Geckos-Leopard - Care sheet

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Care sheet

Distribution

The native habitat of the leopard gecko is the rocky, dry grassland and desert regions of south-Asian Afghanistan, Pakistan, north-west India, and parts of Iran. As nocturnal creatures, they spend the day hidden under rocks or in dry burrows to escape the daytime heat and emerge at dusk to hunt insects.[4]
[edit]Care

Leopard geckos in captivity are commonly kept in 10- to 20-gallon tanks, with more space needed for multiple geckos. Males are territorial, and can behave aggressively towards other males in the same enclosure.
The gecko needs a similar habitat to many other reptiles. This includes a warm and cool area of the tank and monitoring of the temperatures for the safety of the animal. If the temperature is not controlled correctly it can cause burns. Substrate is provided to the animals but there is controversy over which ones are safe. Leopard geckos have been known to ingest the substrate which can block the animals’ intestines. Because of this most owners use more solid substrates, ranging from paper towels to slate tile.
Because moisture helps the gecko to shed, owners typically provide a moist hide for the gecko. Geckos also will rub against rough surfaces to remove their old skin. Sometimes it is necessary for the owner to assist in removing the skin around the gecko’s toes.
[edit]Anatomy and Morphology

The leopard gecko is typically a cream to yellow color, with black spots similar to those of a leopard. However, selective breeding in captivity has produced varying colorations, including high yellow, tangerine, lavender, blizzard (solid white or gray), and albino. Atypical patterns include striped and patternless (no spots or stripes) varieties. The typical total length is 6 to 11 inches, with some captive specimens exceeding 11 inches.

Adult female leopard gecko
At birth, a leopard gecko has no spots. Instead, the body is covered in alternating dark and light yellow bands. These bands fade within one year.
The leopard gecko is one of only a few gecko species (all of them members of the subfamily Eublepharidae, a small family of tropical/subtropical species found in the world) that have eyelids. This helps the gecko keep its eyes clean and particle-free in its dusty environment. Like most other geckos, the leopard gecko can clean and moisten its eyes using its tongue. Unlike other species of gecko, leopard geckos have small claws instead of adhesive toe pads, which prevents them from climbing smooth vertical surfaces. However, their claws give extra traction on the ground and are helpful in digging. These differences have been cited as a possible reason to name Eubelpharinae as a different family apart from geckos.
Like most lizards, the leopard gecko can drop its tail, in a process called caudal autotomy. When frightened or disturbed (grasped), muscles at the base of the gecko’s tail constrict and snap the vertebrae, severing most of the tail. The detached, wriggling and spasming tail distracts the potential predator as the gecko makes its escape. Although the leopard gecko will grow a new one in time, around 40 days, the regenerated tail will differ from the original, appearing bulbous and inferior. The tail will never look the same.
Geckos will also use their tails as storage devices. When a leopard gecko eats, it stores part of its food and converts it into fat, which goes to its tail. In times of hunger, leopard geckos gain nutrition by metabolising this fat reserve and therefore can survive a period of weeks without food. A healthy leopard gecko’s tail is wider than the width of its neck.
[edit]Diet and longevity

Leopard geckos can be fed a staple diet consisting of insects including crickets, mealworms, grasshoppers, and any viable insect that is no bigger than the width of the geckos head. Insects should be dusted with vitamin and calcium supplements every other feeding for adults and every feeding for growing babies and juveniles. Adult leopard geckos should be fed every 2–3 days, and babies and juveniles should be fed daily. Waxworms and pinkies (baby mice without fur) are very fattening, and should rarely be offered to geckos so as to avoid obesity, and/or fatty liver disease. Pinkie mice are usually only offered to females in preparation to breed as they need a higher body weight to produce eggs.
Many people believe that geckos are purely insectivorous, however in the wild they will eat anything they can overpower, including mice. Gutloading insects with nutritious grains, seeds, oats and fruits/vegetables is crucial to supplying proper nutrition to a gecko. Never leave extra insects roaming in the gecko’s cage as they can bite the gecko and cause infection.
The oldest recorded leopard gecko in captivity is a 25 year old male who lives at a zoo. Most leopard geckos will live (with proper care) just into their teens[clarification needed]. Breeding females will usually live a shorter life span[clarification needed].
[edit]Reproduction

Leopard geckos become sexually mature at ten to fifteen months of age. Males are generally larger and broader (bulkier) than females and have a V-shaped row of pre-anal pores in front of their cloaca that are much darker and more prominent than a females, and a noticeable bulge at the base of the tail caused by the hemipenis. Also males are often more boldly coloured than females, however this is not always the case.

Juvenile Leopard Gecko
Leopard geckos breed from February through September, although the season may begin as early as January and finish as late as October. When a male encounters a female he will vibrate his tail rapidly. In response, the female silently sways her tail from side to side along the ground. Following this action, the male will lick her to obtain her scent and will begin biting her from the lower body upwards. If the female does not wish to mate, she will bite back and the male will cease his activity. If she accepts, he will continue up to her neck, making his body parallel to hers and placing his hind leg over her tail, inserting one of his hemipenes into her cloaca.
Thirty days later, the female will lay one or two eggs with a leathery shell. Clutches of two eggs will then be laid every two weeks to monthly throughout the rest of the mating season varying from each gecko according to age, with older females gradually laying fewer eggs each year. The eggs will need to be incubated. At home, you can incubate leopard gecko eggs in a plastic deli-cup filled with vermiculite.
Like many other egg-laying reptiles the sex of leopard geckos are determined by incubation temperature. Eggs incubated at 79 °F will result in a majority of female neonates, whereas eggs incubated at 85-87 °F will result in a more even sex ratio and eggs incubated at 89-90 °F in the first four weeks will result in more males. Females hatched from these eggs are generally more aggressive than other females, and they tend to reach sexual maturity later if at all. An incubation temperature lower than 77 °F or higher than 97 °F will cause deformities and usually death of the neonates incubated at these temperatures.
The eggs hatch six to twelve weeks after being laid depending on temperature. The gecko breaks the surface of the egg and pushes its head out, remaining in this position from two to four hours adapting to lung breathing and obtaining oxygen from the egg membranes as well as absorbing yolk from inside the egg.
[edit]Number of eggs laid by age
Age (Years) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Eggs laid 6 20 12 16 25 10 10 8 6 4 4 2 0
[edit]Common problems

One of the most common problems, albeit one that is well discussed among gecko enthusiasts, is that of impaction. Impaction occurs when a gecko eats the substrate it lives on, and over times builds up causing major internal problems. The substrate is often ingested when eating. They will sometimes miss when hunting, and will then eat the substrate.
Symptoms Include:
Obvious bloating of the abdominal region (often with bruising)
Regurgitation
Loss of appetite
Unusual stools (if any)
Constipation
Breathing troubles
Leg trembles
Paralysis.
Sneezing
unusual aggressiveness
Reasons for the geckos eating their substrate are not proven, but there is evidence to suggest that the geckos feel a need to ’top-up’ their mineral levels, and in their natural surroundings would be able to do this through eating sand (natural sand, thus digestible). There is no foolproof cure for impaction in geckos, and the problem is that when impaction is discovered; in most cases it is too late to do anything about it.
An easy way to solve this problem is prevention. Knowing a herpetology vet and having regular checkups is a simple(although expensive) way of making sure the gecko is in good health. This not only prevents impaction but keeps checks on weight and growth.
An easier way to solve the problem revolves around prevention as well. Do not use loose substrate for a leopard gecko, this will cut the risk of impaction to 0%[clarification needed]. Instead use what most dedicated owners use, which is either paper towel or tiles. The tile mimics the hard packed clay of the natural gecko environment. Substrates not to use are sand and crushed walnut. There is also a commercial "cage carpet" that makes a good substrate.
[edit]Cryptosporidiosis

Cryptosporidiosis, also known as ’crypto’, is a highly infectious disease that is often fatal to leopard geckos if it is not detected and treated in its early stages. The disease can be recognized by regurgitated food in the enclosure, liquid feces, and consequently a very thin body and tail. One should never buy a gecko displaying these symptoms. Even if the symptoms are not caused by crypto there is probably another problem with the gecko’s health.
Treatment of crypto can be successful, but is a painstaking process.

10/31/09 04:11pm