![]() ![]() Hatchlings can eat crickets that are 3/8 of an inch in length, juvenile geckos can eat crickets that are ¼ inch, and adult geckos can eat smaller adult to full adult sized crickets. ![]() As a rule of thumb, do not feed your gecko an insect that is larger in length than the space between your gecko’s eyes or they won’t be able to properly digest it. Juvenile leopard geckos require a daily feeding while adult geckos can be fed once every other day, as much as they will eat in a 15-20 minute period. Most pet leopard geckos will not eat dead insects, so make sure you have a good live-food source nailed down before you bring your pet leopard gecko home.įeed your leopard gecko late in the day or early in the evening to mimic their natural feeding times, but know that every gecko has different eating habits so there is no one ideal routine to follow. They do not and will not eat plants or vegetables, so don’t even offer them. In the wild leopard geckos are insectivores, eating just about anything that moves in front of them. Leopard gecko behavior can be very mellow though they can bite pretty hard if stressed or ill. Your gecko should be handled frequently to socialize them to your touch. It is important to consider the long term care that will be required before bringing a leopard gecko home, however, as geckos can live in captivity for a decade or longer. Leopard Gecko Care Levelĭue to their easy-going natures and relative ease of care, leopard geckos are a perfect choice for beginners through advanced herp enthusiasts. Some of the different morphs that exist are the albino leopard gecko, tangerine leopard gecko, patternless, carrot-topped or tailed, blizzard, jungle, giant, and super giant geckos. Since they have been such a popular pet and captive-bred for so long, there are many different color combinations and patterns to choose from (called morphs). Spots, Stripes, and Patterning of the Leopard Gecko They are typically covered in leopard-like spots or spots with thick horizontal bands. Leopard geckos are covered on top with bumpy skin and have smooth underbellies. Wild leopard geckos are typically darker in coloration while captive-bred leopard geckos have an assortment of skin colors and patterns. With their chubby tails and wide heads, leopard geckos are quite large as far as geckos go. In fact, they are the only gecko species with eyelids at all all other species of gecko have transparent membranes over their eyes that serve for protection. Leopard geckos stand apart from other gecko species by their movable eyelids. There’s even one male on record that was still breeding at the ripe old age of 27 ½. It’s not unusual for some male specimens to live upwards of 10, and even 20, years. Leopard geckoes, when compared to other reptiles, are a long-lived species, living for an average of six to ten years. Males of the super giant bloodline can grow to a length of about one foot and weigh up to 160 grams-over 5 ounces. Adult females typically grow to a length of 7 to 8 inches, with males growing to be between 8 and 10 inches. Leopard geckos generally tend to be medium-bodied animals, depending on the type, and weigh in between 45 and 65 grams as adults. Leopard gecko hatchlings average between 3 and 4 inches in length from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail. They have a distinctive blue mark on the top of their head that usually spans from eye to eye. Its banding and overall coloration tends to be gray with darker gray banding on a white background, and it exhibits a small amount of leopard spotting. It has the same smaller, more slender appearance as the Afghan leopard gecko. montanus was discovered in 1976 and is native to the Pakistan range. They appear smaller, more slender, lack the fat tails of the common leopard gecko, and tend to look more striped than spotted like the leopard gecko.Įublepharis m. Their range extends into the Hindi Kush Mountains. Afghan leopard geckos are native to South-Eastern Afghanistan along the Kabul River and its various tributaries. afghanicus) was first discovered in 1976 and is much smaller than the other leopard gecko subspecies. The Afghan leopard gecko ( Eublepharis m. The subspecies that do not have a common name are Eublepharis m. The subspecies with common names include the leopard gecko ( Eublepharis macularius) and the Afghan leopard gecko ( Eublepharis m. This is because all of the subspecies existed as one until the 1970s and early 1980s when taxonomists began separating reptile species into subspecies. The common leopard gecko has five officially recognized subspecies, not all of which have common names. If you’ve ever seen or kept one, it’s easy to understand how their spunky personalities and striking beauty have captured the hearts of herpetoculturists across the world. Leopard geckos have been captive-bred in the United States for more than thirty years and are one of the most commonly kept pet reptiles. ![]()
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