they feel threatened or during a fight they may release (drop) their tail.  Without their tail and their reserves they will need daily attention to insure they are receiving enough food and water.  Their tail will eventually grow back but will never look the same.

You should be able to tell the sex of a leopard Gecko accurately after 6 months.  Both the male and female have a “V” shaped row of pores above their tail.  The male’s pores are raised and more prominent.  Males also tend to be larger and a bit stockier than the females.

A five or ten gallon tank should be sufficient for one gecko.  We only use newspaper for substrate.  It would be a good idea to give your gecko a place to hide.  A shallow water dish would be best.  You should make sure they always have clean water. Leopard Geckos are terrestrial, not arboreal; their nails are short and pose no danger to you.  We keep our geckos temperature approximately 78 to 88 degrees and have never had a problem.  You can use a heat lamp or a heating pad underneath part of the tank.

You should feed your Adult Leopard Geckos every 3-4 days (Juvenile Leopard Geckos should be more like every two to three days).  Crickets, meal worms and the occasional mouse pinkie is a diverse diet.  The food should be smaller than the gecko’s head.  All food should be dusted with Calcium powder.  Your gecko’s appetite may subside during a shed. When they are done shedding generally they will eat it.

Ours shed about every three weeks. Leopard geckos skin does not come off in bits or pieces; they bite on to their skin and eat it to get vitamins from it, so there is not going to be any skin in your cage.

Leopard geckos are very tame and once you get them in your hand they are calm. But on an average do not usually like to be held for more than 15-20 minutes in one handling. They are the most active at night, but may come out during the day.

 

We have been asked lots of things about what people wanted to know about their Leopard Geckos. Or what they can and can't do, So here is a list of some things NOT to ;

Do not put water in your tub to watch your leopard gecko swim.

Leopard Geckos are nocturnal, so there is no need for any special lighting.

Avoid HEAT ROCKS - they will develop hot spots that will burn your lizard.