As with other reptiles, Leopard geckos go through multiple skin sheds throughout their lives. Unlike most other reptiles, they also eat their shed skins. Read article

The post Leopard Gecko ceratophagia appeared first on Leopard Gecko.

Introduction to Leopard gecko glass climbing

Glass climbing in Leopard geckos is when a Leopard gecko is continually trying to climb the glass surfaces of the enclosure and slips off again. Sometimes Leopard geckos will also try to climb non-glass surfaces.

Leopard gecko glass climbing is often the result of some sort of distress and is an attempt to escape (author’s personal observation).

Glass surfing behaviour

Glass climbing in Leopard geckos is also referred to as ‘surfing’ because when the Leopard gecko keeps sliding off, it will fall and move to one side and then try to climb that area again, and so forth. This will lead to the Leopard gecko moving from one side of the enclosure to the other side – making it look like ‘surfing’.

Common reasons for glass climbing in Leopard geckos include:

• Unfamiliar surroundings (e.g. moving to a new enclosure or new additions to an established enclosure)
• Extreme temperatures  (e.g. when the temperature is too high or too low)
• Incorrect humidity (e.g. when no humidifying shelters are supplied)
• Overcrowding (e.g. when the keeping enclosure is too small)
• Over- or underfeeding (e.g. when feeder insects are roaming around or when there is not enough food)
• Lack of proper hiding areas

Unfamiliar surroundings

Leopard geckos are commonly seen showing glass climbing behaviour during the first couple of days after being introduced to a new enclosure. This is even more true in the case of baby Leopard geckos.

It is important to keep handling to a minimum during these times and only open or move the enclosure during this time when it is absolutely necessary.

Also see
Handling a Leopard gecko

Leopard geckos inhabit the arid and semi-arid territories of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, India and Nepal. Although these are considered desert areas, temperatures that are too high, and obviously too low, can cause stress in Leopard geckos and lead to subsequent glass climbing behaviour.

The recommended temperature range for Leopard geckos is 25–30 ºC / 77–86 ºF⁽²³⁾, which can either be kept constant or be dropped to room temperature during the evenings. Ideally, a temperature gradient should be created to allow Leopard geckos to thermoregulate.

Temperatures are measured using a thermometer.

Also see
Natural distribution of Leopard geckos
Leopard gecko thermometers

Too high temperatures

Apart from climbing behaviour, Leopard geckos that are kept in temperatures that are too high include anorexia (refusal to eat) and fast and open mouth breathing. High temperatures can also cause immunosuppression^(34)(35) and even be lethal to Leopard geckos.

The obvious thing to do in cases where environmental temperatures are too high is to reduce the heat supply of the heating equipment. This can be done using a thermostat or by changing over to less powerful lighting or under tank heat mats. Also, make sure that the heat source is only emitting about a third of the floor space of the enclosure.

Too low temperatures

Low environmental temperatures are not as dangerous as high temperatures but still causes stress in Leopard geckos. Apart from climbing the glass of the enclosure, too low temperatures can also cause lethargy and anorexia.

If the required temperature range of Leopard geckos cannot be achieved naturally (e.g. living in colder parts of the world), heating equipment will be required. Nighttime temperatures should also be controlled in the case where it is monitored to be below 18 ºC / 64 ºF.

Also see
Supplying heat to Leopard geckos

Incorrect humidity

Another common reason for stress and Leopard gecko glass climbing is when the humidity of the enclosure is too low. Apart from glass climbing in Leopard geckos, low humidities will first be observed by excessive soaking behaviour and skin shedding problems.

Although Leopard geckos are from semi-desert areas, they actually prefer microhabitats where there is some moisture. These include areas with tunnels, stacked rocks, pieced of wood and plant material where they can hide

The best way to supply humidity to Leopard geckos is by adding one or more humidifying shelters. The substrates used inside these areas are wetted to be moist.

Also see
Correct humidity for Leopard geckos
Suitable substrates for Leopard geckos

Although Leopard geckos are considered gregarious⁽⁴⁹⁾ and naturally live in small colonies^(30)(50), overcrowding can cause stress and climbing behaviour. Some breeders also prefer to house baby Leopard geckos in groups.

Overcrowding becomes a problem when the keeping enclosure is too small, different sized/aged Leopard geckos are housed together or when more than one adult male is kept in the same enclosure⁽⁵⁰⁾.

Harem of Leopard geckos. As Leopard geckos get older, they prefer to stay in smaller groups where there is only one male.

Enclosure size

Typically, one adult male Leopard geckos can be kept with a harem of several female Leopard geckos⁽⁵⁰⁾.

A single Leopard gecko can be housed in an area as small as a 10-gallon tank / 30 x 30 cm / 12 x 12 ″, but bigger is better. One or two Leopard geckos can be housed together in an ADDIS (35 x 25 x 15) cm / (13.7 x 10 x 10) ″ container with the correct setup.

A 20 gallon / 30-50 ℓ / (61 x 23 x 33) cm / (24 x 9 x 13) ″ glass tank, “Pal pen “or “Desert den” can also be used to house one to a few Leopard geckos.

The floor space should increase by at least 25% for every gecko added after that.

Different sizes

As long as they are all adult, different sized/aged Leopard geckos can be housed together without problems. Housing different aged baby and juvenile Leopard geckos together can cause unfair competition for food and even bullying where the smaller ones often loose.

Baby Leopard geckos are often kept in groups in order to save space. When different sized baby Leopard geckos are housed together, they might stress and show climbing behaviour.

Adult males

Males will generally not tolerate each other unless juvenile⁽⁵⁰⁾.

Over- or underfeeding

To prevent Leopard gecko glass climbing behaviour it is important to feed the correct quantity and size of feeder insects.

Feeding too little

Leopard geckos are active hunters. When hungry, they will often go out and look for food. In the case where there is no food, Leopard gecko glass climbing behaviour might be observed in an attempt to go and look for food.

On average, Leopard geckos need to be feed every day, or at least every other day. The best feeding times is probably during the evening when Leopard geckos are mostly active.

The correct prey size in moderate numbers can stimulate hunting behaviour in baby Leopard geckos. Image from YouTube.com.

Walking insects such as crickets should be offered one-by-one, or a few at a time until the Leopard gecko has lost interest. Crawling insects such as mealworms or silkworm larvae can be offered at libitum (always be available) in a small shallow escape-proof dish. Although ‘crawlies’ should always be available, they must be fresh.

Feeding too much

Similar to not eating enough, too many free-roaming food items can also cause Leopard geckos to stress and try to escape. Large food items can be intimidating or simply too strong to overpower, leading to anorexia (refusal to eat) and fear. In these cases, reducing the size and the number of feeder insects often helps.

Also see
Feeding pet Leopard geckos

Lack of hiding areas

Being crepuscular^(50)(51)(59) to nocturnal^(49)(69) by nature, Leopard geckos need a place to sleep and hide away during the day.

In the wild, Leopard geckos will spend a great deal of time avoiding bright light and to stay out of sight of predators⁽³¹⁾. These times are spent under rocks, under trees and in burrows, tunnels and holes under the soil. These are also the areas where Leopard geckos will sleep and deposit their eggs. Without an adequate place to hide, Leopard geckos might start to show glass climbing behaviour.

To simulate this behaviour and create a similar environment, it is important that hiding areas are supplied⁽⁵⁰⁾. Hiding and sleep areas for Leopard geckos (also called shelters, hides or retreats) can be supplied in the form of hide boxes, cave-like structures and custom decorations.

Also see
Leopard gecko hide areas and hide boxes

Conclusion

Although there might be other reasons for Leopard geckos to try to escape and show glass climbing behaviour, the main factors include unfamiliar surroundings, extreme temperatures, incorrect humidity, overcrowding, over- or underfeeding and the lack of hiding areas.

These factors need to be corrected to reduce stress in Leopard geckos.

The post Glass climbing in Leopard geckos appeared first on Leopard Gecko.

This article is tagged to be informative to veterinarians too. The information is not a substitute for advice from a veterinarian.

The health and wellbeing of our pets should be any keeper’s highest priority, but how do we know when our beloved pet Leopard gecko is unhappy or or not feeling well?

What is normal, healthy Leopard gecko behaviour?

Being nocturnal, most Leopard geckos will hide away while they sleep during the day. During the evenings though, pet Leopard geckos tend to be quite active, inquisitive and will walk around prowling slowly looking for something to eat. Some Leopard geckos might still be a bit shy, while others are explorers of note. They are considered hunters by nature and when potential prey is spotted they will stalk and often pause before striking.

Although equally happy on flat surfaces, their clawed toes allow them to climb on rocks and branches, which they often do, for exploration sake. Leopard geckos will often spend a little more time on raised surfaces, especially in heated areas, in order to absorb additional heat from their surroundings.

Some more bizarre, but normal, Leopard gecko behaviours include eating their own sloughed skin and being defaecatorial – meaning they often deposit their droppings in more or less the same area of their terrarium. From time to time you will see your Leopard gecko flicking its tongue and wiggling its tail. It is also not uncommon not to see Leopard geckos drinking water.

What is abnormal Leopard gecko behaviour?

Although considered normal in some newly obtained Leopard geckos, sudden changes, such as aggressiveness, hiding away, sleeping all night, trying to escape and not eating or not eating as frequently, should be considered alarming.

Some more serious abnormal behaviours include open mouth breathing, defeacating in abnormal places (all over, in the hiding area or not defeacating at all), spending all its time in one place, spending a lot of time in the water bowl and not showing interest in food.

Conclusion

Of course, there are many other ways and signs to determine whether a pet Leopard gecko is unwell, but closely observing its behaviour can be a great and even a fun way to make sure your little friend happy and healthy. Abnormal behaviour, or the lack of normal behaviour, should be considered to be serious and advice from a more experienced Leopard gecko keeper, herpetologist or your closest reptile friendly veterinarian should be sought.

The post Healthy Leopard gecko behaviour appeared first on Leopard Gecko.

Although there might be various other (less serious) reasons, Leopard gecko glass climbing behaviour is considered to be caused by stress. Although many factors can contribute, the main areas to evaluate when a Leopard gecko is showing this behaviour is overcrowding, the temperature and quantities of food.

Incorrect temperatures

Leopard geckos are desert animals. Lower than recommended day temperatures will cause stress. The same will happen when temperatures are too high.

Although Leopard geckos are exposed to huge day/night and seasonal temperature differences in nature, they show huge adaptability in most artificial environments. As pets, Leopard geckos will thrive in temperatures of 25 – 32 ºC / 77 – 90 ºF with a drop to room temperature during the evenings. Environmental temperatures of Leopard geckos can be measured using a thermometer. In many parts of the world, including South Africa, no heating equipment will be required, but with average room temperatures of below 23 ºC / 73 ºF additional heating should be installed. Also see supplying heat to Leopard geckos for more information.

Food

Leopard geckos are active hunters. When hungry, they will often go out and look for food. On average, Leopard geckos need to be feed every day, or at least every other day. The best time of the day is probably during the evening when Leopard geckos are mostly active.

Walking insects should be offered one-by-one, or a few at a time until the Leopard gecko has lost interest. Crawling insects can be offered at libitum (always be available) in a small shallow escape-proof dish. Although ‘crawlies’ should always be available, they must always be fresh. It is also a good idea to offer crawling insects in the same container as the powdered supplements are offered in. Also see feeding your pet Leopard gecko for more information.

Similar too not eating enough, too many food items, such as crickets, running around freely in the enclosure can also cause this behaviour in Leopard geckos. Large food items can be intimidating and can lead to anorexia (refusal to eat) and to stress. In these cases by reducing the size and the amount of crickets often helps.

Overcrowding

Leopard geckos are considered solitary animals. Although it is popular to house multiple (small groups) babies together, Leopard geckos prefer to be alone as they get older. Housing different sized Leopard geckos in the same enclosure can also cause this behaviour. Overcrowding also to a limitation in physical space and is stressful on the environment, increasing the chances for stress, stress-related, and other diseases.

Harem of Leopard geckos. As Leopard geckos get older, they might prefer to rather stay alone or in smaller groups.

Summary

Although there might be other reasons for Leopard geckos to try to escape, these were the factors that are very often incorrect when this behaviour is frequently observed.

The post Glass climbing behaviour in Leopard geckos appeared first on Leopard Gecko.

Introduction to breeding behaviour in Leopard geckos

Leopard gecko breeding behaviour is seen in sexually matured individuals during the breeding season. Breeding is seasonal. Sexual maturity in Leopard geckos is generally reached at about 9 to 10 months of age. The breeding season for Leopard geckos is usually the four to five months period after winter (i.e. early spring to autumn).

Although breeding behaviour is mainly seen between male and female Leopard geckos during courtship, similar behaviours are also seen between fighting males. Breeding behaviour is divided into two phases, namely courting and copulation.

Male Leopard gecko biting a female during courtship. This behaviour is commonly seen during the breeding season. Image 정브르 (CC BY YouTube)

Also see
Sexing a Leopard gecko
Leopard gecko breeding Donate via PayPal

Leopard Geckos 101 is a free, informative website helping to improve the quality of pet Leopard geckos. If you found value in any of its content, please consider making a donation. Also see the other ways to support Leopard geckos 101.

Leopard gecko breeding behaviour

Breeding behaviour in Leopard geckos might be seen intermittently when males and females are permanently housed together, or almost immediately when they were placed together after being separated.

During courtship, a male Leopard gecko will start off by showing interest and approaching the female. While stalking and/or circling the female, a male’s tail will either be lifted up in the air, move from one side to the other in a swift motion or might even vibrate. Vibration of the tail can often be heard. The male might move slow or fast during courting and his body might be jerking at stages.

After the male has thoroughly inspected the female and finds her desirable, he will dash towards her and start biting her body and head. While the female cannot move away, the male will climb on top of her, swing his back leg over her tail and slide his tail underneath hers so that their reproductive organs can meet (called copulation or mating). Attempted copulation can happen a couple of times and successful copulation will last a couple of seconds.

When a female Leopard gecko is approached by a male for breeding, she can either accept his advances or decide to run away (or try to climb out). A receptive female will stay in one place. Running away might not help as persistent males will often run after them.

Females might show threatening behaviour and try to fend off the male while vocalisation in the form of clicking sounds might be heard. While a male is biting a female she might still try to escape. Larger, stronger males will be more successful at copulation than smaller ones. Females will end successful copulation by moving away.

Females will lay eggs 16 to 22 days after successful copulation. Even if successful mating took place, Leopard gecko eggs can still be infertile. Female Leopard geckos can also lay eggs even if mating did not take place. After fertile eggs were laid, breeding can happen more than five times during the breeding season.

Also see
Leopard gecko egg incubation temperatures
Common noises Leopard geckos can make

The post Breeding behaviour in Leopard geckos appeared first on Leopard Gecko.

5 common noises Leopard geckos can make

Leopard geckos possess vocal cords which enable them to make certain noises. While some are normal, there are also some abnormal Leopard gecko noises. Read article

Share

The post Leopard Gecko noises appeared first on Leopard Gecko.

Breeding behaviour is often seen when adult male and female Leopard geckos are housed together. This unique, and often bizarre, behaviour is mostly visible at night during the breeding season of Leopard geckos. Read article

The post Leopard Gecko mating behaviour appeared first on Leopard Gecko.

Introduction to tongue flicking behaviour in Leopard geckos

Apart from using the tongue to catch prey, licking behaviour is actually an additional way for Leopard geckos to smell and/or taste. Leopard geckos also don’t lick things per se, but rather flick their tongues into the air at frequent intervals before retracting them back into the mouth.

By licking, Leopard geckos are actually ‘smelling’ and “tasting” their environments. This enables Leopard geckos to get a better understanding of their environment during hunting, hiding, mate-seeking and breeding.

Jacobson’s organ

After each ‘lick’, microscopic particles from the environment collects on the surface of the Leopard gecko’s tongue. After the tongue is pulled back into the mouth it is pushed into an opening on the upper part of the mouth. This opening is connected to a sensory part called the Jacobson’s organ or the vomeronasal organ. By pushing the tongue onto the Jacobson’s organ, the particles from the environment can be deciphered into messages (similar to the taste buds and the inside of human noses). These messages are then transmitted from the Jacobson’s organ via nerves to the brain of the Leopard gecko. After the information has been received from the Jacobson’s organ, the brain makes the reptile ‘understand’ its environment better.

Using the tongue to be able to ‘smell’ and ‘taste’ is not unique to Leopard geckos. Most other reptiles and many other animals also has this ability.

This image shows the Jacobson’s organ of a snake, which is very similar in reptiles including Leopard geckos. Image credit Fred the Oyster (CC BY-SA 4.0)

It is currently believed that in many animals, the vomeronasal organ is responsible for detecting pheromones, aiding in reproduction and social behaviour.

The post Tongue flicking behaviour in Leopard geckos appeared first on Leopard Gecko.

This article is tagged to be informative to veterinarians too. The information is not a substitute for advice from a veterinarian.

This Leopard gecko feeding behaviour post will give you a little more information on what to expect, what is normal and what you should worry about when it comes to feeding times.

Introduction to Leopard gecko eating behaviour

Leopard geckos are insect-eating or insectivorous lizards. In nature, they eat a variety of live foods including, insects, spiders, worms and a variety of small mammals. They are also nocturnal, meaning they spend most of their active time at night.

To stimulate normal Leopard gecko feeding behaviour, this is what keepers should aim for – feeding live insects, mainly at night. Leopard geckos are also considered hunters, which prey on moving or wiggling foodstuffs.

Baby and adult Leopard geckos might have different eating habits. Babies are often very cautions when it comes to living food items, but soon start to catch up after days or weeks not to disappoint their juvenile and adult counterparts. Although it is not always expected to eat a lot, baby Leopard geckos should at least always be interested in moving insects.

Newly acquired Leopard geckos might also be shy when it comes to eating in front of an audience. Remember that everything might be a bit overwhelming, so give new geckos some privacy during the adaption stages. Also make sure that there is adequate hiding areas for shy Leopard geckos.

In the correct setup, healthy Leopard geckos should eat quite frequently, at least every day. Note that normal shedding can sometimes cause a significant disruption in feeding patterns.

The post Leopard gecko eating behaviour appeared first on Leopard Gecko.

Introduction to skin eating in Leopard geckos

Leopard geckos are known to eat their sloughed skins^(32)(59)(62). Skin eating is called ceratophagia, which, more specifically, means ‘horn eating’. Although this behaviour is rarely seen in other animals, it is not abnormal, or even unique to, Leopard geckos.

Skin eating behaviour is also documented in other geckos⁽⁵⁴⁾, such as African fat tail geckos (Hemithiconyx caudicinctus)⁽⁵⁸⁾ and Banded geckos (Coleonyx variegatus)⁽⁶¹⁾, other reptiles and crustaceans.

With healthy Leopard geckos, the old skin will most often be sloughed as one piece^(54)(62) or a couple of large pieces. These pieces of dead skin are often seen being bitten and pulled off by the Leopard gecko — ending in being chewed and swallowed. Shedding will often take place at night⁽³⁰⁾ and when the old skin was eaten, the process will often be missed, but smaller pieces of non-eaten skin might be found lying around in the enclosure.

Also see
Leopard gecko skin shedding — an ‘a pealing’ affair Donate via PayPal

Leopard Geckos 101 is a free, informative website helping to improve the quality of pet Leopard geckos. If you found value in any of its content, please consider making a donation. Also see the other ways to support Leopard geckos 101.

Why Leopard geckos eat their skins

Although the reasons for skin eating behaviour in Leopard geckos are not fully understood, there are a few theories that do exist. By looking at why some other animal species eat their sloughed skins, one can get a little insight into why Leopard geckos might be doing the same. This question has also been answered in short on the UCSB Science line.

Regaining lost nutrients

Some experts believe that by eating their own dead skin, Leopard geckos reuse some of its minerals and nutrients that were contained in the dead skin.

Living in dry, desert environments can be tough and certain required minerals are scarce. Sloughed, dead skin is a valuable source of many minerals. By eating the skin, Leopard geckos are actually ‘recycling’ valuable minerals. Some believe that dead skin also contains re-usable energy.

Concealing their territories

Experts also believe that skin eating behaviour in Leopard gecko is instinctively and serves as a protection mechanism against natural predators. Pieces of sloughed skin can give predators, and other Leopard geckos, an indication where there might be a meal nearby. It might also leave a smell behind.

By eating their own sloughed pieces of skin, no such evidence exists. This way predators are less likely to hang around, making their environments a little safer.

While watching a Leopard gecko eating its skin, it also becomes evident that by physically pulling the dead skin from the body, the shedding process is hastened and made easier. Pieces of dry skin that remains stuck to the body can hinder normal movement and cause life-threatening blood loss to some areas. Skin infections are also more likely during difficult shedding.

A Leopard gecko foot where the toes have been lost due to retained skin after a difficult shed. By pulling the skin off and eating it, Leopard geckos can reduce the chances of retained skin. Image © Renier Delport

Dead pieces of skin are known to cause the loss of toes, tails, feet and even legs. During the shedding process, a Leopard gecko is also left fragile and becomes an easy target for predators. Making the skin shedding process faster, less energy is consumed and normal activity can resume within a shorter period of time which ultimately reduce the chance for being caught.

Also see
Skin shedding problems in Leopard geckos

Conclusion

Although concrete evidence is lacking on why Leopard geckos eat their sloughed skins, some theories exist. They include regaining lost nutrients, concealing their territories and aiding in the skin shedding process.

The post Skin eating behaviour in Leopard geckos appeared first on Leopard Gecko.