The leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) is found within the order Squamata and is, without a doubt, one of the most striking species of this order. It belongs to the Eublepharidae family, whose members have more primitive characteristics than other geckos, making it easy to differentiate them from other families. It has some spectacular colors, making it a very popular species among lovers of these animals, as well as being very docile and easy to care for and maintain. In fact, it was one of the first reptiles to be domesticated, so its appearance changed due to captive breeding.
Features of the leopard gecko
This species measures between 15 and 30 cm long, its tail measuring almost a third of the total. One of the most notable characteristics of the leopard gecko is the presence of mobile and complete eyelids, a common feature in the entire Eublepharidae family and that differentiates them from the rest. Its body is elongated and robust, with extremities that end in five fingers and that are adapted to life on land; In addition, they lack the pads or lamellae, typical of other species of geckos. Due to the lack of them, the leopard gecko does not have the ability to climb surfaces such as glass, even walk upside down, something that other species can do.
For its part, its color pattern is undoubtedly its most striking feature, since it has black or dark spots that stand out against a lighter background, almost yellow, which gave it its common name, as it is reminiscent of a leopard pattern. However, in the wild they can have duller and less striking colors, since the colors and patterns present in specimens that live in captivity were generated through various crosses, thus achieving a wide range of colors, all very striking, which are known as phases.
Leopard gecko phases
The phases are actually the color variants that leopard geckos can have. In this way, some of the phases or colors of the leopard gecko are:
- Nominal Leopard Gecko: The original or normal phase, being the most common type of leopard gecko. It has a not very intense yellow coloration and black spots reminiscent of the leopard. It is also considered a phaseless leopard gecko.
- Leopard gecko hypo: This type of leopard gecko is characterized by hypomelanism, resulting in a body almost devoid of black spots. In other words, it's an almost yellow leopard gecko.
- Hypermelanistic Leopard Gecko: In these cases, the gecko is darker in color and has more spots than usual due to excess melanin.
- Leopard gecko patternless: This type of gecko goes a little further than the hypo, in the sense that they do not have any stain on his body.
- Aberrant Leopard Gecko: Aberrant Leopard Geckos have a visually broken spotting pattern.
In addition, scales similar to tubercles stand out on its skin, which make it very resistant to its natural habitat, sandy and rocky regions.
Leopard gecko hatchlings
At birth, hatchlings do not have the pattern of spots, but have dark bands similar to those of a wasp. As they grow, it is when these disappear and give way to the spots that they will maintain during their adult phase.
Leopard gecko habitat
In the wild, the leopard gecko lives in sandy and rocky semi-desert areas in South Asia in Pakistan, Afghanistan, in some regions of Iran and in India, to the northwest. During the winter, temperatures in these regions are very low, so the leopard gecko has developed a semi-subterranean way of life. In addition, they are crepuscular animals, which leads them to rest and be calm during the day and then become active at dawn and dusk.
Character and behavior of the leopard gecko
During the hottest hours, leopard geckos shelter in the humidity of their burrows, under rocks, in pipes or buried in the ground, always in places with some humidity. In the wild they live in groups of up to 50 individuals, that is, they are gregarious animals, coming out all together to the surface to find food, either when the sun goes down or when conditions are more favourable.
Although in nature they are gregarious and social, the males that live in captivity tend to be very territorial, being recommended, above all in the breeding season, separate the groups with one male for every several females and their offspring.
Leopard Gecko Breeding
This species breeds during the summer and, after mating, the female is able to store the sperm for a while. After a gestation period of between 21 and 28 days, the female lays the eggs, which can be from 1 to 4. After about 60 days, the eggs will hatch and hatch into leopard gecko pups.
If breeding takes place in captivity or if we are caring for a pregnant female, it is important to prepare a suitable place for her to lay her eggs. It is also recommended to use coconut fiber substrate or vermiculite so that the female has a moist site available. In any case, although this is a very popular species in terrariums around the world, it is advisable to not raise wild animals in captivity in our homes
Leopard gecko care
Although this species is f easy-care, if we plan to incorporate a leopard gecko into our terrarium, we must inform ourselves very well about the requirements of this species in order to provide the best conditions:
- Daily cleaning of the terrarium: on the one hand, the hygiene of our terrarium is extremely important for geckos, so daily You must clean and remove feces and other residues that may be present. We must also pay attention to the drinker, since it always has to be clean and refilled. Likewise, we must remove all the remains of dead animals that do not eat. In addition, since these animals shed their skin, it is also important to remove the remains of the molts.
- Suitable terrarium: the terrarium must be suitable and a dry one is recommended, indicated for this species, and always bear in mind that the bigger the space where the animal is going to live, the better.
- Temperatura: the optimal temperature needed in the terrarium during the day is between 28 and 35 ºC, with a humidity of between 40 and 45%, while at night it should not drop below 20ºC and a humidity of up to 70%, which can be achieved using humidifiers.
- Substrate and soil: The substrate and soil must be firm, with the presence of elevations and rocks so that it can climb, and places like caves to hide, with special sandy and clay soils. The hiding places can be made of bark, wood, cork or roots. The presence of mosses will also help maintain the humidity that this species needs.
- Moulting: greater attention and care must be paid to the moments of moulting, since although it is a natural process, they may have some complication. The normal thing is that it does not shed many times, and if this happens something may be going wrong, so in that case it is recommended that you see a veterinarian. In any case, we must take into account that the young molt more times than the adults for the simple fact that they are growing.
Leopard Gecko Feeding
As for what the leopard gecko eats, its diet consists exclusively of insects and it can consume crickets, worms, worms or grasshoppers, among others. Therefore, it is important to feed them with live insects, since they like to hunt their prey themselves, which is why you can often see that geckos do not they touch the dead insects that are offered to them.
During the breeding season, it is also important to pay attention that the tenebrios do not hatch in the terrarium, since the young will try to to hunt it down and swallow it instinctively, which could lead to choking.
In this other article on our site on Animals that eat insects - Examples and curiosities, we explain what other species eat insects, in addition to geckos.
Leopard Gecko He alth
As we mentioned, it is natural for geckos to shed their skin from time to time, and if the breeding is in captivity, you have to pay close attention, especially at this time, that the temperature and humidity of the terrarium are optimal so that this process can occur in the most natural way. And in cases where there are remains of dead skin, it can be helped by spraying a little water on the gecko's body, always very carefully and gently. Many times they can have he alth problems due to stress, another reason why you always have to control and maintain the conditions of the terrarium, since the lack of humidity it can make you sick.
On the other hand, we must always be aware and not bring together several males in the same terrarium, since, as we said, in captivity They can become very territorial and aggressive with each other, as well as not having many specimens in a small space.
Also, in captivity the type of substrate where the gecko lives is very important, since its skin is very delicate, a inadequate substrate could make you sick. For this reason, in no case should cat litter or other types of very rough materials be used, something appropriate can be moist coconut fiber or unfertilized peat.
