Leopard Gecko eBook 2

The Golden Book of Leopard Gecko Care


Table of Contents

Part 1: Introduction

Human, Meet the Leopard Gecko 5

Quick Facts: Leopard Gecko

7

Are You Ready for a Lizard At Home? 8

Proper Housing for a Leopard Gecko 9

Quick Shopping List 14

Adjusting the Tank Lighting and Environment Temperature 16

Hibernation Facts 19

Choosing the Right Substrate for Your Gecko 19

Part 2: Leopard Gecko Selection, Care & Diet

Leopard Gecko Selection 24

Choosing the Right Tank Mates 26


Notes on the Sex of Leopard Geckos

27

Nature’s Aesthetics at Work: Leopard Gecko Phases 28

The Diet of the Leopard Gecko 29

Pros and Cons: Crickets & Mealworms 31

Notes on Feeding Live Mealworms to Leopard Geckos 34

Supplements 35

Taking Care of Live Prey 36

Quick Facts: Nutrient Analysis of Common Crickets 43

On Converting Lizards from Live-Prey to Pre-Killed Prey 45

The Debate: Is Live Prey Safe for Lizards in Captivity? 45

Humane Pre-Killing of Lizard Prey 48

Obtaining Pre-Killed Prey 50


Preparing Feeding Pre-Killed Prey

50

Reluctant Lizards 52

Using Prey Caught from the Wild 53

Frequently Asked Questions: The Leopard Gecko 53

Part 3: Breeding Leopard Geckos

Proper Conditioning of Female Leopard Geckos 62

Preparing the Tank for Eggs 63

Facts About Egg-Laying Leopard Geckos 64

Handling the Eggs & Proper Incubation 65

Producing Male and Female Geckos 67

Caring for the Hatchlings 67

References 68


Part 1: Introduction

Human, Meet the Leopard Gecko The leopard gecko (scientifically classified as Eublepharis macularius) has become popular in the United States and in many parts of the world because of the wide availability of colors and the ease at which even first-time owners can take care of these reptiles. Leopard geckos are fairly smaller than their other gecko relatives. Their size is one of their most endearing traits. One can easily hold an adult leopard gecko in one hand without running the risk of dropping and injuring the reptile. They also have great dispositions and are well-suited to life in captivity. However, there is one big difference when it comes to leopard geckos: they do not climb walls like other larger geckos. Despite their inability to climb vertical surfaces, you will be pleased to know that they can explore their immediate surroundings as thoroughly as a wild ferret. Rocks, small shrubs – all these are fair game for an inquisitive leopard gecko. What makes a leopard gecko a worthy companion? Just look at its general lifespan. A leopard gecko can live up to twenty years in captivity! And that’s without extreme care since leopard geckos are naturally hardy and resilient little creatures.


All they need is a bit of heat and a clean tank – and that’s all they need to live for a very long time. So if you do decide to keep one and you exert consistent effort in feeding it the right diet and keeping its environment clean and disease-free, you can expect the little critter to hang around for a very long time. That’s the beauty of getting a leopard gecko. If we trace back to the original locations where the leopard gecko initially established itself, we would discover that the first populations of leopard geckos thrived in desert surroundings. Iraq, Pakistan and India are part of the group of countries where the leopard gecko first emerged. As you can see, these countries are generally hot places, which would explain why the leopard gecko was a hardy animal. All it needed was a bit of grass growth over a hot desert setting, and that’s it. Why are they called leopard geckos? Well they were given the name because of the distinct spots or marks found all over their bodies. Young leopard geckos or “juveniles” bear little resemblance to adult leopard geckos because of the thick, colored bands that cover their bodies. As a juvenile gecko matures, the intense color bands gradually disappear, and the distinct leopard-like spotting emerges. In terms of size, a leopard gecko can reach up to ten inches in the wild, but the same length can be achieved in captivity if the right diet and supplementation are given. Diet will be discussed later on in this book. Adult leopard geckos can weight as much as eighty grams. In the wild, leopard geckos are known to eat pretty much anything, though their staple or common diet is composed mainly of insects. These animals have very powerful jaws and will eat anything that their jaws can clamp on and crush.


Leopard geckos have even been known to challenge dangerous animals like scorpions. Leopard geckos are not daytime creatures. They prefer the coolness of the night, so when daytime comes, wild leopard geckos are nowhere to be found. They seek refuge in rock piles and logs and even large crevices in the ground where the temperature is much lower than the surface temperature. Quick Facts: Leopard Gecko Where are they Found? Leopard geckos can be found in desert areas. They are very accustomed to hot sand and sparse grass growths and can be found in countries like Pakistan. Where Can I Buy a Leopard Gecko? You can easily find leopard geckos in pet shops and reptile shows around the country. Breeders like Ron Tremper are well known for producing hybrids leopard geckos in an assortment of neat colors. What Should I Look for in a Leopard Gecko? Your first concern is finding a healthy leopard gecko that will live up to the species’ reputation of living up to 20 years in captivity. Alertness is a good indicator of health. The lizard should also feed readily if given an insect or mealworm. Pinkie mice are generally not recommended, though some breeders give their adult geckos one every now and then.


How Much Do They Cost? You can get a leopard gecko for as low as $20. Some of the larger varieties from individual breeders are sold for thousands of dollars. Avoid using the price tag as the basis for buying a leopard gecko. Instead, look at how the pet shop or breeder is handling the reptiles. If the reptiles are being treated well and appear healthy, then that’s the real basis for buying a lizard from a particular supplier.

How Big Are They?

Newly hatched leopard geckos are wee critters, measuring an average of only four inches in length. Giants can reach almost a foot in length, while regular leopard geckos (adults) almost always reach eight inches in length. How Long Do They Live? A well cared for leopard gecko can live up to twenty years in captivity. According to Ron Tremper, a leopard gecko breeder from Texas, he has a twenty-year old male that is still capable of breeding.

Are You Ready for a Lizard at Home? A leopard gecko, just like any other pet, requires special care and has very specific needs. View the list below to find out whether this pet is the right pet for you.

1. A gecko tank is typically ten to twenty gallons in capacity. Does your home have this much extra space?


Are you willing to rearrange your furniture or devote a small room for the tank?

2. Owning a lizard has its own set of expenditures. You

have to pay for trips to the veterinarian, supplement their diet with vitamins and minerals, provide heating and lighting equipment, etc. Are you willing to set aside a slice of your monthly budget for these expenses?

3. Having one lizard requires one tank, but having several

lizards may require two or three more tanks. If one of your leopard geckos is incompatible with sharing a tank, you may have to house that animal separately. Do you have extra space for another large tank, plus all of the equipment needed to make that tank habitable?

4. Reptiles sometime require the attention of a specialist. If

needed, can you bring your pet leopard gecko to a reptile veterinarian?

5. Leopard geckos can live from between ten to twenty

years. Are the members of your family amenable to lending a hand in its care and in the maintenance of its cage?

6. If you go away for long periods (like months), will

someone be available to take care of the pet?

7. Do you have other pets in the home? Will these pets be potential dangers to your new pet?

Proper Housing for a Leopard Gecko In captivity, it is recommended that a single adult leopard gecko be given roaming space equivalent to a ten gallon tank.


If you plan to keep a breeding pair (or just two leopard geckos to keep each other company) you must give them more space to move about. Remember, these animals are hardwired by nature to scamper and frolic across vast sand dunes. If you give them too little space to move about, they will certainly become unhappy. Giving them the minimum roaming space would ensure that your leopard geckos would remain happy and healthy. The more space you give them, the better off they are. Ideally, two or three leopard geckos should be housed in a twenty gallon tank. The ideal choice for gecko housing is a glass tank that is ten to twenty gallons in capacity. One of the main reasons is that glass tanks offer nearly 100% visibility. In one glance, you can tell what your pets are doing. Some gecko keepers use plastic tanks instead of glass ones. Plastic tanks are not necessarily cheaper, but they tend to be lighter and are not prone to being damaged easily. Whatever your final choice may be (a glass tank or a plastic tank), you should always keep in mind to buy a tank that is at least 12 inches in height. The cage or tank should also be secured with a wire cover, to prevent the critters from escaping. A cover also prevents live prey from jumping out or flying away. The wire cover of your gecko cage should also be able to adequately support an overhead heating lamp, if you decide to use one. The cover should also be designed in such a way that it allows for easy passage of air. If the cage is poorly ventilated, your geckos will suffer.


Before even buying the leopard geckos, you should prepare everything they would need beforehand. In addition to a spacious and clean tank, a leopard gecko also requires a sleeping box. A sleeping box simulates the crevices or small rock piles in the wild where they usually retreat during the daytime to sleep. Without a secure sleeping box, a leopard gecko would be very unhappy. Don’t worry about finding the right sleeping box for your new pets. When you buy the gecko tank, ask the pet store associate for sleeping boxes. These boxes are typically dome-shaped. Buy one sleeping box for each of your leopard geckos. If you want to give them a spare box, that too would work. Unlike other pets, leopard geckos do well with little water, since their water needs are taken care of through their steady diet of insects. However, you should still place a source of clean drinking water in the cage. The pan should not be too deep, as this can result in a gecko drowning. Prey can also drown in the water, and you only want to feed live, healthy insects to geckos. A leopard gecko does not have to drink too much water if he is in the wild. He can hunt for food continually, depending on what hunger or thirst he feels at the moment. A gecko tank is not similar to the wild. A tank is essentially a barren area that is completely dependent on human intervention. Without regular feedings by humans, a tank will not provide a steady stream of crickets and other insects that the geckos normally feed upon. Futhermore, without intervention, a tank can also become quite dirty and inhabitable. This is why it is so important to use materials that are easy to acquire and easy to clean. Steel and plastic are always good


choices when you are taking care of geckos. You want something that is as resilient as the leopard gecko in order to make sure it lasts. In addition to the gecko’s sleeping box, you should also provide a separate hiding box for all of the geckos in the tank. Like other reptiles, leopard geckos shed their skin ever so often. You will see this natural wonder occurring more often when you opt for juveniles (small) leopard geckos. As they gain weight and size, these juveniles will shed skin continually. It is very important that they have a hiding place with relatively high humidity compared to the rest of the cage. The extra humidity in the air is needed to keep the shedding skin soft and pliable. Soft, moist skin is easier to slough off than tough, dry skin. The concern with the leopard gecko’s shedding habits is not limited to the aesthetic realm. In fact, shedding itself, if not carried out by the animal correctly, can cause the gecko bodily harm. How is this possible? Well, think of it this way: a leopard gecko needs to shed its old skin because it is becoming too small for the skin. The leopard gecko simply allows the skin to slough off or drop off naturally. Obviously, the most difficult skin to shed is located on the digits. If the air becomes too dry, the old skin becomes stuck. The leopard gecko continues its weight and size increase, and the small ring of dead skin around the digits cuts off blood supply to the vital extremities. And you know what happens when blood circulation is interrupted – that’s right, living tissue dies. This is the reason why there are many adult leopard geckos in the wild that are missing one or two digits.


Skin that has not completely sloughed off also presents problems to the leopard gecko’s eyes. Skin that becomes stuck in the ocular area can become easy sources of infection. When infection sets in, the sensitive eyes of the gecko may become permanently damaged because they were not able to completely remove the dead skin during shedding. We wouldn’t want this to happen to our own leopard geckos – that’s why we have devised a simple solution to this problem: the hiding box. Here’s how you can make your own hiding box:

1. Look for an empty plastic tub at home. An empty (and dry) margarine or butter tub would be perfect for a hiding box.

2. Make a hole on the side or the bottom of the plastic tub.

The hole should be big enough to allow the leopard gecko to climb in and climb out easily, without cutting or bruising itself.

3. Next, light a match and melt the edges of the new hole

that you have just created. The fire will melt the sharp sides of the new hole and will make the entry hole that much friendlier to the leopard gecko.

4. You have to keep the hiding box moist. You can do this

by placing wet paper towels inside. During the first few days, observe what your new leopard geckos do to the tub. Replace torn and dirty paper towels.

You can also opt for vermiculite, but the animal may kick away the vermiculite. If you succeed with introducing vermiculite, it should be replaced at least once every 30 days.


If you continue to use paper towels, daily or at least thrice-weekly replacements are necessary. Note that a leopard gecko may opt not to use his sleeping box anymore if the hiding box is much more comfortable. Still, it would be best if you can keep both types of boxes inside the tank to give the leopard geckos an option. In addition to providing a place where the leopard gecko can easily shed its skin, moist hide boxes are also essential if you want a pair of geckos to produce some eggs. Leopard geckos (like other reptilian species) prefer laying and hatching their eggs where it’s dark, safe and away from the glaring light. Do you need to add plants? Not necessarily. But you can add some real or artificial plants just to add a nice touch of the wild to your gecko tank. Decorations such as rock piles can also be considered as these add texture and interest to your tank. Geckos need to be stimulated, too! Do you plan to buy pre-fabricated leopard gecko cages and kits? Pre-fabricated tanks or cages are fine as long as the size (height and width) is adequate. These cages usually come complete with beddings (substrate), sleeping boxes, hiding boxes, pans and lids for food, water and supplements (vitamins & mineral supplementation), saucers (provided specifically for live prey like mealworms) and a heat source (usually, manufacturers opt for heat tapes instead of more expensive overhead heating lamps).

Quick Shopping List

Ready to go shopping for you pet leopard gecko? We have


prepared a special shopping list for you, to make things easier.

1. Gecko tank – remember, 10 to 20 gallons is preferred for 1-2 leopard geckos.

2. Cover – the cover for the gecko tank should allow

adequate ventilation and should also prevent the geckos and live prey from escaping.

3. Cover clamps – make sure that the covers you are

buying have clamps. If not, buy separate clamps so you can sleep confidently at night, knowing that your leopard gecko will not be disturbed by anyone (including your other pets).

4. Stand – your gecko tank should be elevated to protect

it from pets and from being accidentally damaged.

5. Overhead heating lamp – the optimum choice for leopard geckos.

6. Heat mat – option # 2 for people who don’t like

overhead heating lamps.

7. Thermostat – for quick and accurate temperature control.

8. Substrate – choose the right type of substrate for the

age of your leopard geckos. Newspaper should be used for tanks containing very young or newly hatched leopard geckos.

9. UV lamp – should be installed only if the tank has live

plants. Geckos do not need UV light; they are creatures of the night.


10. Reptile bulbs – nice additions to any tank, as they

allow you to admire your geckos at night.

11. Decorations – rocks and even dry pieces of wood can be added to tanks to add interest and texture to the tank.

12. Plastic plants – for people who do not want to

maintain live plants inside the vivarium/tank.

13. Hiding box

14. Shallow dish for water

15. Dish or pan for food like mealworms, etc. Adjusting the Tank Lighting and Environmental Temperature

Your next task as a gecko keeper is to make sure that the tank is lighted properly and maintains a constant, comfortable temperature for the geckos. As we have mentioned earlier in the book, a leopard gecko only needs a few things to survive – and one of these vital needs is a little heat. The tank must have constant heating to ensure that the little critters will not be chilled at night. The purpose of installing tank lighting is to give the leopard geckos a regular light cycle. Unlike other animals, these geckos do not need ultraviolet light. They are most active at night and they simply hide in their shelters during the daytime. What can you use to ensure that your geckos have a constant source of heat? You have two choices. The first choice is the


most common for many gecko enthusiasts – overhead heating lamps. If you think the extra light produced by these lamps is a bit too much, you can opt for something less obtrusive like a heating pad specially designed for aquariums. These heating pads still provide heat but do not emit any light. Some pet shops might give you the option of heating rocks. Should you use heat rocks instead of heating pads or lamps? In a word, no. The problem with these heat rocks is that they do not contribute to the overall temperature balance of the entire gecko tank. What they do provide is heating for a small area. Thus, only an isolated spot and not the whole tank will receive the much-needed heat. Another option for instant lighting (not necessarily heat) is aquarium fixtures. These aquarium fixtures are easy to install and are relatively inexpensive. If you plan to buy a newly hatched or juvenile albino leopard gecko, note that this variety is sensitive to light. Apart from this minor trait, they are just as interesting as the other varieties of leopard geckos. When an albino reaches maturity or adulthood, the sensitivity to light gradually fades and they’re good to go any time of the day (though they are more active at night, of course). When installing a heating source, place the heating source on one end of the gecko tank. This allows for progressive distribution of heat and also allows the leopard gecko to seek the best spot in the tank. Some geckos are heat-loving while others prefer just a little heat.


At one end of the gecko tank, make sure that the temperature reaches no less than ninety degrees Fahrenheit (we are referring to the surface temperature of the tank). The air temperature should be more or less equal with the surface temperature. The heating source should never be turned off. Invest in a reliable heating source because geckos need heat twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The primary concern for many people who want to take care of reptiles is the nocturnal habits of reptiles. When will they see their pets in action? How? Don’t worry about your pets hiding out too much because you can install “reptile bulbs” to encourage the reptiles to roam free at night. Reptile bulbs do not emit bright light, but they still allow for a high level of visibility in the tank. This way you can just switch off the overhead lighting to simulate nighttime and switch on the reptile bulbs so you can see the geckos scamper across the tank. During winter time, you may want to use a timer so that the retiles will receive overhead lighting for only 10 hours everyday. During spring, the overhead lighting can be extended to 12 hours. During the hottest and brightest seasons of the year, leopard geckos enjoy receiving light for fourteen hours each day. As a final note, do not position your gecko tank in spots around the house that experience extreme changes in temperature. Do not place your gecko tank near windows, on the deck or outside your door, because these spots experience extreme heat and extreme cold. Your leopard


geckos would be better off in a dedicated room inside your home where the temperature and humidity is fairly constant.

Hibernation Facts Leopard geckos in captivity can be kept in such a way that they do not undergo the natural process of hibernation during the winter. However, some pet keepers like the idea of hibernation because it gives them a chance to take a break from their lizard-keeping duties. So how do you condition a leopard gecko to undergo hibernation during wintertime? Simply reduce the heat in the tank. When the surface and air temperature of the tank reaches 70 degrees or lower, the leopard gecko will undergo hibernation. What does a hibernating leopard gecko look like?

ü It doesn’t move as much even at night. ü It doesn’t eat as much. ü Its general metabolism is much, much lower.

Does a hibernating leopard gecko require feeding? Yes. But feed it only once a week and very lightly at that. A hibernating gecko that has large fat stores may also decline from food altogether. If the gecko seems disinterested in food, remove the live prey or pre-killed prey from the tank immediately. Choosing the Right Substrate for Your Gecko In addition to a spacious tank, a continuous heat source and your choice of lighting for the day and night cycles, choosing


the right kind of substrate for your gecko tank is also of paramount importance. The substrate is the material that will form the floor of the gecko tank. The most common choice for many gecko keepers is newspaper, though it might not be the most aesthetically pleasing choice. Newspapers do have their advantages. They’re easy to come by and they can easily be removed from the tank and replaced with a fresh batch. People also like newspapers because adult geckos generally do not feed on papers. Another possible choice for a tank substrate is fine sand. Don’t run to the beach just yet – leopard geckos need something finer than beach sand. If you can buy a few sacks of play sand (sand used for those beach yard play sets), then you are on the right track. The only problem with sand is that adult geckos (and even newly hatched and juvenile geckos) tend to lick the sand. If this happens, the calcium supplementation of the leopard gecko must be increased. A short consultation with your veterinarian should provide you with a list of the best calcium supplements out there for reptiles. If you want to take care of small, baby leopard geckos, do not use sand as a tank substrate. Baby geckos (like human babies) have poor judgment when differentiating edibles and inedible items. Baby geckos might end up ingesting a few spoons of fine sand, which may result in an impacted digestive system. And an impacted digestive system, if left untreated, may very well


lead to the early demise of the poor animal. Instead of fine sand, use old newspapers and magazines. When can you start using sand? Wait until the leopard gecko reaches the age of at least six months old. That’s when geckos cross over from being a juvenile to an active, inquisitive adult. If you want to buy sand from your local pet shop, make sure that the sand being offered to you is declared “reptile safe”. “Digestible” sand can also be used as a substrate for your gecko tank. Leopard geckos are fastidious little critters. They know that they have to keep their surroundings clean. That’s why during your first few days together you will notice that the leopard gecko only uses a specific spot (or a few specific spots) in the tank as a bathroom. When these spots become dirty, simple remove the soiled substrate and let the geckos resume their daily romp around the cage. That’s the beauty of using a large tank – clean-ups are a breeze and you don’t have to disturb the animals at all. That’s less work for you and less stress for the animal. When placing water, food or cleaning up in your gecko’s tank, avoid spilling water on the substrate. Wet sand has been known to cause respiratory problems in geckos. If the sand does become wet, simply remove the wet sand with a trowel. Apart from fine sand, you can also make use of substrates such as pea gravel. However, note that some substrates (like soil) may have been exposed to chemical agents like pesticides.


Avoid these substrates at all cost. Substrates that may have been treated with commercial fertilizers are also a big no-no for gecko tanks. Keep the tank as pristine and chemical-free as possible and you can expect a long, happy life with your pet gecko. Expose the animal to toxins and you can expect a heap of medical issues later on.

The Good The Bad Fine sand – highly recommended for healthy, adult leopard geckos. However, newly hatched geckos should not be placed in tanks with fine sand as they are likely to ingest the substrate, mistaking it as food.

Potting soil – never a good choice due to possible traces of chemicals like biocides and pesticides.

Orchid bark – fast becoming the choice for many reptile keepers, orchid bark mixes are a good choice. Be careful with younger geckos as they may ingest too much of the material.

Astroturf – while some keepers like the look of bound Astroturf, many enthusiasts decline this substrate because geckos tend to feed off the edges. This material is inedible and can easily cause impaction in the gecko’s bowels.

Newspaper – almost the perfect substrate, though its appearance is less desirable than other types of substrate. Easy to clean up and even easier to replace.

Cedar and other wood shavings – may cause respiratory problems and poisoning in some cases.

Walnut substrate – there have been some reported cases of gecko mortalities after the poor animals


ingested the crushed substrate. Not recommended for beginning keepers or for newly hatched geckos.

Silica sand – non-digestible material; avoid using this substrate.


Part 2: Leopard Gecko Selection, Care &

Diet Leopard Gecko Selection When acquiring leopard geckos, your best choice is still a pet shop or a good breeder. There really is no need to catch leopard geckos in the wild, since there is no assurance that the geckos in the wild are healthier or more aesthetically pleasing than those that were hatched and raised in captivity. Natural populations of leopard geckos are important. Let them breed and roam free. When buying one from a breeder or a pet shop, look at how they keep their animals. If the gecko tanks seem dirty and maintained poorly, do not buy from the breeder or pet shop. State your reason and try to find another breeder. The reason for this is simple: we want to reward good breeders and pet shops with our patronage. We do not want to give irresponsible breeders or pet shops the impression that their treatment of the animals does not matter. Not buying from these people will teach them an important lesson: there is already an increasing awareness of how leopard geckos and other pets should be treated. Here’s what a healthy gecko should look like:

1. The gecko should be standing erect, with its body away from the ground. The head should be pointing jauntily forward.


2. A healthy gecko is constantly alert and has bright, clear

eyes.

3. Look at the tail of the gecko. Is it long and fat? No wounds or signs of disease?

4. A healthy leopard gecko has a full, firm body.

5. A healthy leopard gecko should also be able to eat in

front of you, when fed live crickets or mealworms. If the gecko refuses to eat, then there may be something wrong with the fellow. Do not buy a leopard gecko that does not seem interested in fresh food.

Do not buy old, debilitated leopard geckos. These animals have a high probability of dying. There is a big risk associated with debilitated animals because they might not respond to care and extra supplementation. An important reminder: never grab a leopard gecko by the tail! These animals have a trait called caudel autotomy that allows them to escape predators by instantly breaking off their tails. When a gecko’s tail falls off, the muscles in the broken tail will continue to move. The predator would become distracted by the dismembered tail, which then gives the leopard gecko a window of opportunity to escape. When a leopard gecko breaks off its tail, a new tail will grow in its place after some weeks. The new tail will be shorter and stouter than the original. You can easily compare a new tail with an old tail by looking at the tip. Newly grown tails have stouter tips.


Choosing the Right Tank Mates If you want to take care of just one leopard gecko, there is no “ideal” sex. Males and females are equally adaptive in captivity. But if you want to take care of two leopard geckos, that is a completely different proposition. Never attempt to keep two male leopard geckos in the same tank. It does not matter whether they were hatched together or not – they will go at each other with all their might. If you keep an adult male and female together in a tank, you will get eggs. The presence of eggs in a tank does not necessarily mean that you will get hatchlings. If you do not want the geckos to multiply, you can simply throw away the eggs (proper hatching will be discussed later on in the book). If you are interested in breeding the geckos, then you will find out soon enough how readily these lizards can mate and reproduce. Numerous geckos can be kept in the same tank without the possibility of producing eggs if you keep an all female group of geckos. Unlike male leopard geckos, female leopard geckos do not exhibit aggressiveness in captivity. Instead of fighting until one (or both) geckos die, females simply develop a hierarchy among themselves. The hierarchy is what keeps aggressiveness and territoriality among the lizards at bay. Occasionally, a dominant female leopard gecko may exhibit some degree of hostility against another female in the tank. In such instances, it is important


to separate the warring geckos to prevent any of the two from injuring each other. Notes on the Sex of Leopard Geckos If this is your first time to handle and care for lizards, you might be wondering as to how you can tell the males and females apart. Viewed from the top, male and female geckos cannot be told apart from each other. In fact, males and females have more or less the same girth, length and weight. What you have to do is to flip them over and look at the horizontal space right before the tail. Female leopard geckos have clear skin before the tail – no bulges or enlarged pores. The direct opposite can be seen in male geckos – they have what we call pre-anal pores. These enlarged, bulging pores follow a distinct, loose V-shaped pattern. Some of you might be interested in breeding these animals. Here’s some quick information about hatching male and female geckos.

ü Incubation temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit or less will result in female geckos (if applied at sixteen days of development)

ü Incubation temperature of 90 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit

will result in male geckos (if applied at sixteen days of development)

Many breeders use this age-old technique, but there are still some exceptions.


Nature’s Aesthetics at Work: Leopard Gecko Phases The appearance of a leopard gecko is dependent on its phase. Phases have a bearing on the leopard gecko’s appearance only. Commercial breeders have come up with interesting phases or varieties over the years. This section of the book will discuss the most common phases.

1. High yellow – this variety is the closest to what can be considered as a leopard gecko’s normal phase. Color is deeper and brighter if contrasted with a gecko’s normal phase. High yellows tend to have less spots than geckos in their normal phase.

2. Jungles – this variety has color similar to high yellows;

however, during the geckos’ juvenile phase, there are irregular bands instead of a discernable even spot pattern. As the jungles mature, the spot pattern generally follows the earlier band pattern.

3. Lavender – again, this variety is similar to high yellow

leopard geckos. The only difference is that they are lighter and the spot pattern is less dense. Patterned bands (a residual trait from their juvenile phase) are also visible even during adulthood. These light bands are lavender in color.

4. Leucistic – leucistic leopard geckos have clear skin and

do not have other colored spots or markings on their skin. Their color is described as “deep” or “high yellow”. Because there are no spot patterns, the color appears brighter.


5. Tangerine – as the name implies, this variety has a more orange tone than yellow.

6. Snows - this variety has been bred to produce more

white pigment than yellow pigment.

7. Albinos – this variety has little black pigment in its system.

8. Abysinnians – Abysinnians are capable of expressing

nearly every color on their skin except black. They are produced by crossing an Eclipse gecko and a Raptor gecko. This variety has visible vein lines in the eyes.

9. Emerine – a combination of orange and green

dominate the color pattern of an Emerine gecko’s body. Emerine is produced not by crossing two varieties of geckos together, but through color manipulation through temperature changes.

10. Eclipse – specially bred leopard geckos with eyes that

express only the black pigment. 11. Raptors – specially bred leopard geckos with eyes that express a deep red pigment. Raptors also have snake-like eyes. The Diet of the Leopard Gecko Like almost all other lizard pets, the leopard gecko fares well on one diet only: insects and mealworms. Leopard geckos do not nibble on vegetables, nor do they like eating fruits. They feed exclusively on insects. The most common choice is crickets but you can also use super-worms and meal-worms.


Before feeding the insects to your gecko, the insects must first be given a nutritious meal. Give your insects at least twelve hours to feed on hog mash or specially formulated mixes from pet stores before feeding them as live prey to your leopard gecko(s). To feed your insects, pour the mash or mix into a plastic tub and cover the tub to prevent the insects from escaping. Allow them to eat for half a day and voila – these insects are ready to be fed to your pet geckos. Add a fresh potato to the tub with the insects so they have a source of moisture, too. Now, it is important to deliver mineral supplementation to your leopard geckos on a daily basis. There are two ways that you can do this. The first method is called “dusting”. You place the insects to be fed in a clear plastic bag and you follow up with some calcium powder (such supplements can be purchased from pet stores). Shake the bag a few times to coat the insects completely. After that, gently place the live insects in the tank and wait for the leopard geckos to feed on them. Avoid getting powder into the eyes of the geckos, as this may cause infection or it may damage the eyes of the gecko. The second method of providing calcium supplementation is by pouring the powder in a small lid or pan in the cage. The leopard gecko is capable of determining how much calcium it needs and will lick only a sufficient amount of the supplement from the pan. Feed your leopard geckos once every 2 days. Give them three to four crickets (dusted, or otherwise). You can also give them up to ten mealworms every meal. When leopard geckos shed their skin, they normally eat their old skin.


As you may have read in an earlier section of this book, leopard geckos need relatively little water to survive, because they get their moisture requirements from the insects they eat. This does not mean that they do not need water. In fact, it is essential that you make fresh water available at all times in the cage. A good water pan is shallow enough for insects and leopard geckos to climb onto without drowning. It should also be relatively stable, so that the animals will not be able to tip over the pan. Remember, leopard geckos climb over tank decorations, pans, lids and almost anything else that their feet can grab hold of. Keep the water pristine and do not add anything to the water, not even vitamins. Vitamin and mineral supplementation should be given separately at all times. Pros and Cons: Crickets & Mealworms Mealworms and crickets are considered staple foods of the leopard gecko. But which is better? That’s for you to decide. We’ve taken the liberty of compiling the benefits and disadvantages of both these types of prey. Crickets Pros

ü If fed as live prey, crickets add to the stimulation of the leopard gecko. However, bear in mind that a disinterested gecko can be the target of hungry crickets. So make sure that the live cricket has been gut-loaded and dusted prior to being placed in the gecko tank.


ü Crickets exceed the nutrients that can be provided by

mealworms. They also contain more essential nutrients than mealworms.

ü The protective covering of crickets is also thinner than

the protective outer layer of mealworms. This may help in the digestion process. (Large, adult crickets may have thicker exoskeletons than smaller variants.)

Cons

ü A volume purchase of live crickets from your local pet store means you have to prepare housing and food for the crickets. They’re cheap, but it doesn’t mean that you can store them like a box of cereal. If you don’t feed them all, they will die.

ü Since you have lots of live crickets, you may be tempted

to place more crickets than needed.

This is not a recommended practice because uneaten crickets will eventually attempt to gnaw at your lizard. And a disinterested leopard gecko does not react that much (especially during the daytime).

ü Crickets that have not been gut-loaded will eat anything,

including lizard waste. When the leopard gecko finally eats the crickets, the parasite eggs in the crickets will be transferred to the lizard. This will automatically increase the parasitic load of the leopard gecko.

ü Small, frequent feedings are ideal for leopard geckos.

Feed them everyday, but only a few crickets at a time. This is better than feeding them only twice a week with 12 live crickets per feeding.


ü Crickets are odoriferous, so be prepared to deal with the

smell.

ü Without proper housing, crickets can also escape.

ü Crickets are noisy little critters. Mealworms Pros

ü Mealworms, being what they are don’t do much. So the risk of losing a few of them through escape is very small.

ü A volume purchase of mealworms is easier to deal with

than a volume purchase of live crickets. You can just freeze the mealworms and thaw them out when you need to feed your pet lizard.

ü Since they don’t move, you can place them on a shallow

eating pan or dish. The leopard geckos can eat them at leisure, without being bugged by the mealworms.

Cons

ü Feeding mealworms require the use of a feeding pan, so you have to regularly clean the pan and refill it. More work for the lizard owner!

ü Mealworms have tougher exoskeletons.

ü Though mealworms cannot escape the tank they can dig

through the substrate. If you use fine sand for your tank, it would be difficult to find all of the mealworms if the feeding pan has been tipped over.


ü Because they don’t move, they don’t stimulate the

leopard gecko that much. Notes on Feeding Live Mealworms to Leopard Geckos Like crickets, live mealworms should also be gut-loaded before being fed to leopard geckos. It’s fairly easy to gut-load them. Buy cricket food (the one designed for gut-loading) and calcium powder. Pour some of the food and the calcium supplement on the feeding dish where the live mealworms are placed. The presence of cricket food will make the mealworms crawl around – they become more interesting prey this way. Active prey will encourage adult leopard geckos to feed from the feeding pan (especially if you are trying to convert them from eating live crickets to eating live mealworms). To keep the mealworms completely happy in the feeding dish, place a few slices of fresh carrots in the dish. The carrot slices will be their source of water, which is always important when you are tending live prey. The same applies when you want to place live crickets in a gecko tank. A slice of potato should be added (or at least a water pan should be installed) so the crickets will have a source of moisture. Myth or Truth? You have to pinch off a mealworm’s head before giving it to a reptile during feeding, because the mealworm can chew threw the reptile’s stomach.


Answer: Myth. Leopard geckos were designed to eat such prey. They are capable of chewing and disabling the mealworms. And a gecko’s digestive process is acidic! Supplements Reptile supplementation is often done through the process of gut-loading. Whatever goes into the prey also goes into the leopard gecko. That’s why it is so important to invest in cricket food or mealworm food when you buy live prey for your pet lizard. When choosing food for crickets, look for high-calcium cricket food. Cricket food comes in large jars and small cans. If you are not raising crickets at home, you can just buy a few live crickets from a pet shop and gut-load them for some hours prior to feeding. Here’s what you can do to gut-load a few crickets. Get an old glass jar (similar to the ones used for candles) and place some cricket food there. Place the crickets inside and place a plastic sheet over the rim of the glass container. Punch a few holes through the plastic so the crickets will not suffocate. Use a few rubber bands and secure the crickets. Allow them to feed for a few hours. Place some fresh fruit inside the cricket house, too, for moisture. Never place live crickets without gut-loading them, as they have a tendency to eat anything they can find. Shed skin, dead mealworms, feces, etc. All are fair game to the hungry cricket. Now, as for vitamin supplements, leopard geckos do not need Vitamin D3. They get their Vitamin D3 from the crickets and


mealworms they eat. Buy reptile vitamins marked for “indoor” lizards. Don’t be confused. Some lizard species require UV light to produce Vitamin D3. These are called basking reptiles or basking lizards. However, leopard geckos do not bask out in the sun. Delivering powdered vitamin supplements is easy. As we have already tackled earlier in this book, dusting is an efficient means of delivering vitamins to geckos. If you want to breed geckos, know that adult females must be given extra calcium supplementation in order to breed properly. In addition to dusted crickets, place a small dish of vitamin powder in the tank as well. Taking Care of Live Prey Many breeders prefer keeping their own live prey for their leopard geckos. This section of the book will discuss the basics of keeping the most common types of live prey for geckos/leopard geckos. Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Hissing cockroaches are generally shy creatures and scamper for cover when their home is disturbed. Male and female cockroaches are usually three to four inches in size. The following are needed if you want to start your own colony of Madagascar hissing cockroaches:

a. Rubbermaid tote (at least 18 gallons in capacity)


b. Egg flats (made form cardboard; you would need about 5 of these egg flats)

c. Food pan d. Drinker (like the ones used for chicks)

Notes:

ü The egg flats should be placed vertically in the Rubbermaid tote.

ü Feeding pans and water pans should be placed side-by-

side and secured.

ü This setup can house half a thousand hissing cockroaches easily.

ü During the day, the temperature inside the Rubbermaid

tote should be kept at a minimum of 85 degrees Fahrenheit. At night, the temperature should not drop below 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

ü You can easily find out if the temperature inside the

Rubbermaid tote is too low. If the adult hissing cockroaches are not reproducing, the temperature inside the cage is too low. Adjust accordingly.

ü Feed the hissing cockroaches hog mash or chick mash.

Avoid using pellets. If pellets are the only food source available, use a food processor to grind the pellets to a fine powder.

ü Fresh water should be provided to the roaches.

ü If the cage is ideal for reproduction, the roaches will

begin mating. Hissing cockroaches do not lay eggs. Their


young are born alive. Healthy adult roaches live up to three years in captivity.

Crickets Crickets are considered the staple food of leopard geckos. They are easy to find (or buy) and can be fed a variety of food, including fish feeds, monkey chow (this food must be ground first to powder before feeding to crickets), etc. For moisture, something as simple as a wet sponge can be placed inside the cricket’s housing. Fresh potatoes can also be used. If the idea of putting fresh veggies or fruits does not appeal to you, here’s what you can do to provide a clean water supply: get a small, shallow bowl and fill it with fine pebbles. Pour enough water in the bowl, but make sure that enough surface area is left so crickets can land, drink and jump away again. If the water source is too deep, the crickets can drown. For housing, invest in a small aquarium. One side of the aquarium should be designated as the feeding area. Don’t place the feeding pans and drinking pans across the whole aquarium. The aquarium should also be covered with a fine screen to prevent the insects from crawling out. Fill the aquarium with cardboard cores found in every roll of tissue paper. These paper cores are functional; when you need to feed your geckos, you simply take out a few of these paper rolls and shake them quickly inside the gecko tank. The crickets fall out, and the geckos have an instant meal. No mess, no fuss. There are many suppliers of crickets around the United States. They cater to the communities and circles of lizard


enthusiasts who prefer live prey for their pets. You can bulk purchase the insects from these suppliers. The crickets will be delivered to you in boxes. Of course, you wouldn’t want to keep the insects in the boxes, since they can easily suffocate and die. Remember, you want live insects for your lizards. Dead insects are not part of a healthy lizard’s diet. The big problem here is how you can actually transfer the crickets from one housing to another. Here’s what you can do: cut a hole in the holding box and quickly shakes the contents of the box into a large plastic bag. A small garbage bag is a good choice for this task. Then open the housing completely and remove the egg cartons inside. Remove the remaining insects by hand and place them inside the plastic bag. Close the plastic bag with one hand and hold one end of the bag with the other hand. Elevate the lower end of the bag so that the insects fall toward the open end. Create a funnel for the crickets and allow the insects to fall into the aquarium that you have prepared. Manually transfer any stragglers into the aquarium and cover the tank securely with wire cover. There is some maintenance work involved when taking care of live crickets. At least once a month, inspect the cricket tank and remove any dead crickets. Shedding is also part of a cricket’s habits, so you have to remove any shedding in the tank.


After a few weeks, the paper cores in the cricket tank will become dirty and disheveled. You have to remove these too and replace with fresh paper cores. All unused food and water sources (potatoes, fresh fruit, etc.) must be removed. The aquarium should also be washed at least once a month. Warm water with a bit of gentle soap should do. Use a scrub to remove solid waste from the glass. Wipe the glass and expose to sunlight. Let the tank dry completely before using again. In the meantime, the crickets can stay in a spare tank or box while their permanent housing is being cleaned. To be successful in creating a cricket colony, every lizard keeper should be aware of what these insects can actually feed on. We should be greatly concerned with the crickets’ nutrition for two main reasons:

1. If you want the crickets to survive captivity and actually breed, they need a diet that would be close to what the insects have access to in the wild.

2. Well-fed and healthy crickets are pure nourishment for

leopard geckos. The care and proper nutrition that you give to your crickets is transferred to your pet lizard/s during feeding.

Mealworms Mealworms are great sources of protein and many lizard keepers prefer these wriggling critters to insects. If you buy them from suppliers, you have to remember that mealworms, if left to their own devices, can continue their development and may emerge as fully-grown, adult beetles.


You wouldn’t want this to happen if you want to feed the mealworms directly, so make sure that you chill the critters immediately to halt their growth. The Tenebrio variety is the most common choice for feeding lizards. Mealworms can be given moist bran, baby cereal and alfalfa hay (you have to grind or mash the hay first). For the purpose of gut-loading, you may add vitamin supplements specifically designed for reptiles to your choice of food for the mealworms. As for the source of water, you can give them a slice of fresh potato. If you are ready to breed them, you will need a small tank with a screen cover. Buy a large batch of mealworms and let the mealworms experience room temperature. In a few days, the mealworms will transform to beetles. Leave some of the adult beetles in the tank so you can get more larvae. You have to be careful as these critters can multiply fairly quickly if you give them ideal conditions (lots of food, water, ideal temperature, etc.). Kingworms If you want to raise kingworms for your leopard geckos, you would need to provide chick mash, bird seed mash or chick crumble which has been layered with pellets. For the water source, you can just add a fresh slice of whatever juicy fruit or vegetable you have lying around. Again, if the idea of using fresh fruit or veggies seems a bit off-putting, you can use a wet sponge instead. Do not place the wet sponge on the floor of the tank on its own.


Use a small jar lid to separate the moisture from the sponge and the dry food. Keep the food as dry as possible because moist food spoils more quickly than dry food. Don’t worry about the kingworms – they are capable of climbing vertical surfaces. They can easily find the water pan and the food pan inside the tank. To start breeding the insect, you have to isolate them from the rest of the worms. Place one kingworm in a small, dark container (like those small containers used for films) and cover the container. In about fourteen days, the kingworm will turn into a pupa, then into a beetle. Place the beetles in another tank that has been equipped with a dry, porous piece of wood. They will use this wood to lay eggs. Within a month, you may begin to see small worms climbing out of the porous wood. For some, the process takes longer, up to sixty days. Be patient and make sure that your adult beetles are alive and well inside the tank. Everything takes time, and raising live prey requires more time than anything else. If the tanks are getting dirty, all you have to do is manually transfer the kingworms and beetles to a temporary housing and remove all the rotten bedding and food inside the tank. Replace the bedding (paper towels are good bedding material) and remove any dead kingworms inside the tank. You may also wash the tank and air dry it before transferring the beetles and kingworms once again into their old abode. Here are some things that you should remember when you are raising insects and larvae:


1. A weak lizard can become the insect’s dinner if the animal does not kill the insect or worm before actually consuming it. If your lizard does not seem interested in killing the insects, you may have to disable the live prey yourself before offering it to your pet lizards.

2. Bigger does not necessarily mean better. Large crickets

and large worms have actually caused problems with some lizards.

Therefore, if you can feed the smaller insects in larger quantities, you are actually providing your pet leopard gecko with more nutrients. Large insects have large exoskeletons – the hard, outer-covering – that cannot be digested. Chitin, a key component of many insect exoskeletons, is not digestible and can cause impacted insect bowels.

3. Gut-loading is an ideal practice and is recommended

before every feeding. Dusting is also recommended, especially if your leopard gecko has developed the habit of licking the fine sand substrate in its tank.

Quick Facts: Nutrient Analysis of Common Crickets

ü The banded cricket has the highest moisture content (71.8%) compared to the black, silent and brown crickets. The black field cricket on the other hand, has the lowest moisture content among the four.

ü The black field cricket has the highest fat percentage

among the four major cricket types. This cricket also leads in terms of calcium content.


ü The brown house cricket has the highest protein content among the four types, which makes it an ideal staple food for leopard geckos. With calcium supplementation, you wouldn’t have to switch to other crickets too often.

Did You Know?

The locust may be the healthiest choice for leopard geckos. Unfortunately, it’s one of the most expensive protein sources for lizards, which makes it an unappetizing choice for many lizard keepers. If you can get them cheap in your local area, by all means, feed them to your leopard geckos! Wax worms (like catnip) can be given to leopard geckos only as a treat and an infrequent treat at that. Wax worms do not provide adequate amounts of protein, moisture or calcium – it provides mainly fat. Lizards may become addicted to the high fat content, so it would be best to limit wax worm feedings to just once per week, or even once every two weeks. You are not limited to just kingworms, mealworms and locusts. In fact, you can even feed your leopard geckos silkworms if it’s available in your area. Never buy more than fourteen days worth of silkworms, as these worms have a shorter storage life than other worms. Because of this trait, it is not recommended that you use silkworms as your leopard gecko’s staple food. Instead, use them occasionally to add some variety to the lizards’ meals. On a final note for this section of the book, it would be best if you can place food in your gecko tank during the night cycle,


since this is when the lizards come out of their hiding places and explore the tank in search of food.

On Converting Lizards from Live-Prey to Pre-Killed Prey Many lizard keepers, herpetologists and pet owners agree that the best type of food for lizards, including leopard geckos, is live prey. But are these animals limited to live prey? Can we give them something else, like pre-killed prey? Generally, when a lizard feeds on small mammals and insects, it can be converted to eating pre-killed prey in captivity. But this is only possible if the pre-killed prey is introduced properly to the tank. Mixing live prey and pre-killed prey is a good start. Eventually, the lizard will no longer be choosy if it is given pre-killed prey. There must be regularity in the offering of pre-killed prey, and the change from live prey to pre-killed prey must not be abrupt. If you really do not like giving live prey, allow the lizard to adapt for the long-term. On the other hand, there are some lizard species that cannot be easily converted to eating pre-killed prey. Lizard species that feed predominantly on fish and smaller vertebrates may not be amenable to switching to pre-killed prey. The preference is most likely instinctual, since dead prey often translates to potential parasites and other health


problems. There’s a reason why live prey is preferred by many animals – live prey means healthy prey. And healthy prey means the predator will also remain strong and healthy.

The Debate: Is Live Prey Safe for Lizards in Captivity? The main argument supporting the practice of feeding live prey to pet reptiles is that it is the most “natural” diet possible for the animal because it’s what is actually found in the wild. There is a strong counter-argument against this: pet lizards are not in their natural habitat. They are not in the wild. And while a tank may be decorated with sand, rocks and live plants, it is by no means a one hundred percent replication of a desert. A tank’s temperature and light cycle are both manipulated and adjusted to ensure that a lizard will live comfortably. All the needs of a reptile are provided in captivity, from food to water to reptile supplements. The point hereis clear: if we wanted reptiles to be in the wild, we would have never purchased them in the first place. We buy and keep them because we want pets – animals in captivity. And while some may still argue that this is no reason to deviate from what “nature intended”, let’s explore the live prey vs. pre-killed prey issue a bit closer. Those who like giving live prey say that reptiles need to practice their hunting skills even if they are in a secure and controlled environment.


However the flaw with this argument is that it is not the thrill of hunting that makes or breaks a reptile in captivity – it is the presence or absence of physical stimulation and mental stimulation that truly matters. The thrill of hunting and killing is simply anthropomorphism. We can’t be completely sure that a lizard will go mad in captivity if it can’t hunt for pinkie mice or battle with adult locusts. What we do know is that we can provide the much- needed physical and mental stimulation through other means. Another issue to consider are the injuries associated with introducing live prey to pet lizards. In the wild, a lizard will only go actively hunting at night if it’s hungry. A predator that is not hungry will not pay attention to live prey. In the wild, this is perfectly fine because both prey and predator have wide, open spaces to roam. It’s different when a gecko tank is involved. Take the case of the cricket. It seems harmless, but did you know that live crickets cause some major damage in a gecko tank? Crickets are themselves tiny predators. They need moisture and food. If you put live crickets in a gecko tank and the leopard gecko is in no mood to disable and eat them, the crickets will eventually turn their attention to the leopard gecko. Crickets are capable of nibbling through skin. As for moisture, crickets can go after a leopard gecko’s eyes, since healthy geckos have clear, moist eyes. Here are other cases of “live prey violence”:

1. Live rats fed to snakes in tanks have been known to fight to the death. Some have been able to eviscerate pet snakes that did not pay attention to the live rat until it was too late.


2. Mealworms can also gnaw their way into disinterested

lizards, especially if the pet owner simply leaves them in the tank thinking that the lizard would be able to manage them easily.

Some keepers argue that such things never happen in the wild. But that’s the problem - the lizards are not in the wild and we have no proof that prey doesn’t fight back in the wild. Fortunately, we do have proof that they fight back when fed to animals in captivity. That’s why live-prey armed with claws or similar natural weapons should only be given to larger lizards if the owner or keeper can monitor the feeding session. The pet owner must be able to see that the lizard has successfully disabled the prey. Humane Pre-Killing of Lizard Prey If you have larger lizards at home and you want to practice pre-killing, then there is no reason why we should not tackle this topic in our book. Who knows – after having a great time keeping a leopard gecko as a pet, you might be interested in larger lizards! So here’s how you can humanely disable live prey. You have two main options. The first option (assuming that you want to pre-kill a small mammal) is by quickly snapping the bone connecting the spine of the animal and its head. Some pet owners do it manually (by hand) while some prefer using tools like spoons. Still another method is by hitting the live prey with a hard, blunt object. A swift movement against


the head area of the mammalian live prey will cause immediate unconsciousness. After rendering the prey unconscious, you can then place the pre-killed prey in the lizard tank and wait for your pet to consume it. Remember – if the lizard does not pay attention to the live prey, remove it after a few hours. Keep the tank as hygienic as possible to prevent any diseases associated with rotting prey. Do you have many reptiles at home that require small, mammalian prey? There is a method to euthanize many live preys at once. You will need a small aquarium, a CO2 tank and a plastic hose. Here are the steps:

1. Prepare the CO2 tank first. Attach the hose to the tank’s outlet/nozzle. The other end of the hose should be placed inside the tank.

2. Place the live pray inside the aquarium.

3. Turn on the tank and allow the aquarium to be filled

with the CO2 gas. Use a steady rate during the process. The animals will slowly suffocate from the carbon dioxide, and will die.

4. When the preys are no longer moving, use a long pair of

tongs to extract them from the gassy aquarium. Do not lean close to the aquarium as the thick CO2 gas is capable of rendering humans unconscious.

5. Place the prey in a sealable container and place in the

freezer for later use.


6. As for the tank, place it outside and allow the gas to naturally dissipate. Do not leave it indoors.

If you don’t like hauling home a CO2 tank, you can buy dry ice instead. Dry ice is the solid form of CO2. All you have to do is carefully place the dry ice in the aquarium and seal the aquarium. Let the dry ice do its work. Don’t handle the dry ice with your bare hand and always use a pair of oven mitts when handling dry ice. Obtaining Pre-Killed Prey Some folks may not be up to the idea of killing small animals repeatedly to feed to their pet lizards. This is fairly normal, as not everyone likes the idea of pre-killing prey. Fortunately, many local pet shops now offer pre-killed prey. If they do not stock pre-killed prey, they can disable or kill prey upon request. Pre-killed prey also has its economic benefits – it is much cheaper to store dozens of pre-killed mice than to keep a colony of mice at home. That translates to less work on your part as the lizard's keeper. Why put yourself through the effort of raising mice or other types of live prey if you can purchase cheap, pre-killed preys? Preparing and Feeding Pre-Killed Prey Never give frozen prey to animals. The prey must be thawed adequately at room temperature before being introduced to the lizard tank.


Freezing does more than just preserve prey for long periods of time. The process actually kills off the microorganisms in the flesh of the prey. After thirty full days in the freezer, bacteria and other harmful organisms in the prey begin to die. Pre-killed prey can remain in a frozen state for up to half a year. So if you have a large freezer at home (or a smaller, spare freezer), you can stock up with live prey for months. Whenever you have to feed your pet lizards, all you have to do is take out the prey, thaw it, and feed it. No mess, no fuss. There is a speedier method of thawing prey. You can place the frozen prey in a sealable plastic bag (a Ziploc bag is ideal) and place it in a bowl filled with warm (not boiling) water. Alternatively, you can also just leave the prey in the fridge (not the freezer) for 24 hours. It will slowly defrost in the fridge. Still another method is using your microwave oven. Microwave ovens have a “defrost” setting (often the lowest setting). Simply place the prey in the microwave (use a microwave-safe container) and allow the prey to thaw out for a few minutes. You’ll know that the prey is ready when the prey is soft to touch. If you are feeding pinkies to your leopard gecko (pinkies are young mice that have no bodily hair), you can just place them under warm, running water. Since they are relatively small compared to prey for larger lizards, they are easier to defrost. The biggest problem for some at this point in time is actually introducing the pre-killed, thawed prey to the lizard. How do


you convert a predator to another convenience associated with life in captivity? The first step is simply showing the lizard that you have his lunch. Since prey is associated with motion and displacement (flying, hopping, etc.) you have to dangle the dead prey before the lizard to get the animal’s attention. Don’t dangle the prey using your bare hands! Remember, you are enticing the lizard to strike and capture the live prey. Use a pair of long tongs when introducing live prey. And when the lizard is about to strike, make sure that you release the cricket, mealworm or pinkie mouse. This way the lizard will slowly become accustomed to the idea of eating prey that isn’t moving or resisting anymore. Do this regularly. Pick a specific time of day to feed the pre-killed prey to the lizard and stick to it. By creating a routine or system, the lizard will adjust to the new diet, and eventually, it will be completely converted to feeding on pre-killed prey. Reluctant Lizards Some conversion attempts are successful, while others are not. Lizards may bear some resemblance to each other, but they have distinct personalities/temperaments. It may be difficult to convert some lizards to a pre-killed/frozen prey diet. So what’s the solution to this problem? The answer is simple: convert the diet of the animal in successive phases. This simple diagram explains it all:

Pre-killed prey (frozen, then thawed)


When introducing freshly-killed prey, follow up with a nice feeding of adequately thawed, pre-killed prey. Using Prey Caught From the Wild Some lizard owners may think that catching prey from the wild is a far cheaper alternative to buying pre-killed prey. While this may seem practical, consider the following facts before you catch live prey outside your home: 1. Live prey is fine for lizards if the live prey comes from the territory that the lizard originally came from. A lizard must also be immune to parasitic organisms that come with every type of live prey. 2. For larger lizards that feed on amphibians and aquatic animals, there is a big risk associated with catching live prey. Industrial chemical run-offs, which eventually finds its way to different bodies of water, is loaded with chemicals and toxins that can kill pet reptiles. If you really want to catch your own live prey, then you must raise them yourself, in a clean environment away from potential sources of toxic chemicals. This way, you are protecting your pet lizard every step of the way.

Disabled prey

Freshly killed

prey


Frequently Asked Questions: The Leopard Gecko Q: When I went to the pet store to buy some supplies for my leopard gecko, the store assistant showed me some new heat rocks. He recommended that I buy heat rocks for my vivarium. Should I buy them? A: No, don’t buy them. Here’s the main problem with using heat rocks: they do not warm the air. Remember, when you want to create a comfortable heat gradient in the gecko tank, you want something that would change the floor temperature and the air temperature. Otherwise, the leopard gecko can become chilled. If you want a setup that can consistently provide heating to the tank, you may want to install a heat pad and a bulb. You can also use a ceramic heating device that can be plugged in just like a regular light bulb but does not produce any light. At night, you can use reptile bulbs. These bulbs emit red light, which leopard geckos are unable to see (this is important because we want the lizards to have a consistent day and night cycle inside the tank). Reptile bulbs also give off heat without disrupting the day and night cycle (or light cycle) of the leopard gecko. Be careful of overheating and under-heating your vivarium as well. When the seasons change, you may have to adjust the amount of heat that your lizards are receiving. Q: I bought an orange spotted leopard gecko. But now he’s transforming into a ghost white lizard! What’s happening to my pet lizard?


A: Nothing to worry about. This is a normal occurrence with reptiles – it’s called shedding. When a reptile sheds his old skin that generally means two things: he is becoming bigger and he is aging well. The process of shedding is more evident in newly hatched geckos, as they undergo rapid growth within the first several weeks. If you do not have a moist hiding box in your vivarium yet, you may want to install one now. If the air around your home is often hot and dry, you can try misting the animals to facilitate the process of shedding. A little moisture is all they need to be able to naturally shed their old skin. Here’s another peculiar habit of a pet lizard: they like eating their old skin. Pet owners are often surprised when their previously shedding lizards suddenly bloom in full color once again without the expected old skin in the tank. When a lizard in captivity is shedding its skin, you have to monitor the shedding process on the animal’s feet. Sometimes, skin in such areas does not come off as planned. The tight, old skin cuts off blood circulation, which may result in the amputation of the digits. If you do see some stubborn patches of skin on the lizard’s digits, you can try misting the area. You can also try removing the skin yourself (very gently, of course) if you are comfortable in handling the lizard (and the lizard is comfortable with you). Q: I have recently purchase four adorable baby leopard geckos. They’re quite active and they get along quite well in the tank. However, I can’t seem to tell the males from the females. How do you tell them apart?


A: If your leopard geckos are newly hatched, it is almost impossible to tell the males from the females by just looking at them. Viewed from above, female leopard geckos and male leopard geckos are essentially the same. Some breeders say that you can use a magnifying glass at three months of age to check whether a gecko has a V-shaped pore formation near the tail area. If you do see a V-shaped pore formation, then that’s a male. Inversely, if the pores are not present, then you have a female gecko there. Q: I have just recently acquired two leopard geckos from a local pet shop. However, I noticed that after I placed them in the tank, they began fighting! What’s happening to my lizards? A: It’s possible that you bought two males. Quick – separate them before they duel to the death. Male leopard geckos should never be housed in the same tank, even if they were hatched together. There are some easy signs to tell if leopard geckos are dueling. Small spots of blood and visible wounds are a sure sign that the lizards are practicing their territorial instincts. If you want to house two leopard geckos in one tank, make sure it’s a male-female or female-female combination. Q: My six year old held my leopard gecko by the tail by mistake. Now my lizard is tail-less. Is this okay? A: Caudal autotomy, or the ability to instantly break off one’s tail is a natural trait of the leopard gecko. But here’s a quick fact about caudal autotomy as it relates to the nutritional needs of a leopard gecko.


Leopard geckos use their tails to store extra body fat. When a gecko’s tail breaks off, the ability to store extra fat during lean days is temporarily suspended, until a new, shorter tail is grown. The process of regenerating a new tail can take up to forty days. During this time, you must feed the leopard gecko regularly to ensure that it will not starve. Be aware that other geckos may be responsible for the loss of a tail. If there are extra-aggressive geckos in your tank and one of these aggressive fellows decides to bite the tail of a weaker tank-mate, then the weaker lizard’s tail will probably break off. To minimize this risk, bigger and more aggressive leopard geckos should be housed separately from gentler lizards. If a weaker lizard has been picked on by bigger tank-mates, you may want to separate the fellow from the other lizards. Competition for food may adversely affect the tail-less lizard’s health. Therefore, it would be best if a smaller tank could temporarily house the fellow until it has a tail again. Q: Another lizard owner told me that lizards need ultraviolet light. I am considering buying a small, UV lamp for my leopard gecko. Should I install one? A: Not really, as leopard geckos do not need ultraviolet light to survive. In their wild habitats in the sandy regions of the Middle East, leopard geckos are very difficult to find during the daytime. If you want to install an ultraviolet light, make sure that the tank itself has been equipped with “shelters” that the lizard can use. Shelters can be as simple as rock piles or even a homemade humidity chamber.


Q: Something is wrong with my leopard gecko. All of a sudden, it just stopped munching on crickets and mealworms! What’s the matter with my lizard? A: The problem is most likely connected to the tank itself. Here are some things that you should check:

ü Is the substrate dry, comfortable and reptile-safe? ü Is the floor temperature and air temperature

comfortable? ü Is the lizard being chilled because of an uneven

temperature gradient? If the floor temperature of the gecko tank is below 75 degrees, then the lizard is being chilled. When a lizard feels too cold or too hot, it will not feel like eating. It’s a natural response to adverse changes in its environment. Adjust the heating in your tank. If it’s too cold, consider using a heating pad and a regular light bulb to add some heat to the tank. If it’s too hot, consider removing extra bulbs you have installed. Temperature is important for lizards because they need adequate heating in order to digest their food. If they know the temperature range is off, they just won’t eat. Q: I heard that calcium-sand is the best substrate for leopard geckos. Is this true? If I buy a few pounds of the stuff, am I spared from dusting crickets with calcium powder? A: First, calcium sand is not the best substrate for your leopard gecko. And it’s also expensive. If you don’t dust the prey you’re feeding your lizard, they might eat the calcium sand.


If your pet does this, he will probably be visiting your vet soon because sand is not digestible. Forget what the manufacturers are saying. It is a fact – sand is indigestible despite anything you add to it. Q: My leopard gecko has skin stuck in several parts of his body. The skin has been stuck for at least 3 weeks now. What should I do? A: Try misting the leopard gecko lightly with water and see what happens. If this fails, the tank may be too dry (your region’s climate and air temperature also affects your gecko). Install a humidity chamber for your leopard gecko and the problem should be fixed. Q: A friend told me that my tank would look much more interesting if I installed party lights. Should I follow his advice? A: No. The problem with party lights is they are much too bright for comfort. The lights can actually damage the eyesight of the leopard gecko. So, no, don’t install the party lights. Opt for simpler light bulbs (not basking lights) for the gecko tank. Q: Is there any other way to remove stuck skin? A: Yes. You can use clean cotton swabs and some Vaseline to remove the skin. Very gently apply the Vaseline to the stuck skin. But be careful and don’t get any Vaseline in the gecko’s eyes! Q: I have a new leopard gecko (less than 3 weeks in the tank) but it hasn’t eaten much these past few weeks. One time he did eat something, he regurgitated the live prey. What’s wrong with my pet?


A: If the leopard gecko is relatively healthy and active when you bought it, then the problem is most likely the temperature of the tank. A gecko needs to find his “comfort zone” in the tank with just the right temperature. If no such heat gradient is present, then the gecko will not eat because he will have digestive problems. Another possible cause of the gecko’s loss of appetite is the size of the prey. If you have a hatchling, feeding a massive, adult cricket might be the problem. Try buying smaller crickets or feeding the leopard gecko mealworms instead of crickets. If that helps, then the size of the prey is the problem. Q: My leopard gecko seems to have developed a tooth abscess. What kind of treatment should my lizard receive? A: If your leopard gecko is diagnosed by a reptile veterinarian as having a tooth abscess, it will be prescribed antibiotics. Do not try to give the leopard gecko antibiotics on your own – always consult with a vet before doing anything! Geckos need only very small amounts of reptile antibiotics and any more can kill them. Q: I have a new leopard gecko at home. I noticed a few things: the gecko is not that active during the day, is not active at night and I’ve seen some shaking when she walks (the shaking is mainly on her hind legs). Is my pet alright? A: To be sure, bring your pet to a reptile veterinarian. Generally, leopard geckos sleep during the day and are more active at night. If the gecko is not active at night, then there may be a problem. First check to see if the leopard gecko is eating well. If not, the prey size may be too big for the leopard gecko. Switch


preys (and prey sizes) and try again. If the gecko is eating well, commence calcium supplementation. Dust some crickets and feed a few crickets to the reptile every other day. You can’t really over-feed a leopard gecko, but it would help if you can nourish it well during its acclimatization period. Q: I have a 3 year-old leopard gecko at home, given to me by an acquaintance. The gecko has been feeding well until last week, when it began regurgitating everything I feed it. My tank is well-heated and I feed freshly disabled prey. What could be the problem? A: If you see signs like a shrinking tail, you may want to take your lizard to a vet. Ask the vet if the lizard may be suffering from parasites. Any licensed veterinarian can perform a stool test. If parasites are detected, the veterinarian can prescribe an appropriate de-worming drug. Perform the de-worming as described by the vet and look for signs of improvement. Take note that consultations and treatments for reptiles are not cheap – they will cost you some.


Part 3: Breeding Leopard Geckos

Breeding these reptiles is fairly easy. If you have a healthy male and female in a tank with a consistent heat gradient, etc., they will breed. However, since these animals are in captivity, you have to make sure that the tank and the animals are prepared for breeding and nesting. This section will cover the important considerations of breeding leopard geckos in captivity. In order to breed these reptiles, you need a pair of healthy adults (male and female, of course). An alternative setup is one healthy, adult male gecko and several females in one tank. Make sure that the tank is large enough, and that the size of the tank does not affect the consistency at which the heat is dispersed throughout the tank. Four regular leopard geckos would be comfortable in a 30- gallon or 40-gallon tank. If they aren’t, the only practical


recourse would be to reduce the number of females in the tank. Proper Conditioning of Female Leopard Geckos The main focus of your efforts when breeding leopard geckos is the female geckos. The breeding season for these reptiles is from February to August. You have plenty of time to condition the reptiles and make everything ideal for the coming of leopard gecko hatchlings. Here are some general guidelines when caring for the females:

ü Females should have adequate calcium supplementation. In addition to dusting, females should have access to a small cap or pan of calcium powder.

Males will sometimes take part of the calcium. If they don’t get all the calcium they need, they might attempt to digest the substrate (especially sand) to get the minerals they need.

ü The conditioning of females should ideally begin on the

first month of breeding season (February).

ü If there is an overly aggressive female in the tank, it would be best to transfer the female to another tank to ensure that the actively breeding females will not be confronted or injured during the breeding season.

Preparing the Tank for Eggs


Leopard geckos will not lay their eggs on the barren substrate. You need to provide them with a proper nesting box so they can dig and lay their eggs. Here are the steps to create an ideal nesting box:

ü You need a large plastic container with a removable lid. ü Place some moist vermiculite inside the plastic

container/box.

ü Using a cutter or a pair of sharp scissors, make an opening on one side of the plastic container. The opening should be smooth (square-shaped) and should be big enough for the leopard gecko to pass through easily.

ü The box should not be filled to capacity. 40% to 50% of

the box will do. The vermiculite should not be so wet that the box is literally submerged in water. Regular misting will do. Keep a plastic sprayer handy so you can keep the nesting box moist.

ü A large plastic container (at least eight inches in length)

is sufficient for up to three egg-laying females. But it wouldn’t hurt to install another nesting box.

From February to August, regular monitoring should be given to all the nesting boxes in the tank. If you are using clear plastic boxes, there is no need to open the boxes. All you have to do is peek at the sides of the box to see if there are eggs inside. Facts About Egg-Laying Leopard Geckos


Here are some things that you should expect when a female is ready to lay eggs:

ü Often, the pair of eggs (yes, they always lay a pair each time) will be visible through the leopard gecko’s skin. The physical appearance of the gecko is also unmistakable – it will lie closer to the ground, and it will not be as active as non-egg laying females.

ü Well-fed females will lay eggs every fourteen days or at

least every thirty days.

ü When a female is about to lay eggs, expect food refusal. This is normal. She is simply preparing her body for the final expulsion of the eggs.

ü Females dig around the nesting box before laying eggs.

So expect a bit of a mess when there are new eggs. Simply clean up the scattered vermiculite and add fresh vermiculite to the nesting box.

Don’t forget to mist the vermiculite every now and then if it’s the summer. As long as the nesting material is not soaking wet, it’s ideal for laying eggs.

ü After laying eggs, a formerly stout leopard gecko will

look much, much thinner. Again, this is normal. Resume regular feeding and dusting of crickets.

ü A female leopard gecko that has just laid her eggs is

calcium-depleted from the reproductive effort. A male leopard gecko might pounce on her again, before her calcium levels are up.


To prevent this from happening, it might be a good idea to have a spare tank where she can eat and recuperate for a while.

A sure sign that your leopard gecko is well nourished again is a very fat tail. Your gecko’s tail is actually the indicator of the lizard’s health. If it becomes shriveled, then there’s something wrong. Handling the Eggs & Proper Incubation After the females have laid their eggs, it’s time to incubate the eggs. Without proper incubation the gecko eggs will not hatch, since the geckos are not in their wild habitat. When you find eggs, do not change the position of the egg. Scoop it up gently with your hands and place it in the incubation box in the same position. Be extra careful when handling the eggs, so you do not damage them. Here are the steps to prepare a proper incubating box: 1. Purchase a one-piece plastic cage (the ones specifically

made for small snakes are a good choice). A popular brand among reptile keepers around the USA is Neodisha. The incubation box should be thick-walled and sturdy.

2. Measure the entire length of the top opening of the

box/cage and cut some screen with an equivalent measurement. Fit the metal screen on top of the box. Follow up with some aluminum foil to keep the temperature inside the box constant.

3. Install a thermostat in the box. You can buy specially

designed thermostats for reptile incubation boxes.


4. Place a plastic box in the cage. Use something similar to

what we used for creating a proper nesting box. 5. Fill the plastic box (the smaller box) with vermiculite. If

the vermiculite is a bit dry, mist the moss. 6. Place the eggs in the smaller box. The cover should be

replaced, but you have to punch holes through the cover. 7. The entire setup should have a constant temperature and

should remain moist throughout the incubation period. Watch for signs of moldiness. If the cage becomes moldy, you have to do some cleaning.

Producing Male and Female Geckos The constant temperature of the incubation box will most likely determine what sex the hatchlings will have. To get males, you have to aim for 87 degrees to 88 degrees after the initial laying. If for some reason you were not able to raise the temperature initially, you can raise the temperature of the incubation box to 92 degrees at sixteen days of development. To get females, you have to aim for 81 degrees (below 82 degrees). Avoid incubating eggs at 85 degrees, as this temperature may produce leopard geckos that do not mate well. Sometimes leopard geckos that are incubated at this temperature are unable to mate even during full adulthood.


Caring for the Hatchlings When the eggs are hatched, expect 3-4 inch hatchlings to emerge. Wait for about 7 days before feeding these hatchlings. When they shed their old skin for the very first time, they are ready for light feeding. Let them stay in the constant environment of the incubation cage for 2 to 3 days before transferring them to separate boxes. They should be housed separately for 1 to 2 months so they can grow in peace. Use a heat tape so that they will not be chilled.

References

Web Sites Abysinnians http://www.leopardgecko.com/abyssinians Accessed 21 April 2010 Albino FAQ http://www.leopardgecko.com/albinos-faq Accessed 21 April 2010

Basic Leopard Gecko Terrarium Vivarium Setup http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/housing-cage/leopard-gecko-terrarium-vivarium-setup.html Accessed 21 April 2010

Cage for Multiple Leopard Geckos http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/housing-cage/vivarium-terrarium-for-multiple-leopardgeckos. Html Accessed 21 April 2010

Cages & Habitat

http://www.leopardgecko.com/abyssinians

http://www.leopardgecko.com/albinos-faq

http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/housing-cage/leopard-gecko-terrarium-vivarium-setup.html

http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/housing-cage/leopard-gecko-terrarium-vivarium-setup.html


http://www.leopardgeckoguide.com/leopard-gecko-cages-and-habitat/ Accessed 21 April 2010

Different Types of Reptile Substrates and Bedding http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/vivarium-substrate/different-types-of-reptile-substrates-andbedding. Html Accessed 21 April 2010

Emeralds / Emerines http://www.leopardgecko.com/emeralds---emerines Accessed 21 April 2010 Enigmas http://www.leopardgecko.com/enigmas Accessed 21 April 2010

Gecko Tank for Young Leopard Gecko http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/housing-cage/vivarium-for-young-leopard-gecko.html Accessed 21 April 2010

Gecko Vivarium and Tank Cleaning http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/housing-cage/gecko-vivarium-cleaning.html Accessed 21 April 2010

Housing And Environment http://www.leopardgecko.co.uk/documents/caresheet/housing.htm Accessed 21 April 2010

Housing and Feeding Invertebrate Prey http://www.anapsid.org/feedingbugs.html Accessed 21 April 2010

Leo Cage Advice http://en.allexperts.com/q/Reptiles-704/2010/4/Leo-Cage-Advice.htm Accessed 21 April 2010 Leopard and African Fat-Tailed Gecko Breeding, Egg Laying and Incubation http://www.anapsid.org/lepgeckbreed.html Accessed 21 April 2010 Leopard Gecko Breeding Advice http://www.reptilecare.com/leopardbreed.htm Accessed 21 April 2010 Leopard Gecko Care http://www.anapsid.org/leopardgek.html Accessed 21 April 2010

http://www.leopardgeckoguide.com/leopard-gecko-cages-and-habitat/

http://www.leopardgecko.com/emeralds---emerines

http://www.leopardgecko.com/enigmas

http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/housing-cage/vivarium-for-young-leopard-gecko.html

http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/housing-cage/vivarium-for-young-leopard-gecko.html

http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/housing-cage/gecko-vivarium-cleaning.html

http://www.leopardgecko.co.uk/documents/caresheet/housing.htm

http://www.anapsid.org/feedingbugs.html

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Reptiles-704/2010/4/Leo-Cage-Advice.htm

http://www.anapsid.org/lepgeckbreed.html

http://www.reptilecare.com/leopardbreed.htm

http://www.anapsid.org/leopardgek.html


Leopard Gecko Care by Ron Tremper http://www.leopardgecko.com/leopard-gecko-care Accessed 21 April 2010 Leopard Gecko Care INFO http://www.reptilecare.com/LGcaresheet.htm Accessed 21 April 2010 Leopard Gecko Care Sheet by Steve Sykes http://www.geckosetc.com/htm/care.htm Accessed 21 April 2010 Leopard Gecko FAQ http://www.reptilecare.com/LeopardFAQ.htm Accessed 21 April 2010 Leopard Gecko Food and Water http://www.leopardgecko.co.uk/documents/caresheet/food.htm Accessed 21 April 2010 Leopard Gecko Health Concern - Why Gecko Eat Substrate http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/vivarium-substrate/leopard-gecko-health-concern-gecko-eatsubstrate. Html Accessed 21 April 2010 Leopard gecko not eating / regurgitating http://en.allexperts.com/q/Reptiles-704/2010/4/Leopard-gecko-eatingregurgitating. Htm Accessed 21 April 2010 Leopard Gecko shedding problem http://en.allexperts.com/q/Reptiles-704/2009/6/Leopard-Gecko-shedding-problem- 3.html Accessed 21 April 2010 Leopard Gecko with a tooth abscess http://en.allexperts.com/q/Reptiles-704/Leopard-Gecko-20.htm Accessed 21 April 2010 Lighting and Heating for Leopard Geckos http://en.allexperts.com/q/Reptiles-704/Lighting-Heating-Leopard-Geckos.htm Accessed 21 April 2010 Long Island Herpetological Society: Leopard Geckos http://www.lihs.org/files/caresheets/E_macularius.htm Accessed 21 April 2010 Other Heating Elements http://exoticpets.about.com/od/herpresources/ss/thermalgradient_7.htm Accessed 21 April 2010

http://www.leopardgecko.com/leopard-gecko-care

http://www.reptilecare.com/LGcaresheet.htm

http://www.geckosetc.com/htm/care.htm

http://www.reptilecare.com/LeopardFAQ.htm

http://www.leopardgecko.co.uk/documents/caresheet/food.htm

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Reptiles-704/Leopard-Gecko-20.htm

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Reptiles-704/Lighting-Heating-Leopard-Geckos.htm

http://www.lihs.org/files/caresheets/E_macularius.htm

http://exoticpets.about.com/od/herpresources/ss/thermalgradient_7.htm


Our Caging http://www.leopardgecko.com/caging Accessed 21 April 2010 Possible Sick Leopard Gecko http://en.allexperts.com/q/Reptiles-704/2008/4/Possible-Sick-Leopard-Gecko.htm Accessed 21 April 2010 Procedures of Housing Several Geckos http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/housing-cage/vivarium-housing-with-several-geckosprocedures. Html Accessed 21 April 2010 Raptors / Aptors / Eclipse http://www.leopardgecko.com/raptors-aptors-eclipse Accessed 21 April 2010 Reptile Heating Safety and Avoiding Fire Hazards http://exoticpets.about.com/od/herpresources/ss/thermalgradient_8.htm Accessed 21 April 2010 Reptiles: Light and Heat http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/reptiles/a/reptlightheat.htm Accessed 21 April 2010 Reptile Substrate That Need to Be Avoided for Leopard Gecko Vivarium Bedding http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/vivarium-substrate/reptile-substrate-that-need-to-be-avoided-forleopard-gecko-vivarium-bedding.html Accessed 21 April 2010 Roach Care Sheet: Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Care Sheet http://www.leopardgecko.com/roach-care-sheet Accessed 21 April 2010 Several Leopard Gecko Tank and Terrarium Options http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/housing-cage/several-leopard-gecko-vivarium-terrariumoptions. Html Accessed 21 April 2010 Sick leopard gecko http://en.allexperts.com/q/Reptiles-704/2008/6/sick-leopard-gecko-2.htm Accessed 21 April 2010 Some Reptiles Need Special Ultraviolet Lights http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/reptiles/a/reptlightheat_2.htm Accessed 21 April 2010 Temperature Color Dependence

http://www.leopardgecko.com/caging

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Reptiles-704/2008/4/Possible-Sick-Leopard-Gecko.htm

http://www.leopardgecko.com/raptors-aptors-eclipse


http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/reptiles/a/reptlightheat.htm

http://www.leopardgecko.com/roach-care-sheet

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Reptiles-704/2008/6/sick-leopard-gecko-2.htm

http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/reptiles/a/reptlightheat_2.htm


http://www.leopardgecko.com/effects-on-temperature Accessed 21 April 2010 Thermal Gradient http://exoticpets.about.com/od/herpresources/ss/thermalgradient_2.htm Accessed 21 April 2010 Undertank Heat Mats http://exoticpets.about.com/od/herpresources/ss/thermalgradient_6.htm Accessed 21 April 2010 Use Light Bulbs for Heating Terrariums http://exoticpets.about.com/od/herpresources/ss/thermalgradient_5.htm Accessed 21 April 2010 Use Sand as Substrate with Care http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/vivarium-substrate/use-sand-as-substrate-with-care.html Accessed 21 April 2010 What Heat Sources to Use http://exoticpets.about.com/od/herpresources/ss/thermalgradient_3.htm Accessed 21 April 2010 When is the Right Time for New Gecko Tank Setup? http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/housing-cage/right-time-for-new-gecko-vivarium-setup.html Accessed 21 April 2010

Books Bartlett, Richard D. and Patricia, Leopard and Fat-Tailed Geckos, Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., 1999

Indiviglio, Frank, Leopard Gecko, Wiley Publishing, 2007.

http://www.leopardgecko.com/effects-on-temperature




http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/vivarium-substrate/use-sand-as-substrate-with-care.html

http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/vivarium-substrate/use-sand-as-substrate-with-care.html


http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/housing-cage/right-time-for-new-gecko-vivarium-setup.html

http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/housing-cage/right-time-for-new-gecko-vivarium-setup.html

Leopard Gecko eBook 2

Documents

Transcript of Leopard Gecko eBook 2