Leopard gecko
This adorable little lizard Leopard Gecko as pets or sometimes referred to as Leos are known to be nocturnal, or are most active during the night. They are not natives of the United States Continent but from the middle east particularly from India , Afghanistan and Pakistan but have become a favorite pet to both the older folks and kids alike. Probably because of its unique ability to morph and change it skin color sometime during its lifetime. With proper care and handling, a leopard gecko can reach up to 12 inches long.
Proper handling of your pet: Holding your pet or grabbing it
in your hands for a long time should be avoided . Your size difference makes you
a possible predator, especially for mature Leos who are not accustomed to your
presence. Establishing that you are a friend is first needed and in due time your
pet will gain your trust. Holding it by the tail should at all be avoided . This
is a very soft part of the Leos body and can easily drop off especially when
stressed of frightened.
Leopard Gecko Feeding: Leos don't eat veggies or any grass
for that matter . Instead, they feed on insects and lofty worms. Always gut load
your insects with nutrients at least one day before feeding it to your leopard
gecko. This way, the feed is full of healthy nutrients that will eventually be
passed to your pet.
Housing your pet: A glass tank should be most suitable for
your pet leopard gecko to stay in. The glass surrounding is also very ideal for
you to observe and monitor your pet gecko. Just make sure to add a screen on
top so that your pet won't escape and at the same time protect it from possible
predators.
With proper attention and care, you greatly extend your pet's
lifespan up to 20 years. Do it the wrong way and your pet can easily die in
your care in less than a year or two. In fact, my pet Leo died in my care
because of my inexperience and wrong handling. My friend John saw what I was
doing and gave me a helping hand by showing me a guide that taught me what to
do and what not.
Handling
Handling leopard geckos can be tricky when you are just
starting out. They are not only skittish at times ; they can also be very
'fragile'. To prevent unwanted damage to your beloved pet, here are some
handling tips to make sure you and your lizard stay happy companions.
Getting the Skittishness Out of the Way
To solve the skittishness, you need some patience. If your
lizards are very new and young, you'd do best to leave them to get adjusted to
their environment first. Just let them explore their tank and get used to their
new home. Once they start calming down, you can start trying to introduce
yourself. You can start by placing your hand inside the tank. You don't have to
grab them yet... you could just let them walk over your hand and get used to
the idea of you being there.
Hand over Hand
Next, you can start some hand over hand walking. If your
lizard is comfortable enough to stay on your hand, you can have them walk from
one hand to the next. To play it safe, you may want to sit on the floor when
you do this, just in case the lizard gets away from you. They don't have sticky
feet so they might not be able to hold on to you and fall if they make a
mistake. You may need to grab them at this point. This should be done very
gently and do not attempt to grab them by their tails! Try to get them
somewhere near the shoulders and just gently put pressure using your thumb and
index finger. If you can do the hand over hand exercises regularly, handling
leopard geckos becomes that much easier.
Tail Mistakes
The reason why you should never grab them by the tail is
that they can detach their tails as a defensive measure. Even if they don't see
you as a major threat, grabbing their tails can activate a defensive instinct
that will cause them to detach. They will grow back but will never look the
same. They will usually become more bulbous and in a less appealing color.
Seeing that these lizards are prized for their appearances, this is certainly a
big concern for any keeper. Plus, the tail is an important part of the lizard's
food storage. Without their tails, they can become prone to starvation.
Size and Age
If you are not sure when you should start trying to
introduce yourself to your pet physically, try going by their size and age. Try
to wait until the lizard is about 6 inches in length before trying to handle
them. Don't try to handle newly hatched lizards as they are more prone to
panicking and survival instincts will kick in, causing unpredictable behavior
and unhealthy stress.
Habitat Heating
Let's start with their living enclosure. These creatures are
known to be very hardy and your basic tank will do as long as you provide them
with heat. When planning the heating arrangement of the tank, you have to make
sure that there are at least two areas, a warmer area, and a cooler area. A
temperature of about 90 degrees for the warm and around 80 for the cool area
should do.
Hides
You should also employ hides. In the wild, the leopard gecko
is a nocturnal animal. This is why you should provide some hiding places for it
to take shelter in during the day or when there is light out. This is easier
than you think. Many keepers employ simple plastic containers or Tupperware as
hideaways. Just cut a hole through the lid or the sides so the lizards can get
in.
You need to place the hides on both sides of the tank, the
warm and the cool side. Also, a special hide for special situations like giving
birth or shedding is needed . This box is usually called the humid box because
you'd want to keep it humid, which helps with shedding and egg incubation. You
should place this special humid box on the warm side and try to keep it at a
temperature of around 90 degrees. You can also vary the temperature of this
humid hide when it serves as the nursery. The sex of the lizard babies can be
modified with temperature changes. Cooler temps will usually make females and
warmer temps males.
Leopard gecko diet
You'd want to feed your Lizards live prey. The preferred
food is usually the cricket. This has been a staple food for the lizards for
many breeders and keepers. You can also use mealworms, silkworms, and super worms. Although they are not as active, and they won't provide your lizard
with some needed stimulation, they are easier to handle. Plus, crickets can
sometimes escape and start to cause problems. Because they are more active,
crickets can run around the tank and cause stress and unwanted irritation to
your lizards. To get around this, you should get to know your lizards better so
that you can plan your diets exactly. Give your lizards only the amount of food
that they can eat in one sitting.
Substrate for Leopard gecko
You can also use substrates to help with the maintenance.
Although some keepers just use the tank floor, you'll find that using a
substrate makes the whole process of cleaning and spot cleaning easier. Sand is
a popular choice among many enthusiasts. However, you should know that sand can
sometimes cause its own set of problems. The sand can be ingested by the lizard
and, depending on the size of the lizard or the grain of the sand, problems
like intestinal impaction or other digestive system blockages can occur. Use
fine-grain sand or use alternative substrates like paper, newspaper, pea
gravel, artificial turf, or stones.
Leopard gecko tank
Housing is very simple and does not require a lot of
space. All they require is a ten-gallon aquarium, if you want something bigger
i wouldn't go larger than a twenty-gallon aquarium. You will need to purchase a
screen top, Either an incandescent light fixture or a fluorescent one.
Fluorescent light is not needed but provides better viewing. You will need to
purchase the necessary bulbs to go in your fixture. For fluorescent a 2.0 or
5.0 will be sufficient, incandescent bulbs 15-25 watt, depending on the size of
your environment. An under-tank heater is required , and this of course gets
stuck to the underside of the tank on the outside. Make sure you place this
where the Gecko will be sleeping. Proper substrate, they are desert animals so
Calci-Sand is the best to purchase. It is digestible and provides your pet with
calcium when they ingest it.
Now you can decorate it. Your new pet will need somewhere to
sleep. You can either make a den out of rocks or wood, or you can buy one that
is already made . Inside of the den, you should put moss inside and keep it moist
daily, which will help your Gecko shed its skin. They do drink water, so there
should be a water dish in there. Do not put a plastic one in there, because this
will be a place for unwanted bacteria to grow. Most pets stores carry ones
that are safe for your pet. Change the water on a daily basis . You can also add
fake plants and wood from the pet store to decorate your tank.
Leopard gecko lifespan
Do you want to make sure that your pet leopard geckolifespan is maximized and that you get to keep your beloved ornamental pet for
a long time? You can if you follow some of these tips and tricks.
How Long is Long?
The longest recorded leopard gecko lifespan was around 20
years. The average is around 15 to 16 years. That is not a short time
and is great news if you want to keep a pet for extended periods of time. If
you can keep your lizard happy and healthy, you're sure to have at least a
decade's worth of companionship.
Hardy Hatchlings
Environmental Adjustments
They live in the desert so they are accustomed to heat.
You'll need to duplicate the lighting and heating of their environment so you'd
want to invest in some sufficiently powered lights to keep your tank at a
temperature of about 90 degrees. However, you also need to create areas of
cooler temp. These lizards may need to cool themselves down from time to time
so you have to create a cooler area that stays at a temp of about 80 degrees or
lower. Make sure that the size of your tank is sufficient to accomplish these
two distinct temp areas. Around 20 gallons should be enough for one lizard.
Don't skimp on your temperature devices! Buy an electronic temp probe to make
sure you have two distinct areas.
Although they are desert dwellers, they are nocturnal...
which brings up some important keeping tips. The first is that they do not
need a UV light. Unlike some other lizards that bask in the sun to get
their calcium requirements, these particular lizards do not do this. You still
need to attend to their calcium needs, but you'd probably have to better with powder
supplements.
The next tip is that they also need places to hide away when
the lights are on during the day. You'll do well to provide them with hide
boxes constructed from simple plastic containers. Just cut a section of the lid
to make an entrance for your lizards. You'd also want to add a humid box. They
use humid areas to help them shed their skin and lay their eggs. Just construct
another box with sphagnum moss added for moisture.
You can use sand as a substrate but be aware that there are
disadvantages to using this. Incorrect sand like sand that is too thick or too
sharp can cause digestive problems because they will naturally ingest some sand. If they are too thick or sharp, they can start to cause injury and
blockages which can prove fatal if they can no longer eat due to the sand in
their bellies. You can use carpeting, pea gravel, newspapers, or even the bare
tank floor as alternatives.
Dietary Tips
Leopard gecko habitat
Do you need to know more about leopard gecko feeding? These
designer pets need proper food and diet to remain healthy, and you wouldn't want
your living jewel becoming unhappy and unhealthy. So helping you out, here are
some tips and advice on proper diets and food.
Crickets: The Staple
The cricket remains one of the most popular leopard gecko
feed staples. The live cricket is a favorite of the lizards and hunting them
around the tank gives them stimulation as well as a healthy diet. You can feed
your gecko around 4 to 8 crickets a day, depending on the size and appetite of
the lizard. A lizard will pretty much consume anything that can fit in its
mouth so just be sure to adjust your choice of crickets and the number to the
size and capabilities of your pet.
One thing to remember when feeding your pet live crickets is
that uneaten crickets can sometimes get away from the lizard and scurry about the tank. All that activity can become stressful for your pet and
the longer the cricket survives in the tank the worse the problem gets.
Crickets have even been known to bite lizards when they get really hungry . Try
to put in only the number of crickets that your pet can eat in one sitting.
Leopard gecko food
You can also opt for silkworms or mealworms. The advantage
of these feeds is that they don't move around too much. You can actually put
them inside a bowl so that the lizard won't have to chase them around the tank.
However, as lizards do like hunting active prey, the worms may not provide the
stimulation your lizard also needs. A combination of the two can yield good
results and some keepers do exactly this. Mealworms and silkworms can still
cause some problems should they escape from their bowl. They can burrow into the loose substrate so be careful, especially if you use sand.
Dusting Supplements
You can also supplement your pet's diet by dusting your feed
with the many powdered supplements available on the market. This
ensures that your pet gets all the nutrients he or she needs in order to stay
healthy. Just make sure your feed doesn't shake off all the powder before you
get them to the lizard. Crickets do not like getting powdered so they will try
to shake off the supplements. It is best that you feed them to your pet as soon
as you get the powder on.
Final Tips
To a close, let's discuss gut loading and parasites. You have
to be aware that any parasites in the feed will be transferred to your precious
pets. Crickets are notorious for being carriers of bird and lizard parasites
that can cause your pet harm. To avoid any unwanted complications, try to buy
your crickets from reliable sources. Avoid crickets that were transferred or
transported via egg cartons. Egg cartons sometimes contain leftover chicken or
bird eggshells. These eggshells are sometimes loaded with parasite eggs. The
crickets will pretty much eat anything so if they consume the eggshells, they
can be carrying the parasites in them.
Gut loading is the practice of feeding your live food with
healthy foods so that the nutrients get passed on to the pet. You can try
feeding your crickets with fruits and vegetables 24 hours before you give them
to your pet.
Leopard gecko health problems
Here are some common leopard gecko problems you can
encounter and some tips and tricks on how to deal with them.
Sand Problems
Sand is a popular and easy-to-use substrate material. It allows
easy cleaning and spot cleaning of the tank, with sand easily replaceable.
However, sand can sometimes cause problems when the lizards ingest them. This
isn't an uncommon occurrence. The crickets and other live insects you feed your
lizards will scurry about the sand and it isn't that hard for a hunting lizard
to get some sand in its mouth when it strikes. Normally, this shouldn't pose a
problem, but if the lizard ingests too much over a certain amount of time, it
can start to cause blockages or intestinal impaction.
To get around this problem, try to make sure you get fine
grain sand. Something like.5 mm would be safe (ask about the grain size from
the store you bought your sand from). The reason for this is that the finer
grain sand should have no problems passing through the lizard's digestive
system even if the lizard ingests it. You can use larger grain sand for larger
morphs of the lizard but to be sure, fine grain is still the safest way to go.
Also, don't use sand for baby lizards. Even fine grains can cause problems
for their relatively smaller digestive tracts.
Cricket Problems
Crickets are a staple food for your pet but if you're not
careful, having uneaten crickets running around the tank can cause stress and
agitation for your lizard. Don't put too many crickets in at any one time.
Start out with a modest number and try to get a feel for how many your pet can
eat at any one time and stick to that number.
You also have to check where your crickets come from and how
they get to you. Crickets can carry parasites from the food they eat. If you
aren't sure where they came from, you won't be able to check if the crickets
ate anything that could give them the parasites. The crickets can even come
into contact with parasites through the containers used to transport them.
Sometimes, egg cartons are used to ship the crickets and these egg cartons are used
to contain the eggs of chickens or other birds that may carry parasites. If the
cricket eats any of the leftover eggshells , the parasites can transfer to
them.
Sanitation Problems
There's no getting around it, your lizard is going to poop
and dirty up the cage. This can be another source of leopard gecko problems.
Fecal matter left in the tank can start to breed bacteria and other harmful
material. Water left stagnant for too long also leads to similar problems. Try
to maintain the tank by changing the water daily and clean out any fecal matter
every week. You should also replace the substrate and scrub the tank with an
antiseptic at least once a month.
Disease
Your lizards are also affected by diseases. If you suspect
any of them being sick, it is probably best to quarantine that lizard for a couple of weeks. Remember that most diseases that affect your lizard pets can
transfer to other reptiles or herpatiles , making quarantine even more
important.
Caring of Leopard
gecko
Here are some helpful tips for a healthy lizard diet.
Staple Crickets
The leopard gecko feeds on insects, making it an
insectivore. Crickets are a staple food for these creatures so you may have to
take the time to find some live crickets to keep your pet happy. Live food is
the way to go as you'd want to duplicate some conditions in the wild to
keep your pet active. It won't enjoy the food it doesn't have to hunt as much as
the ones that give it some sort of a challenge.
Be warned though... crickets have a downside. They do bring
about certain problems. The first one would be escaping the lizard. The uneaten
crickets will run around the tank and cause unwanted stress and agitation for
your pet. They can also bite the lizard and possibly injure it. The second
problem it causes comes from the fact that crickets can carry parasites.
Anything the cricket eats, the lizard eats, so if the cricket comes into
contact with any parasites, your lizard may be in danger as well .
Cricket Tips
It's best to buy crickets from reliable sources. You
increase the chance of your crickets carrying parasites if you buy them from
unofficial sources. Also, you can powder your crickets with vitamins and
supplements to give your lizard some extra diet helpers. Gut loading, the
practice of feeding your crickets healthy foods like fruits and vegetables 24
hours before giving them to the lizard, is also recommended .
Try to start small. Around 4 crickets will probably do to
start, but you'll have to estimate how much your pet can actually eat. If he can
finish off the four without a hitch, try increasing it. A diet of 8 crickets a
day would still be normal. However, if you find that your pet is having
difficulty with the crickets, then try to remove some extras. It may
take some time but it's worth it to prevent the stress and other problems they
can cause.
Alternatives
You can also go for some alternative foods like mealworms
or silkworms. These won't scurry around the tank as much as the crickets and
you can actually keep them in a bowl so that your pet won't have to chase them.
This reduces the chance of any escape but your pet may not be as happy with
them... they won't give him as much of a challenge! They can still cause
problems if they get out of the bowl as they can burrow through sand or similar
material if you're using such material for substrate.
Treats
Leopard gecko breeding
Breeding leopard geckos have become a topic of interest for
more and more reptile enthusiasts as the popularity of these creatures has
grown. The good news is that breeding leopard geckos in captivity is not all
that difficult. In fact, the wild varieties and hybrids we have today are a
testament to just how readily these lizards reproduce in the habitats we
provide for them.
If you turn you leopard over and look at the bottom, you can
look to see if there are any hemipenal bulges behind the vent on the tail side.
If so, it's likely a male. Males also have pre-anal ports. These form a
"V" shape behind the hind legs right above the vent. The females, of
course, will not really have the bumps or bulges behind the vent. They might
instead have pre-anal pits instead of large ports. The only thing you want to
bear in mind is that over-fed females may seem to have the bulges, but they are
actually just fat pockets!
Okay, if you have the geckos sexed, the next thing you need
to realize when breeding leopard geckos is exactly when best to do so. They
need to be full grown . The boys should be about 8 months old, with a weight of
at least 45 grams. The ladies need to be a bit closer to 50 grams. And, in
fact, it's best if they are about a year old.
The next big thing you need to be prepared for when breeding
leopard geckos is the varied responses you might get when the two are put
together. The fact is, they may not even breed right away. It could even take a
few days. Generally, the male gets increasingly aggressive and can bite at the
female. However, the female may not be ready to breed, in which case she may
bite back. Although it could appear they are fighting, this is completely
normal. You might even hear the male violently shake his tail back and forth.
Yes, I said, "hear." It can be quite loud. The bottom line is that you
have to be patient when breeding leopard geckos. If they don't mate after a few
days, just give it a rest and try again later.
The next aspect of breeding leopard geckos has to do with
preparation for little babies. Think about how the female will want a suitable
place to lay eggs, such as a moist area made within the enclosure. Within four
weeks you can anticipate finding a couple of whitish eggs with an oval shape.
Clutches can come 2-4 weeks apart and note that you can breed these guys to
produce about 8 clutches a year.
One of the most interesting aspects of breeding leopard
geckos is the fact that you have an impact on the outcome. See, the eggs, once
laid, are to be put in an incubator. What we've found is that you can set the
incubator for a lower temperature near 80 degrees and generally get females. By
contrast, you can ratchet it up to about 90 degrees and end up with more males.
A point somewhere in the middle usually yields a pretty fair mixture of both!
How successfully breed
The breeding season extends from late February/early March
until September. In nature, it is triggered by rising temperatures after
hibernation geckos.
That is why some breeders recommend practicing a period of
hibernation of 1 to 2 months (November-December), during which the duration of
lighting, temperature, and food are gradually reduced . Personally, I do not
practice hibernation and prefer to use this time to rest well fed and give
them a maximum of energy and nutrient reserves (including their tail) for the future breeding season. They ensure good health, is certainly a factor for
success in the reproduction of leopard geckos.
2. Sexing leopard gecko It is relatively simple sexing
leopard gecko adult.
Here are three hallmarks of male to distinguish it from the
female:
* The preanal pores (small colored dots) that form a V just
before the bulges hémipéniens . * The two bulges hémipéniens (balls covering
hemipenis ) just before the cloaca (beginning of tail). * The male is usually
wider at the base of the neck than the female.
The female exhibits no preanal pores, or bulges hémipéniens .
The first 2 comments are reliable and sufficient to
determine the sex of a leopard gecko. For the third criterion, in some cases ,
the difference at the base of the neck is not hollowing between males and
females. Finally, it should be noted that incubation plays an essential role in
determining the sex of the leopard gecko.
3. Age of breeding
For successful reproduction it is important that breeders
are healthy and sexually mature. For if the male can be ready to play without
problem from 10 months, this is not the case of the female. A female too young
might monopolize the calcium for egg formation at the expense of its frame,
which could halt its growth, making it more fragile and even reduce its life
expectancy.
It is therefore strongly advised waiting until a female has
completed its growth and is sufficiently robust (15-18 months) to bring
together a breeding male.
4. Leopard gecko facts
On the evening, minutes before extinguishing the lights in
the terrarium, a male runner before showing signs of his intentions.
It will then be wagging his tail in the sweeping right to
left at an astonishing speed. I am always amused to attend these parades
because according to your substrate, then the noise is quite striking and the
substrate spins a little in all directions.
The male gets the message and began to chase the
female. It will then attempt to repeatedly bite the female on the neck to
immobilize. This made successfully , the female and male inflorescence seized his
chance. Mating usually lasts one to two minutes.
Once completed, the two partners make a careful toilet of
their genitalia. The mating leopard gecko is relatively fleeting, and it is not
necessarily obvious to observe. But with the usual observation, and the sound
of this parade so special "helicopter tail" of the male, it becomes
easier to detect and attend this coupling.
5. Clutch
After mating, the gestation. The eggs will then be formed in
the oviduct of the female that we call pregnant. Approximately 2-4 weeks
later, it lay. It consists of 2 eggs large enough relative to the size of the
female. Several observations lead to the provision:
* In As you can see the eggs, two white masses, through the
abdomen. Although gradually ceasing to feed, the female then takes the volume
but its tail, constituting its energy reserve, thinning somewhat. * It will
seek to benefit from exposure to UV rays before lights out.
The eggs will be deposited overnight in a humid chamber
consisting of moist vermiculite. The female takes care to cover before leaving
the wet box. After graduating, she has suddenly lost weight and continues to
scratch around the box as if trying to cover a few more eggs. In the evening it
will have a big appetite and we should then not hesitate to eat it at will to
immediately resume strengths and reserves in its tail, the interval between
each spawning was relatively short (2-4 weeks). Note that the male will not
hesitate to cover the female on the night of spawning.
6. Incubation
Once the female has laid her eggs in the humid chamber, it
is necessary to let her out of herself before attempting to remove it. This allows
the female to cover them, it will also feel that their eggs are protected .
Once the female release, the vermiculite was removed with a
soft brush to collect the eggs. To find them most easily in the humid chamber,
it is convenient to use a translucent box.
Leopard gecko eggs
Then the eggs are retrieved gently using a small spoon, for
example, ensuring that it does not return and are transferred to the incubator
by placing them in boxes lined with moist vermiculite. As stated above,
the temperature of incubation plays an essential role in sex determination in the
leopard gecko.
This is what we call T.S.D. (Temperature Sex Determination).
Incubation temperatures: Temperature (° C) Sex Incubation 26
° to 28 ° Female 55 to 65 days 29 ° to 31 ° Male or Female 45 to 55 days 32 °
to 33 ° Male 35 to 45 days
We must ensure that the temperature does not drop below 26
degrees and does not exceed 33 °, otherwise, the life of the embryo will be
greatly compromised . The incubation period is longer or shorter depending on
the temperature (see above).
Tip: It is essential to regularly monitor the eggs placed in
the incubator. If an egg takes on a dubious (mold growth, dropping of the shells...),
it is best to remove it from the incubator after first "admire" when
in doubt.
Mirer an egg is to be carried across by a light beam
(preferably in black) to verify the presence or absence of an embryo in the egg.
7. Hatching
Depending on the temperature of incubation, it is relatively
easy to plan hatching eggs. Provided and record the dates of each egg.
If there is a little longer in its shell, does not seek to
remove, because it is possible he still uses his reserve " vitelline.
The outbreak ended, the little leopard gecko, striped black
and white/yellow (for the common phase) will be placed in a small terrarium (20
x 30 cm) lined with a paper towel. It is advisable to place a juvenile in the
terrarium to avoid stress mutual.
It was after 2 or 3 days (first molt ) the gecko took his
first meal. Do not try to propose live insects during these few days which
could cause unnecessary stress. To start the diet, small crickets can be used .
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