Leopard Gecko
(Eublepharis macularis)
Distribution
The leopard gecko can be found in areas of northwest India, southwest Afghanistan, Eastern Iran and Pakistan. Baby leopard geckos often found in pet shops are delicate in appearance compared to the stocky adults they can become, reaching breeding age at around 18 months.
This species of gecko currently has 5 subspecies recognized and these are
Eublepharis macularius fasciolatus,
Eublepharis macularius afghanicus,
Eublepharis macularius macularius,
Eublepharis macularius montanus and
Eublepharis macularius smithi.
Size
These animals grow between 18 and 24cm in length. They generally reach this size in around 18 months to two years.
Diet
Geckos are mainly insectivorous animals. Foods taken in captivity consist of arthropods, mealworms, wax worms, black field crickets, locusts, brown crickets, earthworms and pink mice. These should be dusted with a calcium supplement prior to being offered to your lizard. The insects should also be fed prior to being offered to your lizard to ensure they are nutritious. It is essential to ensure that a variety is offered from the outset as these geckos can become addicted to one food, especially mealworms and wax worms.
Requirements
- Heat Source: - This can be either reflector (spot) lights in green, red or blue, ceramic or thermostatically controlled heat mats. These should always be connected to a thermostat in order to prevent over heating of the enclosure.
- UV Light Source: - Require a Reptisun 5.0 UVB light. These should be sited no more than 30cm away from the reptiles basking area. This should be left on for 8 to 12 hours a day and replaced every 6 months unless otherwise stated by the manufacturer. This will create a day and night time effect as well as give your lizard sufficient levels of UV in order to allow vitamin D3 synthesis.
- Housing:- This should consist of a dark wooden vivarium with glass frontage and adequate ventilation. A vivarium measuring 30 inches in length by 18 inches deep by 18 inches high) is sufficient for a small colony of geckos (3 or 4). However, males are notoriously aggressive and should not be kept with other males. Hatchlings should be kept in a smaller container which can be housed in their future vivarium.
- Thermostat:- An essential part of any vivarium and is required to regulate the internal temperatures of the vivarium and to prevent your pet from becoming too hot or too cold.
- Wire Mesh Guards:- These should be fitted over all heat sources used in order to prevent thermal burns.
- Thermometers:- One should be placed at each end of the vivarium in order to give an accurate reading of the temperatures within the enclosure. Never go by the temperature on the thermostat as these are often inaccurate.
- Hides:- These are essential to prevent stress and allow your pet to hide away from the outside world. boxes, plant pots, caves etc. all make excellent hides.
Water and Humidity
These animals in particular do not require great amounts of water, spraying on a daily basis is often sufficient however, it may be wise to supply a shallow bowl of water to enable the animal to use it when needed. The humidity needs to be maintained at around 50-55%. A humid hide is essential for this species containing sphagnum moss. They will seek this out during ecdysis and it will prevent the skin becoming dried and constricting on their toes. It is best to check the gecko after ecdysis to ensure a complete shed has been accomplished.
Temperature
A basking area of 30 - 35°C (86 - 96°F) is required at one end of the vivarium. The background temperature should range from 26 - 28°C with a night time temperature of 20 - 25°C.
Longevity
If kept under the right conditions leopard gecko's can live between 8 and 15 years with some exceeding this.
Substrate
Calcium sand is recommended as the geckos will eat some of the sand whilst they catch and eat their insect prey. Calcium sand can be digested without causing harm to the gecko. Paper can also be used to good effect. Large pieces of bark mulch can be dried and used to good effect, as long as the dust is removed and the pieces are too large to be ingested during feeding. The bark must not contain pine or cedar as the resins can be toxic to them.
NB – Map is taken from http://www.reptil-zoo.dk/UDB_Eublepharis_macularius_UK.html
Further Contacts/websites/Further reading
Stuart Dodsworth –
stuartandlynette@dodsworth2005.wanadoo.co.uk
The International Herpetological Society –
www.international-herp-society.co.uk
The British Herpetological Society –
www.thebhs.org
Taxonomy Information -
http://srs.embl-heidelberg.de:8000/srs5bin/cgi-bin/wgetz?-e+[REPTILIA-Species:'Eublepharis_SP_macularius']
www.reptilekeeper.co.uk
Photo credit:
http://www.goldengategeckos.com
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