Leopard Geckos are Great Companions

Leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius) are wonderful companions. They are easy to care for and have tons of personality. Leos are long lived (some have been reported to live 25 years in captivity) and easy to keep and breed in captivity. These geckos are nocturnal insectivores from the deserts of south Asia, Pakistan and India. They inhabit rocky crevasses and scrub land. They are solitary and territorial in the wild. Leos come in a variety of color morphs that appeal to all keeper preferences.

Leopard geckos are terrestrial (they cannot climb vertical surfaces like other gecko species). They also have eyelids, unlike many other reptiles. They often clean their eyes with their tongues which is adorable to watch!

Leopard gecko's are best housed in captivity in long terrariums (rather than high terrariums) with screen lids. Males should never be housed together but can be housed with a female or two if the enclosure is large enough.

Leopard gecko's in captivity have a tendency to eat their terrarium substrate so things like sand, cocofiber or soil should be avoided. Sand can also damage their delicate eyes. They are best housed with easy to clean liner like paper towels or reptile carpet (be careful with the carpet, it can be rough on their soft skin).



Leopard geckos are nocturnal so there is some debate about the need for a full spectrum UV bulb. They should always have a basking bulb on the warm side of their enclosure along with an under-tank heat pad (they thermo-regulate via radiant heat). The warm side of the enclosure should be between 92-100 degrees Farenheit during the day and in the mid 80's at night.

Leopard geckos can have trouble with retained shed. They often lose the tips of their toes and tails or get eye infections from retained shed. A moist hide (exp. a plastic tub with an entry and moist moss) should always be provided to help with shedding.

Leopard geckos are insectivorous and should be offered a wide variety. They will occasionaly eat pinky mice but these should be offered very sparingly. Obesity is a major health problem in captive leopard geckos so weight should be monitored consistently. Leopard geckos should also have free access to a plain calcium powder. Most will eat calcium out of a small dish readily as they need it. Calcium supplementation is especially important for females that are gravid.

Leopard geckos are enjoyable to watch and interact with. If housed and cared for properly, they are one of the easiest and most rewarding captive herps.


For more info:
Leopard Gecko Care (site is translated to english, can be cumbersome)
Leos on Wikipedia

This video is my leopard gecko "Brutus" eating a Dubia roach.

Yummy!

What do you feed your insectivorous herps?

Most people answer this question with crickets and/or mealworms. Sure, crickets and mealworms are ok to feed, but there are insects out there with more meat and less shell that are just as easy to keep and much easier to breed. My favorite alternative feeder insect is Blaptica dubia also known as "dubias", "orange spotted cockroaches" or "Guyana spotted cockroach". These South American roaches are ideally suited to the role of staple feeder insect. They are long lived and range in size from 1/8 inch long to 2 inches long throughout their lifespan. These roaches are highly proliferative and breed readily. They can live on average 2 years and the females produce 20-40 young/month on average. Dubia roaches have a much higher meat to chitin (shell) ratio so they are less likely to cause impaction than feeders such as mealworms.

Dubia are easy to keep and care for. They don't have an unpleasant smell like crickets and they cannot climb smooth surfaces like other roach species. These roaches are also slower than other species and cannot fly (males can glide though). They are sexually dimorphic in both nymph and adult phases (males have wings as adults) and are ovoviviparous (females carry eggs inside themselves and give live birth). Dubia need warm temps to thrive and breed as they are tropical so they are less likely to colonize your home if they do escape.

If you decide to start a colony, it is usually a good idea to get at least 50 adults with a male to female ratio of 1/3-5. Males can become territorial if there are too many and may kill each other. When starting a colony it is advised to offer a high protein diet, most keepers include high quality dog or cat kibble. These roaches are sensitive to high calcium diets so avoid foods like spinach. If you are going to feed your roaches to chameleons make sure they have been on a lower protein diet (no dog/cat food) for a few weeks prior to feeding because chameleons are especially prone to gout if fed high protein feeders. I have included pictures of my Dubia set-up along with my gutload youtube video and a video of a Dubia giving birth. Enjoy and feel free to ask questions!


Dubia live birth vid

Gutload vid

Dubia on Wikipedia

The Roach Ranch (great place to buy some)

A Dubia only Blog

The infamous heat rock....

Please, Please, Please toss your heat rock!
A heat rock is a ceramic (usually) rock shape with an electric heating coil in the middle. Many people use them as a heat source for their reptiles (although they are falling out of fashion). The problem with heat rocks is they don't have any regulator for the amount of heat they produce. As they age, the heating coil breaks down and begins to produce more and more heat. Also many reptiles regulate their body temp. by basking in the sun, so they may not have sensitive heat sensation on their ventrum (belly, etc) and may sit too long on the rock causing severe burns. It is much cheaper in the long run to be conscious of the ecology of the herp you are keeping and try to tailor your environment accordingly. Some safer alternatives to heat rocks are under-tank heat pads (good for nocturnal rocky desert dwelling lizards like leopard geckos) and basking bulbs. Be sure to measure the temp. at the level your animal will be utilizing the basking area to get an accurate picture of the temp. Keep basking lamps away from any place your animal could contact it or surfaces that may be touching it. If you are careful then your pet will have the appropriate basking area without danger of burns.
picture courtesy of http://www.iguanaden.org/health/gallery/images/hotrockburn.jpg

A First Time for Everything

Here it is, my first ever attempt at a blog, feed back is always appreciated!
I am doing this to add to the knowledge base for keepers of herps in general.
Hopefully you will all find it helpful!
I plan to post tidbits or soapbox rants every few days.
In today's technologically advanced world there is no excuse for poor husbandry and animal care. It is easy enough to google any species and get good information about care. So here is another place to get some good info! Wherever possible I will include links to resources, scientific papers and peer reviewed herp websites. Don't just take my word for it..do your research!