Beginner hobbyists often ask: “What are leopard gecko morphs?” In this article we will get acquainted with this concept, and also tell you about the amazing diversity of these cute creatures - leopard geckos.
So what are leopard gecko morphs?
Morpha (from ancient Greek μορφή - form) is a group of animals of the same species (population), which differ from other groups in this population by certain external characteristics (phenotype). Such a difference can be not only in body color, spots, body shape, etc., but also in the behavior of animals.
Leopard gecko morphs are certain characteristics or a set of characteristics of leopard geckos that are different in appearance and inherited. For example, different colors, the presence or absence of spots, and so on. These morphs are maintained within certain animal breeding lines. Those. In order for you to get babies of the same morph during breeding, you need to have parents from one such line that have genes responsible for ensuring that the offspring turn out a certain color.
You can learn more about how different morphs of leopard geckos are bred.
If you come across any words and terms that you do not understand, be sure to use our
Currently, there are already hundreds of different breeding lines of leopard geckos. Some of them are better known, some are not. Each breeder can try to develop his own morph. Although this is not a simple task, it is an interesting and useful activity for the entire community of animal lovers.
For a description of the main lines of leopard geckos, see our
Our most common morphs of leopard geckos
Normal (Normal) is the ancestor of all morphs (what started it all). Normals are leopard geckos with natural coloring, an abundance of black spots on a yellow background, the tail is most often white with spots, juvenile (children's) coloring is black and yellow transverse stripes.
HighYellow - very similar to Normal, but their body has a rich yellow color and fewer black dots on the body. This is a bred morph. Juvenile coloring is no different from Normal babies; adolescents become brighter and gain their main color by the age of one year.
The leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) is an excellent lizard for both beginners and experienced breeders of terrarium pet lizards. The leopard gecko is easy to care for and is not fussy and requires only feeding and simple maintenance once you provide it with the right habitat.
The leopard or spotted gecko is a desert dweller and nocturnal, so it enjoys warmth and is more likely to be active at night. This is an amazing lizard, it is always very interesting to watch it while feeding, and it is very funny when hunting.
Leopard geckos (leopard geckos) get along well with children, but their interactions need to be supervised. These lizards rarely bite and are very trainable. The gecko can hang onto your clothes and learn to climb onto your shoulder without any training. Improper handling, however, can cause stress to the animal: never pick up a leopard gecko by its tail (like most lizards) as it may detach it from its body.
Leopard geckos are very hardy and breed easily in captivity. There are many interesting specimens available for keeping at home. A common pattern with a light base color, covered in spots, and many color varieties (morph). The leopard gecko is found with and without spots, in many colors including albino, snowstorm, tangerine, carrot tail and other tail colors including spotted, and other variations.
Origin and description
AlbinoThe leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) was described by English zoologist Edward Blyth in 1854. The insectivorous lizard is native to Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. Lives in the desert, leads a nocturnal lifestyle. The leopard gecko is not listed as an endangered species.
The leopard gecko is a lizard with many spots or no spots at all, depending on the variant of the species. If there are several color variations of the leopard gecko with a typical pattern, as well as albinos, snowstorm, tangerine and other popular varieties. Young geckos do not yet have spots, but they appear as they mature.
Leopard geckos grow up to 20 cm in length and weigh 150-220 grams. The same care is required for lizards of any variety of this species. Leopard geckos live 5-7 years, and with good care up to 20 years.
You can distinguish a male from a female by the protrusion at the base of the tail. In the female it is one long bulge; in the male it is divided into two parts.
Feed and feeding
Leopard geckos are fed crickets and mealworms. Other worms can be offered, but the amount in the diet should be limited. It is advisable to use grasshoppers or crickets from commercial feeds offered for sale. This is already fully prepared food, rich in vitamins and minerals necessary for the lizard. It is recommended to add calcium and vitamins to any food offered to these pets.
Mandarin Since leopard geckos are nocturnal animals, they will be deficient in vitamin D3. To compensate for its deficiency, you can add a fluorescent lamp with UV, or again include vitamin supplements with calcium in your diet. Lizards require vitamin D3 in their diet or they will not be able to absorb calcium.
Geckos should be provided with a bowl of water, preferably dechlorinated (distilled). If you want to use a dechlorinator to get rid of chlorine, use Repti Safe - it will not only remove all harmful impurities from the water, but will also make it as close to natural as possible and reduce the risk of stress and disease by saturating it with electrolytes.
Terrarium
One leopard gecko can be kept in a 37 liter terrarium or aquarium. For two or more lizards, you need a long container with a volume of 70 liters. Do not use acrylic tanks to keep any lizards - heat lamps can melt the acrylic. Leopard geckos must have a hiding place where they will sleep during the day. They also like to climb, such as on vines and other driftwood, which can be purchased at a pet store.
Be careful when using calcined sand as bedding. If sand is the only source of calcium, reptiles may begin to consume large quantities of it, which will affect the lizard's gastrointestinal tract. This can eventually create a blockage and kill the gecko. It is better to use regular sand, sawdust, nut shell bedding and other natural materials that are not prone to liquid accumulation.
These lizards cannot be kept outside a terrarium (aquarium). Outdoors, temperatures can fluctuate unpredictably and there is a risk of tick infestation.
Temperature
The temperature of leopard geckos should be 29-31C during the day and 22-25C at night. Because these lizards are nocturnal animals, they do not require UV light to absorb calcium like many other lizards, but it can be a useful supplement for these purposes.
For lighting and warmth, you need 40-60 W incandescent lamps, located in the upper part on one side of the terrarium. The light can be white or red (infrared). You can also use blue lamps. Red and blue lamps, in addition to providing warmth, will help you monitor your pet at night. Leopard geckos regulate their body temperature themselves, moving from cold to warm areas when they need it. Therefore, by leaving the lamp on one side of the terrarium, you create both warm and cool zones for the lizards.
For additional heating, you can use a heating pad or a heater next to the terrarium. This is especially important if you use only white light for heating and turn it off at night. Hot rocks are not recommended as they can burn your geckos. Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature in the terrarium to prevent overheating.
Care
Everything you place in the terrarium should be disinfected and washed weekly. This applies to food and water containers and decorations. The litter should be changed every three to four months. Products containing phenol should not be used as cleaning agents. Cleaners containing chlorine and alcohol are acceptable, but should be rinsed off thoroughly.
Leopard geckos are generally easy to care for and defecate in one area of their home. Any approved product, such as Jurassi Clean, can be used for cleaning. To remove feces, you can use a scoop with holes, immediately sifting clean sand.
Behavior
Spotted lizards are nocturnal, like many desert inhabitants. They are friendly and good with children. They rarely bite and are quickly tamed; they can sit perched on a shoulder or hang on clothes.
Male leopard geckos are relatively friendly with females of their species, but two males placed together will fight to the death. Therefore, in one terrarium you can keep only one male and any number of females, provided that there is enough space.
Spotted geckos, when in danger, if grabbed by the tail, can detach it from the rest of the body. The tail will regenerate, although it will never be the same again.
Reproduction
If you can keep a male and female and have space for them to breed, you can have as many offspring as you have females. The main thing is to be able to accommodate this offspring.
It is very difficult to determine the sex of leopard geckos younger than 3-4 months visually. In adults 6-9 months old, it is quite easy to determine the sex. Males are usually slightly bulkier and have a wider head and neck than females. The male also has a pair of protuberances behind the anus at the base of the tail. The female has no bulges.
If you are not sure what gender your lizard is, add another lizard to the terrarium. If both geckos are wagging their tails from side to side, they are most likely trying to attack each other, which means they are two males.
The mating process of reptiles is tough and you might even think that the male is attacking the female. He nibbles on her tail and then slowly moves up her body until he reaches her neck.
The female spotted gecko lays one or two eggs at a time. To obtain predominantly female offspring, the incubation temperature should be 25-28C; for mixed offspring 29-32C; to obtain males 31-32.3C. Please note that the higher the incubation temperature, the more colorful the offspring will be, and the eggs will hatch faster. The incubation period is 46-60 days.
Young lizards will not eat until their first moult. The gecko should eat the shed skin as it contains vitamins and nutrients that the lizard needs. After this, young monitor lizards begin to eat small, pinhead-sized crickets and small worms.
Have you decided to buy a leopard gecko and want to know what determines the price of a leopard gecko? Then this article is for you. Of course, each breeder himself determines the cost of a leopard gecko, but there are also general indicators that the leopard gecko breeders themselves are guided by.
Leopard gecko price and age.
Often young leopard geckos are sold cheaper than adults. A lot of time and expense have already been invested in adult leopard geckos, and you can definitely see the leopard gecko’s color and gender. In adult leopard geckos, all the disadvantages and advantages are visible. Young leopard geckos are more delicate and are easy to accidentally injure or get various diseases such as rickets if not fed correctly.
Young leopard geckos are usually wilder; they have not yet had time to get comfortable and get used to humans, unlike an adult leopard gecko. Sometimes adult leopard geckos are wild, but this usually depends on the breeder, whether he takes them in his arms, and how often he comes into contact with them. Small leopard geckos usually get stressed and scared more often than adults, which is why they can drop their tail.
Therefore, if you want to buy your first leopard gecko and you have no experience, it is better to take not a small one, but at least 3 months old. Another advantage of adult leopard geckos is that if you buy for breeding, you will not need to wait a year for the leopard gecko to grow up. Therefore, it is clear why the price for an adult leopard gecko is usually more expensive than if you take a 1 month old one, for example.
Price for leopard gecko and morph.
The price of a leopard gecko depends on the morph, so to speak, color. There are simple morphs of leopard geckos, for example, the cheapest morph is considered Normal - this is the natural color of leopard geckos in nature, black dots on a yellow-brown background. The price of such a leopard gecko is on average 1,500 rubles. There is a morph, for example, Diablo Blanco ( White Devil) is a white leopard gecko, the price of such a leopard gecko is on average 9,000 rubles. If you think this is expensive, you are mistaken, there is something even more expensive - Black Night is a black leopard gecko, the price of such a leopard gecko is on average 100,000 rubles. Therefore, the range of prices mainly depends on the morph of the leopard gecko, and the rest (age, gender, disadvantages) is secondary. We will not list all the morphs and prices here, there are a lot of them.
Leopard gecko price and disadvantages.
The price of a leopard gecko can be reduced if there are any disadvantages. For example, a secondary tail. This is when the leopard gecko throws off its tail and in its place a new one grows, but not as beautiful as the first one. If the tail has already grown at the time of sale, all dangers for the health of the leopard gecko are over, you can buy such a leopard gecko without fear for its health, but since this is still a secondary tail, it is not as beautiful as the first one, the price is usually slightly lower. Here it also depends on the breeder, some will reduce the price and others will not, each breeder himself evaluates his work in breeding leopard geckos.
Rickets is not a rare disease in leopard geckos; this disease is caused by a lack of calcium. Curvature of the paws most often occurs in leopard geckos. Of course, it’s not worth buying a leopard gecko if it suffers from rickets, but if it was ill and recovered and remains, for example, with a deformed paw, you can. The price of such leopard geckos is lower for obvious reasons.
Enigma syndrome is a pathological mutation of the state of certain proteins in the brain (cerebellum) Enigma. This is not a contagious disease, it is passed on genetically. They seem to lose orientation in space and may miss the food or spin in one place. Enigma syndrome can be mild, moderate or severe. The price for such leopard geckos is also usually lower.
The spotted leopard gecko is one of the most common species of this lizard, which is increasingly kept in terrariums as an exotic pet.
Eublepharis is a lizard belonging to the Eublepharaceae family, which has several varieties and is common in India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan.
These are nocturnal small reptiles, whose body weight rarely reaches 50 g and length is about 20-30 cm.
The head is large in comparison with the body and shaped like a triangle. The large eyes are slightly elongated and bulging, slightly reminiscent of a cat's. The long mouth always seems to be smiling. The paws, of different lengths depending on the type, are thin and dry, ending in five toes with claws.
Photo gallery of Eublephar:
The color of the skin is varied, there are more than a hundred types of patterns. The main background is usually brownish, greenish, reddish, and the dotted pattern is contrasting and bright.
Initially, a healthy adult Leopard Gecko has a thick and large tail. In a moment of danger, the lizard discards it, and a new one grows much shorter and with a smooth texture, without tubercles.
Sexual dimorphism is well expressed, the male is larger, with a more massive head and a tail thick at the base.
In the wild, the lifespan of a lizard is rarely 10 years; in captivity, this period is much longer - up to 20.
Eublefar is active at night and at dusk; on a hot day, it hides from the heat in rock crevices or under tree roots and stones. It is an inhabitant of steppes, small mountains and dry woodlands.
The leopard gecko is a social and territorial type of animal. The male lizard lives with a small harem, which includes from three to six females, and actively guards its zone of existence. The family feeds on arthropods, larvae, small mammal species, other lizards and sometimes even its own offspring.
The Eublefar reaches sexual maturity around the ninth month of life. The female lays up to ten clutches of 1-2 eggs during the year. Babies are born after 2-3 months, their sex depends on the maturation temperature, at lower temperatures females are born, above +31.5 °C - males. The young are fairly pale in color, becoming brighter at about 8 months.
According to scientific classification, leopard geckos are currently divided into five species.
The natural habitat of this species of Eublephar is Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Türkiye. The lizard prefers rocky mountains from 300 to 1000 meters above sea level. In some places the number of animals is large, in others, for example, in Turkey, it is negligible.
The physique of the Iranian Eublephar is typical for this lizard, but its limbs are much longer and its body is more massive.
The lower part of the body and abdomen are almost white; the back, head and paws on top are covered with brownish-yellowish linear streaks. The long, massive tail has transverse alternating brown and light stripes.
Eublepharis angramainyu is capable of interbreeding with the Spotted Eublepharis and producing healthy, viable hybrids in the first and second generations.
This species feeds mainly on small lizards. Throughout the year it leads a secretive lifestyle, becoming more active only in the spring during the mating season.
This species is not yet protected by the Convention on International Trade, since it has been little studied and its true numbers are unknown.
Eublepharis fuscus is a species native to the arid Indian regions in the western part of the country. This is a large lizard up to 40-45 cm long with a bright yellow longitudinal stripe on its back, running over a dark pattern.
This species was first subjected to scientific research at the end of the 19th century, and was found near Bombay, in Mumbai. But for a long time it was considered a subspecies of the spotted leopard gecko and was allocated to a separate class only in 1997.
It differs from other varieties in its large size, location and type of lamellas on the back and legs. The pattern is still more spotted than linear.
It lives in nature at altitudes of 50-650 m in dry forests, preferring hills, boulders and bushes for living. Activity appears in lizards in December, when the young grow a little. There is evidence of a slight decline in population size, although the species still occupies a fairly large area of about 150 thousand square kilometers.
Herdwick's leopard geckos
Eublepharis hardwicki - inhabitants of the eastern regions of India and Bangladesh. This species has been studied very little.
It is known that lizards prefer heights from 500 to 1500 m and the population occupies a habitat area of about 400-700 thousand square kilometers. They love dry deciduous forests, living under stones and tree roots.
In terms of beauty of color, it is not much inferior to the Spotted Leopard Gecko, and therefore is the subject of active trade.
The lizard's body is dense and short, maximum 20-23 cm long, the legs are also small.
The length of the nose is equal to the distance between the eyes, the large ear openings are oval. On the head and body there are scales in the form of polyhedra and numerous tubercles. The long tail is slightly rounded and appears swollen.
There are 10 scales above and below the lips, and on the abdomen there are 30 horizontal stripes. They are also present on the lower part of the tail, and the chin is decorated with large shields.
With a long red, thin and flat tongue, Herdvik's Eublefar is able to lick the eyes and the entire head.
The pattern on the lizard's body is in reddish, light or dark brown tones. This is how the head, wide areas on the back and tail are colored. In contrast, yellowish stripes run along the back of the head, the center of the back and the base of the tail. The paws are pinkish in color, and the lower part of the body and abdomen are almost white.
These lizards are silent, but when frightened they make piercing sounds with tints and vibrations.
This is the most widespread species of Eublephar in nature, the population size is large and there is no threat of extinction of the animal. It is found at home, but is not as popular as the leopard print.
Eublepharis macularius in natural conditions is an inhabitant of Pakistan and northern India. The maximum body length of a night lizard is 25-30 cm.
This is the most common species in home terrariums, as it is easy to maintain and easily reproduces in captivity.
The class was first described in 1854 and has five subspecies.
The main background of the body can be different - straw-yellow or gray-pink, sometimes with a purple tint. But there are always dark “leopard-print” spots scattered throughout it, evenly covering the entire lizard from the nose to the tip of the tail.
Newborns and juveniles have a different color - at first they are almost black, then wide transverse alternating stripes of light (usually yellow) and dark (brown or charcoal) tones appear on the body.
There are sharp tubercles throughout the body and legs; scales are present on the abdomen (20-30), tail, and eyelids (45-57).
Leopard Geckos were first found in the southern parts of Afghanistan, and then in India and Pakistan. These are the indigenous inhabitants of semi-deserts and dry savannas. They love clay and sandy soils, stones, and dried shrubs. The coloring, which looks very bright in terrariums, helps them blend in with nature in their native environment.
During the period when the ambient temperature drops to +5...+15 ºC, Spotted Leopard Geckos fall into a kind of suspended animation, semi-hibernation for several months, waiting out the unfavorable time using fat reserves.
Whereas in summer, when around +40 ºC, lizards are active and feel good. Perhaps the ability to withstand sudden temperature changes without a threat to health made this pet so undemanding in terms of living conditions.
At dusk and at night, Leopard lizards track and attack invertebrates, arthropods, small mammals, scorpions, spiders, and centipedes. These are excellent hunters who know how to get food in difficult conditions due to their keen vision, excellent sense of smell and swift movements.
Now, in addition to natural color variations, there are many breeding ones. It is not a separate species, but only a unique color isomorphic form and the following variety deserves special attention.
Natural bright coloring is an excellent camouflage for spotted leopard geckos, but at home they are not threatened by predators and new breeding forms acquire different colors. Today many hybrid forms are known, for example, Black Eye or Black Hole (BH).
The most unique and surprising are the black colors - Black Velvet and Black Pearl. Breeders from Europe are working on obtaining a black spotted lizard. The coal isomorph was obtained as a result of a random mutation when crossing two individuals of the natural color Normal. These are melanistic leopard geckos, which have a familiar pattern on their body, which is very difficult to distinguish due to the black pigment.
The work has been going on for about 20 years, but it has not yet been possible to achieve color stability. Black spotted leopard geckos are in the collections of only leading breeders and the price for such individuals on the foreign market is about 2 thousand dollars.
More often, lizards of lighter gray tones are born, but they are also in great demand; in Russia there is now only one such Eublefar.
This color is also called Black Knight and ranges from dark cinnamon to deep velvety black. The eyes of lizards are grayish with a blue tint.
Usually babies are born lighter and with a normal, clear pattern, but as they grow older they begin to darken and the pattern becomes barely visible. But sometimes it happens exactly the opposite: an absolutely charcoal newborn baby becomes light gray by the time it reaches sexual maturity.
This designer morph has a polygenic type of inheritance, controlled by pairs of non-allelic genes, that is, several combinations of pairs are responsible for the characteristics. There are many breeding varieties with this set: Bandit, Baldy, Carrot head and many others.
In lizards of the albino type Albino, during crossbreeding, a surge of melanin may occur and an absolutely black individual will be born, but this is a very unstable color and the color will not be repeated in the offspring.
Thus, until a clear understanding of the genetic mechanism of the birth of spotted melanists has been obtained, Black Knight Geckos will be an expensive exotic.
In the official classification they are a subspecies of the Spotted, but some scientists still distinguish it as a separate species. It is found in the southern and northern regions of Afghanistan and in the northern regions of Pakistan. The colors are predominantly golden-yellow; the lizard is small in size - about 20 cm.
Eublepharis turcmenicus were widespread in the southern regions of Turkmenistan and the northern part of Iran, but now they are on the verge of extinction and are listed in the international Red Book.
Lives in rocks and foothills with dry bushes, often choosing burrows abandoned by other animals as shelters. The length of the spotted yellow-brown body rarely reaches 25 cm. The markings are uneven, irregular in shape and with a lilac tint.
It breeds in July-August, clutching two eggs. In all other respects, it is no different from the Spotted Leopard Gecko.
Keeping a lizard at home
In order for this exotic pet to live well next to a person, you need to take the arrangement of its home seriously.
Terrariums
They can be quite small for one individual, for example, 35x35x35 cm, and should be much longer for two or three lizards, for example, 35x35x65 cm. They can be positioned both horizontally and vertically, but in the latter case it is necessary to provide shelves, ledges and other pet climbing elements.
If the Eublefar is purchased by a baby, then at first he needs a small volume; in a large container he will become confused and feel uncomfortable, and will not be able to fully hunt. But upon reaching six months, it is necessary to transfer the pet to larger premises; at this age, he develops a desire to travel and explore new spaces. In addition, this stimulates the rapid growth of the individual.
Temperature
The leopard gecko is a cold-blooded lizard, but in order for the food in its body to be well digested, it needs warmth. The best way out is to provide heating for the lower parts of the home, using thermal coatings (thermal mats) or cords. These items are sold at pet stores.
If you were unable to buy these devices, you can place a shoe dryer under the terrarium or bury it in the bottom filler. The maximum temperature here should not exceed +32 ºC; it can be controlled by the height of the soil. To do this, use a special soil thermometer. It is enough to heat one corner of the tank, which occupies a third or a quarter of the entire space.
At room temperature +20…+23 ºC it is better to turn off forced heating at night. This gradient is familiar to lizards and only helps strengthen the immune system.
Moreover, up to three months of life, heating should work constantly, and for adult pets it can be turned on several times a day to digest food.
Arrangement of houses
A terrarium pet should have several shelter houses in different parts of the tank: in a heated one - for digesting food, in a cool one - for sleeping and resting. In addition, you need a humid chamber, where the Eublefar will shed.
The molting room must be set up in a heated place, otherwise the pet may be plunged into suspended animation.
Houses are made from various natural and decorative materials; halves of coconuts with cut out holes are very good for this.
Terrarium bottom filler
Pet salons sell special terrarium coverings that are very convenient to use and easy to clean. You can use regular mats, but not those with rubber parts.
Soil is laid on them - in the form of large stones and pebbles. The main thing is not to use rounded shapes, which are common on the banks of rivers and seas. The steppe and semi-desert inhabitants of Eublephara are not adapted to walking on slippery surfaces; their fingers must cling to rough surfaces. In addition, the size of the fractions must be such that the pet cannot swallow individual elements.
Sand is not suitable under any circumstances; problems with the digestive system and breathing will immediately begin. That is, we must remember that any shallow soil is deadly for Eublefar and can lead to complete blockage of the intestines and respiratory tract.
Drinking bowls
They use flat bowls of water; fountains are not needed. Leopard geckos do not like running water, they have never seen it in their native habitat. But these pets also prefer to lick drops, so if you spray the stones daily, you don’t have to install a drinking bowl at all.
It is better to use water with a high alkalinity.
Daylight hours
These twilight animals do not need additional lighting. You can install a small (preferably mirror) incandescent lamp with a power of no more than 40 watts. It should shine only in one corner, thus simulating solar heating. At night the lamp is turned off.
An ultraviolet lamp is definitely needed; it is used to prevent rickets and is turned on for a short time, since bright light is extremely unpleasant for lizards, and even dangerous for albinos.
Providing humidity
Its optimal rate is about 50% or slightly lower. It is especially important to monitor the level in winter when the heating is on, when the air in the house is excessively dry. Then the soil should be sprayed several times a day in one corner of the terrarium. It's even better to put a wet chamber there. Moreover, some pets like it to be in a warm corner, while others prefer a cool area.
At first, you can put two coconut halves in different places, moisten the soil under them and see which Leopard Gecko chooses.
The wet zone or chamber is very important for this lizard; it is there that molting occurs, which occurs once every 2-3 months in adults, and twice a month in juveniles. If the old skin does not peel off completely, then the pet may lose hearing, vision, and fingers. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully inspect it every day. However, if all the parameters in the terrarium are maintained correctly, then this process can occur unnoticed by the owner, since the Leopard Gecko eats the shed skin without a trace.
Molting begins with peeling and whitening of individual parts of the body and ideally the skin peels off the lizard’s body in one stocking. If it tears and does not come off, then you need to help the pet - hold it under running warm water and carefully remove the remaining coating with a cotton swab.
Fresh air
Ventilation in the terrarium is necessary. It occurs due to the convection of warm air and the installation of two holes in the lid or top of the tank.
Diet
In nature, the main diet of Eublepharis is insects, although they do not refuse other living food. At home, lizards should be fed with the following types:
- Crickets are the most accessible, as they are easily bred independently, and insects are complete in terms of their combination of nutrients. They use brownies, bananas, and two-spotted ones.
- Cockroaches - Turkmen, marbled, Madagascar larvae.
- Mealworms. They are rarely given because they contain too much fat.
The insects are first fed greens and coated in vitamin supplements for reptiles (sold in pet stores) and calcium powder.
Occasionally, you can give newborn mice as a special treat.
Leopard geckos eat only protein foods; they do not need any plant food and will not eat it.
The feeding process is considered the best way to tame lizards and is a fun activity. Food is given by hand or using tweezers. It is advisable not to allow insects into the terrarium so that they do not scatter around the house or the pet eats pebbles with them.
While waiting for its portion, the Eublefar usually stands on its hind legs and taps its tail in impatience.
In summer, you can feed grasshoppers and locusts, but these insects should be collected away from agricultural land so as not to feed your pet with fertilizers and pesticides. In addition, forest species are often infected with helminths.
Eublephar's feeding regimen is as follows:
- Up to 30 days, babies are fed twice a day, given one cricket at a time.
- Up to three months, one feeding of two small insects is enough.
- Up to six months - three large crickets every other day.
- Older lizards can be fed 2-3 times a week, 3-5 large crickets per feeding.
It is better to choose the evening or morning twilight hours for this; lizards are most active at this time.
Breeding and caring for young animals
Leopard geckos reach sexual maturity at 9-12 months. Males are larger than females, they have a larger head and a powerful tail.
Leopard geckos should not be kept with other animals or two males together; constant territorial fights will be inevitable. Several females or a male and 2-10 girls will get along well.
In captivity, leopard geckos reproduce easily. To stimulate mating, you can first worsen conditions and induce short-term hibernation, and after gradual warming, mating games quickly begin. But in principle, lizards have no prerequisites for suspended animation at home, since there is no need for it for the animal.
In order for breeding to be successful, one male and at least three females are placed in one terrarium. Extend daylight hours to 14-15 hours, increase heating to +28...+ 30 ºC and increase humidity to 60-80%.
A male, when courting a partner, often checks the composition of the air with his tongue. When ready to mate, the female friend releases special pheromones into the air. Then they begin biting the neck fold and gently stroking the female’s sides with lamps.
The duration of one pregnancy is about three weeks; in one summer, a female can lay clutches three or four times, containing one or two eggs, which she buries in the ground. It should be ensured that its height is sufficient.
The eggs are small, up to 25 mm in length, and covered with a soft, leathery shell. Parents do not monitor the clutch, they only return to bury a new one.
The ripening period of eggs is about two months. Up to +26 ºC of the environment, more females are born, at +31.5 ºC male specimens predominate, in the range of +29…+30 ºC the same number of boys and girls are born. In this case, females acquire male tendencies and are not capable of reproducing offspring.
Babies are born 6-8 cm in length, weighing 5-9 g and pale striped in color; adult colors rarely appear before 7-8 months.
For newborns, incubators are pre-prepared from plastic containers, based on 0.15 sq.m. per one individual. Up to three to four months, the cubs can be safely kept together. It is convenient to use paper towels and thick napkins as bedding in containers; they are easy to change. Humidity is maintained high by regularly spraying the tank with warm water from a spray bottle, since molting still occurs every two weeks - the lizards grow quickly, and the old skin becomes too small for them.
By five months, the juveniles must be resettled. A young male can easily fertilize a female, but she is not yet ready to lay eggs.
You should not place juveniles with adult leopard geckos; they risk being simply crushed by their elders and are in an environment of constant stress. It is better to form new terrariums according to the type of small natural families.
The food used is small crickets and cockroaches of such a size that children can swallow the food.
To prevent rickets, there should always be a bowl of calcium in the incubator and an ultraviolet lamp should be turned on for a couple of minutes every two days.
Often, when kept in captivity, the mating season for Eublefar geckos shifts in time and takes place from November to March. During this time, the female can make up to ten clutches.
Possible problems
The leopard gecko has become so popular as an always smiling and entertaining pet that numerous clubs for lovers of these terrarium animals are being formed around the world. Their activity is invaluable in Russia, since there are few veterinarians specializing in diseases of cold-blooded animals.
Despite the fact that the Eublefar is a very unpretentious animal that easily adapts to its living conditions, various problems can arise if it is not properly cared for:
In general, the condition of the tail and eyes is an important indicator of the health of the Eublephar.
In addition, you need to monitor your pet's stool. In a healthy individual it consists of three parts. Liquid represents urine, dark excrement is feces itself, and light excrement is excreted excess salts.
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