Leopard Geckos: The Lizard That Wants to Be Your Pet!

Leopard geckos are nocturnal lizards, natively found insmall household pet, and they require minimal care as
the deserts of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and parts ofcompared to many other pet reptiles. They produce
India. They absolutely adore the heat and love rockyvery little odor, and if you take care to handle a
terrain, making their dwelling under the ground duringleopard gecko while it's still a baby, he'll be quite tame
the dry, desert daytime. Leopard geckos are quiteas an adult and almost enjoy being held!
unique because they have real eyelids - which isThe one thing to keep in mind when choosing a
extremely uncommon to most gecko species - andleopard gecko for a pet is his living environment.
they also lack flat, adhesive pads on their toes.Since their natural environment is a hot, dry desert,
Instead, leopard geckos use their claws to climb,leopard geckos don't fare well in humidity. Thus, their
making them unable to cling to slippery surfaces - ascages need to be free from excess moisture, in
many other reptiles can - though it is extremelyorder to ensure they don't develop debilitating
useful when digging in the dry, desert landscape.respiratory infections.
In the wild, lizard geckos tend to live under largeLeopard geckos also need to be handled with care,
rocks or inside subterranean caves, emerging at nightas their tails can actually fall off when they're scared
to hunt insects such as spiders and crickets - and ifor anxious. They can grow new tails, however it will
they're feeling exceedingly adventuresome, somebe smaller and slightly less useful, since a tail-shed is
leopard geckos may even seek out tiny mammalsactually a defense mechanism used by leopard
such as baby field mice.geckos to distract predators in the wild!
A well-fed gecko can actually live between 19 and 22Feeding your leopard gecko is relatively simple, but
years, with the oldest confirmed leopard gecko livinglike any reptilian pet, you'll need to keep an eye on
all the way to 27 years old! For this reason, theymaking sure your pet has a well-balanced diet.
make good pets for children since your child will beLeopard geckos enjoy eating crickets, mealworms,
able to grow up with the same animal over thewax worms, and silk worms, and you can ration
course of many years. In the wild, this means thatthese out to make some more common items - like
leopard geckos will breed many times during their life,crickets and mealworms - his primary dinner, while
making it an ethical pet choice, as it is not anoffering wax or silk worms as a regular treat! You'll
endangered species.also need to supplement your leopard gecko's diet
The natural coloring of these reptiles tends to be awith a calcium powder, which you can coat the meal
yellowish, creamy color with black stripes, but yearsinsects with before feeding times. Also, place a small
of captive breeding have altered the natural coloringdish of calcium powder inside the cage.
of leopard geckos and caused the introduction ofGeckos need the calcium to keep their bodies healthy
new colors to the species, such as: tangerine,and limber, and if you don't provide this to them,
lavender, solid white, and even black spots. Though itthey'll actually try to eat the sand in their cage to get
may seem strange, leopard geckos have adaptedthe calcium they need. If this happens, your gecko
remarkably well to captive breeding programs, andwill be at risk of death from sand impaction, as it
are now one of the premier choices for reptilian petshardens painfully inside their intestinal tract. To avoid
today.this, provide your leopard gecko with a calcium
Leopard Geckos at Homesupplement, and if at all possible, choose a rocky
At only 6-8 inches long, both in the wild and interrain instead of using sand inside the cage.
captivity, leopard geckos make a great choice for a