| Scientific Name: | Eublepharis macularius |
| Origin: | Southern Asia, Pakistan to Northwest India |
| Size: | Males about nine inches, females slightly smaller. |
| Sexing: | Males will have two bulges at base of tail. Also they will have "V" shaped pores that run from the knees to the top of the vent. |
| Temperament: | Very tame, rarely bite and easily trained to be held, though don’t keep them away from their heated tank for too long. Males fight, so if you want more than one, get one male and multiple females or simply don’t get a male at all. |
| Life Span: | Over 20 years. |
| Habitat: |
Tank:One gecko should have at least 10 gallons, three can be successfully kept in a 20 long. Bigger tanks are needed if you want to keep more than that. The tank must have a good fitting screen on the top. Long, short tanks are far better than tall tanks.
Substrate: Do not use sand as the substrate because the geckos may eat the sand out of their desire for calcium or will ingest it when eating crickets and it will get impacted in their intestinal tract. Use soil or wood based substrate such as litter made from kenaf plant. Moss can also be used along with the soil or kenaf. Heating: Use a nocturnal reptile light or ceramic heater to heat the tank and perhaps an under tank heating pad in addition. If you use an under pad heater have some substrate on the bottom or it may burn the gecko. Temperature should be about 90 degrees during the day and may drop to 80 at night. Lighting: Leopard geckos are nocturnal, so you shouldn't use a day light. They don't need the UV rays and prefer that a night light is used so it stays dark. Other: Also provide a container, such as a canary nesting box, and fill it with moss from a pet store. Keep this moss damp. The gecko will spend the day in the box and it will make it easier for the gecko to shed. Also provide rocks or branches from a pet store for them to climb on. You should have a shallow, easily cleaned dish for fresh water. |
| Food: | Crickets, mealworms, and waxworms; adults may eat pinky mice about once a week. Crickets should be the main diet. Dust food with vitamins and feed every other day. Also, supply a dish with a bit of calcium powder or crushed calcium pellets made specifically for carnivorous reptiles. The gecko will eat the calcium directly from the dish. In addition to the shallow dish of water, spray the gecko's cage several times a day because she may not drink from the dish. They prefer to drink drops of water from leaves or the glass. |
