Description

Leopard Geckos originate from Afghanistan, Northwest India and Pakistan. They are nocturnal lizards which feed primarily on crickets, hoppers and mealworms. They are not a lizard for being handled and are quite delicate and therefore should be kept for display purposes only. Leopard Geckos are available in a huge variety of colours as a result of selective breeding.

Housing

An enclosure of 36"x15"x15" would be suitable for one to three Leopard Geckos with a sandy substrate and several hides in both warm and cool ends of the enclosure. They are nocturnal so uv-b lighting is not essential but a low percentage uv-b can be beneficial as this will also provide a day time. A basking area of 85-90f using a red heat bulb (so as to not affect night time activities) controlled by a dimming thermostat.

Diet

Leopard Geckos primarily feed on crickets (brown or black), hoppers, mealworms, wax moth larvae and the occasional pinkie. When feeding it is a good idea to put crickets and mealworms in a dish which they can not escape from, in order to ease the catching of the food and reduce the possiblilty of uneaten food causing irritation and damage to the gecko. The food should be dusted with a calcium supplement up to 3 times a week. Offer food every other day for juveniles and two to three times a week for adults. Water should be provided and changed daily to prevent any bacterial build up. Provide the water in a shallow dish to enable the gecko to lean over and drink from.

Handling

Leopard Geckos have the abilty to drop thier tail if being preyed upon the tail will wiggle for a couple of seconds enabling the gecko to make its escape,hence these lizards need very careful and gentle handling.The Leopard Geckos tail is a good indicator if the gecko is healthy a nice fat tail suggests a healthy gecko if the tail is thin this suggests the gecko has used the fat reserves in the tail due to illness. A deformed tail suggests that the lizard has at some point had to drop his tail as they do not grow back looking as good as the original tail. The Leopard Gecko also has very thin skin. This is another reason for very gentle handling.