Get to Know Your Leopard Gecko
Leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) a nocturnal reptile
among a number of other geckos species is probably the most popular gecko
around the world. The uniqueness of this small creature, their funny look,
their colorful skin patterns and the ease for caring them are the main reasons
why this gecko is liked so much. Even a novice could easy get along with this
wonderful reptile.
Leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) a nocturnal reptile
among a number of other geckos species is probably the most popular gecko
around the world. The uniqueness of this small creature, their funny look,
their colorful skin patterns and the ease for caring them are the main reasons
why this gecko is liked so much. Even a novice could easy get along with this
wonderful reptile.
Their attractiveness is ongoing, since breeding among geckos
will result new beautiful and colorful patterns. Every time you can see another
color variation with its own uniqueness. And this happens from year after year,
there is always a new unique pattern that comes into view.
The beautiful patterns, which are usually called by leopard
gecko morphs has plenty of names. Some of the popular leopard gecko morphs
include Mack Snow, Tremper Albino Mack Snow, APTOR = Albino Patternless Tremper
ORange, Super Hypo Tangerines, Rainwater Albinos, Rainwater Patternless Albino,
Bell Albinos, Tremper Albinos, Tremper Giants, Rainbows, Bold Stripes,
Blizzards, Jungles, Patternless, High Yellow and so fort.
Leopard gecko is native to dry South Central Asian deserts
in Afghanistan , Pakistan and India
as well as in some parts of Iran .
Its’ natural habitat is really the dry rocky desserts with dry grasslands.
While the night temperature can be very low, below 10ยบ Celsius, the leopard
gecko takes shelter by digging underground where it semi-hibernate. At this
situation the gecko lives on its fats reserve which is mainly deposited on its
tail.
Leopard geckos are night creatures. During the day they can
be found hiding under rocks or in holes to avoid the daytime heat, and during
sunset they will come out to hunt for insects as their main prey. They feed on
insects, spiders and worms. Although in captivity, a gecko prefers to hunt for
food by themselves. This means that you should feed them with live prey, since
they will refuse to eat dead prey. Crickets will do best.
This reptile is basically small in size. A baby gecko is of
6.5 – 8.4 cm long and 3 grams in weight. The adult can rise to 20.5 – 27.5 cm
long with a weight of 45 – 65 grams. The wild gecko has a duller, darker and
monotonous coloration compared to those in captivity, which has various
attractive skin colors and patterns.
A regular habit of the gecko is shedding their skin. To do
this properly, geckos need a humid habitat or place where it can hide while
shedding. You can provide your gecko with a shed box, which is simply a box to
hide with humid spaghnum moss in it. Spaghnum moss or peat moss is a kind of
soil conditioner that functions to increase the soil’s capacity in holding
water or nutrients.
Another thing that you should attend to is to equip the
gecko’s habitat with a light and heat source. This is by the means of a
temperature gradient which s basically putting two ends, one warm side and one
cool on the other side of the enclosure. In this way your gecko can make his
own proper adjustment its body temperature
The only precaution of caring for leopard geckos is
that they are known to be potential carriers of infectious diseases like
salmonella and other virulent bacteries. You can minimize the risk for being
contaminated is by keeping a hygienic environment for the leopard and for
yourself. It is always best to wash your hand with an antiseptic before and
after handling your lovely gecko. It is just a little prevention.
