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F.A.G.Q
Frequently asked gecko questions

Sexing a Gecko

To sex your leopard gecko, you will need to look at the vent area. If your gecko is good with handling this can easily be done just by holding your gecko upright long enough to see the vent. Do not flip them on their backs for long periods of time, this is very stressful to them. Do not hold them up by their tails nor upside down. For younger geckos, a clear cup or empty bug tub with a lid can work to hold them above to get a better look.

To sex a gecko more accurately wait until they are over 20 grams or 5 months old. 

 

As you can see in this image males have two features a female lacks. Dark, pronounced pre-anal pores and a hemipenal bulge. The pre-anal pores will show in a V shape before the vent. Females can have what looks like very faint pores, but they are not open or as dark as the males. Females can also have a bulge, however these are usually not as defined as a males and they will still lack the dark pores before the vent. 

Is my gecko to fat or to thin

Every gecko is different just like us humans are. Some get longer quicker some are short some are fat some are skinny. Every gecko is different as long as your gecko is putting weight on its healthy its Vivarium is kept clean you shouldnt need to worry. 

 

On this topic there is also factors to take into for adult geckos mainly - Females go into ovulation in breeding seasons IF they are ready to or are at the mature age to do so they can sometimes slow down in eating or be very tempermental in attitude and eating. 

Brumation - yes geckos can hibernate in a way, they store up their fat and nutrients and in the winter if its cold enough they can sometimes go into this brumation state they become very lazy and barely eat and sometimes dont eat normally this lasts around 2 months but can be longer or less.

If the weight is being lost at rapid rates this could be something other then brumation (parasites for example) 

My new gecko wont eat

Alot of people dont tend to understand the fact that if your removing an animal who is comfortable at the pet shop, or the old owners house will become stressed. The gecko goes from familar sounds, smells, sights to somewhere new that dont smell of themselves and is completely alien to them along side the lovely human who wants to pet it and pick it up is proding it with fingers. 

When you get a new gecko the best course of action is take it home keep it warm on that journey home - have the set up prepared ready to invite its new owner in. Place it in the vivarium take the lid of the box shut the vivarium door and watch from a distance. The gecko normally wont eat for a week or 3 sometimes straight away. In this period the gecko also wont poop as it is not eating and does not feel safe, Once the gecko feels settled and started to eat it wil find a area to use as a loo, as crazy as it sounds that is your sign he or she is comfortable at home. After the gecko is settled and got into a routine of eating and clean out day during the week then you can start approaching handling - their trust is not easily gained it wont be a 2 day thing this can take sometimes more then a month of patience.

 

If this isnt your first gecko just remember that you NEED to quarentine all new animals for a minimum of 12 weeks and have a vet check within them 12 weeks - DO NOT co habitate a new gecko you do not know if its carrying any diseases.

My gecko has gone white

This is covered in the Health care section but ill reliterate it here. Geckos shed they go from their bright colour they are and begin to go dull and then white, this is the skin raising above the new skin that is below it. When they know its ready to come of they will eat it off of themselves. The process can take anywhere between a day to 2 days - when you spot the gecko shedding do not interfere wait for them to get as much of as possible if they are problem shedders.

 

If you NEED to help then a ventilated tub with warm water that is no higher then the top of their legs will help to moisten the skin using a cotton ear bud roll it along the skin to help ease it off - NEVER pull the skin off. let them sit in the tub (it basically acts as a sauna) for a couple of minutes take them out and try to remove what you can once they start to be overly distressed place them back in the vivarium and leave them be they will normally get the rest of themself in the end, or just repeat the action the day after.

How much do i feed

This is more based on your gecko then anything. - How many should i feed well depends on how old they are if its a juvienile (juvie for short) your look at around 6-10 locusts and a few mealworms as just a recommened serving.

 

What i have found whilst keeping is that all my juvies will take about 10 meal worms and 7 locusts roughly - My male ate considerably more around 15 worms and 12 locusts - he got chunky fast. 
the rule of thumb to this is the bugs dont need to be huge they need to be the size of the head of the gecko - as they become adults and get bigger you can offer bigger food to them but within reason. 

Can i house a male and female together

Simple answer is no you shouldnt for many reasons;
Once they reach sexual maturity the male will attempt to breed like a rabbit - The male is aggresive in the approach for the activity by biting and pulling the female. Also the hormone levels and consant attempts by the male will stress the female out. If they do enjoy a activity when the female is ovulating it can increase the chance of Dystoica. If the female feels threaten at all she could also drop her tail. Male and females should only cross paths for breeding not living.

 

The same goes to be said as a female pairing - This is a argument that is always up for debate seem as there are people that can keep a pair or trio of females in the right size vivarium with all the hides and they never have a issue then there are others who have issues. 

I myself have had my females live together for a whole year until the situation turned and the bullying began 3 months later i had to split the girls up due to waking up to find cuts and bites and blood from one of my females. 

Leopard geckos are solitary animals they DO NOT need company they thrive in the wild by themselves until breeding season. If you attempt to have a female duo or trio make sure you have seperate vivariums spare and set up incase of any sign of bullying do not let it get past the nipping or full on tugging from one another as soon as you see scratches or marks split them up there and then. 

So to sum it up male and female NO do not co habitate together only introduce for breeding - Breeding should only be done if you actually know the full genetics behind both adults

Females can sometimes live in duo or trio's but thats at your own risk and shouldnt and doesnt need to be attempted.

I want to breed

Some simple factors to take into account here; 

  1. How long have you been keeping geckos

  2. Are you aware of what genes can not be crossed

  3. Do you have the money needed to provide the care to all the babies and the cost to run 20+ hatchling set ups

  4. What are your intentions and purpose of breeding 

  5. Do you know the genetics of your adults you are going to try and breed

  6. Is your female ovulating 

  7. Do you know how to work out what your outcome of morphs will be

  8. How old are you geckos

  9. Are they in good health

  10. Is the female at a good weight before they carry eggs

 

I will state it here - Anyone who buys a reptile just to breed it to make money who doesnt care about a single one of their gecko's shouldnt own the reptile. The truth to this is the fact that they may improperly house the geckos, they may not have the right care, they may be severly under fed or under malnutritioned, the enclosure they are kept in might not be clean and hold parasites - all things that can lead to health defects in the offspring. 

 

If you buy from a breeder do some research ask questions, any decent breeder will have all the parents morphs and will be able to tell you what the offspring is or likely to be if its carrying hets. 
 

What size Viv do i need

A Wooden Vivarium should be used at all times 

Glass is a poor conductor of heat and alot of owners with glass Terrariums have issues with heat.

 

Standard Vivarium should be a 2ft vivarium, This size is perfect for their whole life. However some people opt to transfer them to a longer Vivarium when they are adults. 3ft vivariums will give you that extra space and allow for more creativity with decorations. 4ft can be used if its a personalized vivarium or crammed with decoration so it doesnt feel so open but people do advise against it.

 

Can they bite / does it hurt

Yes geckos can bite and will bite if they feel threatened or stressed out. Yes from an adult it hurts and they can draw blood. 

Babies and juveniles its like getting pinched and is alot more common then being bit by an adult. 

Dont provoke any animal and it shouldt try and eat you.

How do i handle my gecko

Handling a gecko is quite simple dont grab its tail dont move your hands to fast and DO NOT put your hand above its head from behind they will see this as a threat and it will stress them out. 

Laddering your hands (Placing your hand one in front of the over so they can walk in a continous notion) Make sure you move your hands under one another as you reposistion your hand.

The faster you move your hand the faster the gecko will go, Be calm and gentle if your aura is calm the gecko will calm down to.

Some geckos naturally like to try and escape; use your bed or the floor anywhere that has holes blocked off and you can easily manouvre around or on is great. (Using the bed as an example) handle them and once they are becoming fidgits place them on the bed and just let them walk round it - keep an eye on them dont let them go to close to the edges - geckos dont have a good depth perception. every time they get close to a edge place them back on you or near you letting them walk about instead of confining them to your hands normally helps in the long run.

 

Begining to handle your gecko after buying them takes patience, alot of it.

Once they are settled in you can introduce yourself to them.

  • wk1-2 place your hand, Flat on the floor of the Vivarium for 5 minutes (have some music on or something) What your doing is allowing your gecko to smell your scent and begin to register that this hand isnt a threat it comes in and nothing happens to the gecko.

  • wk3-4 Once again hand flat in the Vivarium but palm up, when the gecko is on your hand or climbing onto your hand raise your hand just enough that it is off the vivarium floor and allow the gecko to climb back in from your raised hand.

  • wk4-6 By this timethe gecko should be comfortable with you entering the vivarium and possibly climbs up your arm other then back in the vivarium, if not this is where you can wait for it to climb on your hand and take it out of the viv laddering your hands allowing it to walk and get use to you

From there its just helping the confidence of the gecko and allowing it to walk and climb over you or the bed etc. Some geckos take drastically longer to trust and calm down and some can be very skitty and fidgit alot but it is a game of patience.

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