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CHAPTER 1

Introducing the Leopard Gecko

To start with the very basics, what is a leopard gecko? Leopard geckos are small lizards that are members of a hugely diverse group called geckos. Normally colored leopard geckos are pale yellow with numerous darker spots, which is why they are called leopard geckos. They are personable, with ever-smiling faces that have won them legions of fans. They are most active at night and feed primarily on insects and any other small animals that they can catch. Their attractive appearance and ease of care have made these lizards one of the most popular pet reptiles in the world.

Scientifically speaking, all geckos belong to an infraorder called Gekkota and are classified into seven different families. Older references consider the geckos to all belong to one family, Geckonidae, but Geckonidae is now considered as just one of the families of geckos within the infraorder Gekkota. Geckos are believed to be more closely related to each other than to other lizards. There are at least 1,500 species of geckos found in warm regions around the globe.

With a group as large and diverse as the geckos, they do not share many features in common, but one thing that nearly all geckos do is vocalize. Geckos can call, chirp, or bark, depending on the species. Their calls announce their presence to other geckos as a way of establishing territory. Some geckos use them as a threat, and most geckos will make a lot noise when restrained or surprised. In fact, the word gecko derives from the noises made by the Tokay gecko, an especially common and noisy gecko of India and Southeast Asia. Leopard geckos are quiet for the most part, but they will bark or squeal when they feel threatened. They may also emit a squeaky hiss when startled.

What’s in a Name?

The scientific name of the leopard gecko is Eublepharis macularius. This name can be translated as the following: eu means “good” or “true,” blephar means “eyelid,” and macularius means “spotted.” The name refers to two of the most obvious features of leopard geckos: their well-developed eyelids and their spotted pattern. In the pet trade, leopard geckos were sometimes sold under the common names of Indian or Pakistani fat-tailed geckos, although those names are almost never used now. Some scientific literature also lists this species as the spotted fat-tailed gecko.

Wild-collected leopard geckos showing the species’ normal coloration and pattern.

Family Matters

Leopard geckos belong to the family Eublepharidae, which includes all geckos with movable eyelids. All other geckos lack eyelids; instead, they have clear scales covering their eyes, which they clean off with their tongues. The eyelids of leopard geckos lend them a lot of their cute charm.

The members of the family Eublepharidae also lack toe pads—more properly called subdigital setae—pads of tiny, hairlike, scaly projections on the undersides of the toes. These toe pads give the other geckos their famous climbing abilities. Therefore, leopard geckos and other eublepharid geckos are not able to climb smooth, vertical surfaces.

The family Eublepharidae is divided in two subfamilies: Eublepharinae and Aeluroscalabotinae. The subfamily Eublepharinae includes all geckos with eyelids except one: the odd little Indonesian creature known as the cat gecko, Aeluroscalabotes felinus. The cat gecko is classified in its own separate subfamily, Aeluroscalabotinae. The rare cat gecko is found in parts of Indonesia and Southeast Asia and is maintained and bred by only a small number of dedicated hobbyists. Some of the other well-known eublepharids (geckos with eyelids) in herpetoculture include the banded geckos (Coleonyx sp.) of the Western Hemisphere, the cave geckos (Goniurosaurus sp.) of East Asia, the African fat-tailed geckos (Hemitheconyx caudicinctus), and the occasionally imported African clawed gecko (Holodactylus africanus).

This book focuses on the popular leopard gecko but includes information on keeping and breeding all of the eublepharids found in the herp hobby. All members of the genus Eublepharis are known as leopard geckos. Besides the common leopard gecko, Eublepharis macularius of the pet trade, there are the Turkmenian leopard gecko, E. turcmenicus; the East Indian leopard gecko, E. hardwickii; the Iraqi or Iranian leopard gecko, E. angramainyu; and the West Indian leopard gecko, E. fuscus. The latter is of particular interest to hobbyists. It was initially described as a subspecies of the common leopard gecko (E. macularius fuscus) (Borner 1981) and then later elevated to full species status (Das 1997). The West Indian leopard gecko is one of the largest geckos, with a snout–vent length of nearly 10 inches.

The other leopard geckos are exceedingly rare in captivity. Most reptile keepers will never see one outside of a zoo, with the possible exception of the Iranian leopard gecko, which has been imported in small numbers. Because they are wild-caught, rare in the pet trade, and expensive, they are best left to advanced keepers and breeders.

Leopard Gecko Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Squamata

Infraorder: Gekkota

Family: Eublepharidae

Genus: Eublepharis

Species: macularius

Leopard geckos’ feet lack toe pads, rendering them unable to climb smooth surfaces.

The Basics

The leopard gecko is found in Afghanistan, northwestern India, and Pakistan. Its habitat is desert and dry grasslands. The majority of the early captive stock was imported from Pakistan, although some imports are said to have originated in Afghanistan. Nearly all of the leopard geckos for sale nowadays have been hatched from eggs laid in captivity.

Size and Growth

Adult leopard geckos can attain a maximum length of a little more than 8 inches (20.5 cm). Hatchlings have a total length of 3.25 to 3.5 inches (around 9 cm). Giant leopard geckos have been selectively bred over generations to reach a larger size. Giant leopard geckos can reach about a foot (30.5 cm) in length and a weight of 6 ounces (170 grams).

Compared to large lizards, the relative growth rate of leopard geckos is minimal, a twentyfold increase in weight from hatchling to adult. Hatchlings weigh about .10 of an ounce (2.5 to 3 grams). Adults typically weigh from 1.5 to a little more than 2 ounces (45 to 60 grams) but can attain a weight of 3.5 ounces (100 grams). Young adults can breed at 1 to 1.2 ounces (30 to 35 grams), and they usually reach adult size by around eighteen months.

Longevity

Leopard geckos are long-lived lizards. There is record of a male that was more than twenty-eight years old at the St. Louis Zoo. Herpetoculturist Ron Tremper reported another captive male specimen that lived to almost thirty-two years of age. Female leopard geckos generally have shorter life spans than males. The longevity record for a female leopard gecko is twenty years and ten months (Slavens and Slavens 1997). The normal life span of a pet leopard gecko is up to ten years, although males can live up to twenty years.

The leopard gecko’s natural habitats include deserts and dry grasslands.

Sexing

Males are somewhat more heavy-bodied and have slightly broader heads and thicker necks than females. The only reliable method for determining sex is to look at the underside of the animal. A male has a V-shaped row of enlarged preanal pores in front of the vent (the combined opening for wastes and mating) that may exude a waxy secretion. Another obvious characteristic of a mature male is the presence of paired swellings at the base of the tail. These swellings are called the hemipenal bulges because they house the hemipenes, which are the male sexual organs in lizards and snakes. In contrast, females have preanal pits rather than enlarged pores and lack paired swellings at the base of the tail.

Juveniles that are at least one month old can be sexed with some reliability by checking for developing preanal pores (in contrast to the barely hinted pits of female hatchlings). To look for these on juveniles, you will likely need a magnifying glass.

You might think that if you never intend to breed your leopard gecko, it doesn’t matter whether you have a male or a female or that you don’t need to determine the sex of your pet. However, it can matter for several reasons. For example, male leopard geckos are territorial and often will fight when kept together. If you plan on keeping more than one gecko, you must house only one male per enclosure. A female leopard gecko can sometimes develop eggs even if no male is present. The eggs will be infertile, but you will need to provide her a place to lay them just the same. And pet owners like to know whether their leopard geckos are males or females for naming purposes.

Useful Terms

Every hobby has its own jargon, and keeping reptiles is no exception. Here are some reptile-specific terms you will find in this book.

captive-bred: hatched from an egg that was laid in captivity.

herp: collective term for both reptiles and amphibians.

herper: a person who is interested in herps and has herps as pets; also called a herp hobbyist or herp keeper.

herpetoculture: the keeping and breeding of herps as pets.

herpetoculturist: someone who practices herpetoculture.

herpetologist: a scientist who studies reptiles and amphibians.

snout–vent length (SVL): the length of an animal from the tip of the nose to the vent; in other words, the length of the animal, not including the tail.

vivarium: an enclosure housing reptiles, amphibians, or other small animals, usually containing live plants, soil, and other natural features.

wild-caught: brought into the pet trade from its natural habitat.

Left: Close-up of a male leopard gecko’s tail base, showing enlarged preanal pores and hemipenal bulges. Right: Close-up of a female leopard gecko’s tail base.