(Eublepharis macularius)

BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Leopard geckos are members of the sub-family Eublepharinae, or the eye-lidded geckos. Many geckos lack eyelids, but the leopard geckos' are movable, which allow them to blink and close their eyes while sleeping. Leopard geckos' have claws on the end of their toes instead of pads, which prevents them from climbing walls of the tank. They have a breakable tail like most lizards that helps them escape predators. Be careful handling them to prevent tail loss.

These are yellowish lizards with darker spots, hence the name Leopard Geckos. The spots can be brown to purple to black. Also these are sometimes arranged into loose bands across their backs. The tails of these lizards are whitish to pale purple to grey with dark spots. Leopard Geckos are bred in great numbers by hobbyists and commercial breeders, and the trend has been to selectively breed them for interesting colour morphs and patterns. These new and interesting colour morphs bear little resemblance to their wild counterparts. The colours range from solid yellow to orange backgrounds. Some have spots that are elongated into stripes. The most commonly seen variety is the high-yellow. The lizards have a brighter yellow background with reduced spotting. Albinos have also been bred in rather large numbers but they still command very high prices.

HOUSING
My vivarium is rather large 5’ x 2’ x 1.5’ this is because I will hopefully be breeding them next year. So there will be plenty of room to divide this into smaller sections to separate the young. I am going to keep about 6 females and 1 male in this viv I also have a smaller one as well which I will be partitioning into 2 sections to house 2 males. CAUTION: Do not put 2 males together in the same viv, especially with females as they will fight and cause serious injuries or even kill each other.
In my viv I have play-pit sand as the base, this is ok for older gecko’s but not for young ones as this can lead to a problem called IMPACTION this is where the gecko’s eat the sand but cannot digest it leaving in their stomach and causing all sorts of problems mostly ending in the death of the animal. For young Gecko’s an ideal base is news-paper or kitchen towel as well as being safe for the gecko, this is also easier to change when soiled. Gecko’s are relatively clean animals, they will select a spot to use as a “toilet” this is used all the time, my Gecko’s have designated a spot right at the front of my viv so I can easily see when they need cleaning out. They get cleaned out every day when I feed them and change their water, I also smooth over the sand as well this makes it look neat and tidy more than anything.
In their viv I have placed a couple of hides for them, as they are nocturnal animals they tend to sleep during the day and come out at night. The hides I have put in there are 3 different types
1. Bark: this provides a natural looking shelter. (Available at any good pet-shop)
2. Artificial rock: fairly natural looking. (Available at any good pet-shop)
3. Cd Spindle: Most people who use computers either have these or know people who have.
The cd spindle is an ideal hide for 2 reasons, where they are made of plastic they are light and easy to clean, I have painted mine so it provides a dark hide. Also because they are made of plastic I have put a thin piece of foam in the bottom, which I keep moist, this provides a humid climate which helps them to shed their skin. I have found that when they start shedding their skin it normally has all come of within 24 hours!

HEATING
I have heat-mats under the sand at one end this keeps the sand at a steady temperature,
At this end I have placed one of the cd spindles this provides a nice warm hide, the other cd spindle is at the cold end, attached to the lid is a tubular green-house heater this helps to heat the air, to produce a nice warm atmosphere. As the gecko’s are nocturnal they do not need ultraviolet light or spot light, you could add a heat lamp if you need to.
I keep my vivarium at an average temp of about 85F one end and 75F the other.

SEXING
Visual sexing is hard. The male usually has a broader head and neck than the female, but this is not always necessarily the case. Sexing has to be done by looking at the underside of the lizard. Adult males have a prominent row of pre-anal pores. These are in the shape of a "V". Females' pre-anal pores are hardly visible. Also the adult males have a hemi penile swelling and a broader tail base. When these lizards are just eggs, their sex is determined by temperature. 79F - 83F are generally female. 84F - 86F are generally half and half... 87F + is generally male.

HANDLING
“To handle or not to handle”. If you would like to have a tame Leopard Gecko that you can feed by hand, then you must handle it quite often. Just be careful as their tails break off quite easily as a defence mechanism. Do not worry it will grow back. Take note though, it will not grow back to look like the original. It will grow back to be short stocky and ugly. It is about half the original length, generally fatter, and the colouring and texture are uneven.