The leopard gecko is an ideal beginner reptile as it requires minimal care compared to many other lizard species. Native to Afghanistan, Pakistan, northwest India and Iran, leopard geckos have perky personalities and make movements that are fascinating to observe. Their yellow hue with white spots on it contrasts beautifully with their characteristic black dot patterning; hatchlings start off striped before transitioning gradually into their spottier adult form as time progresses; there are several colorful and patterned variants available as well.
Leopard Geckos (Leos), as they’re more affectionately known, can often be fairly easy to care for. While no specific cage maintenance needs to be provided for, you should still give their environment plenty of attention and maintain it accordingly.
Leopard geckos are generally docile, ground-dwelling geckos that are relatively easy to tame. Since they don’t possess sticky toe pads like other geckos do, so they do not climb walls; furthermore, leopard geckos do possess eyelids unlike most geckos.
Leopard geckos do not tend to bite and usually move slowly. When hungry, however, they make loud chirps and squeaks which can sometimes even sound like ticking clocks!
As soon as you bring home a leopard gecko, take care to introduce them gently into their new home by gentle handling. They should tolerate some contact but make sure not to overdo it or your leopard gecko may become distressed and stressed out.
Geckos use their tails to communicate. If you have multiple leopard gecko in an enclosure, be aware of tail-waving: this movement occurs slowly back-and-forth between each gecko. Raising their tail can indicate they feel threatened and are ready to attack each other; to protect their wellbeing separate them immediately from each other.
Leopard geckos have tail rattles similar to rattlesnakes; when you hear or see one rattling its tip quickly, this indicates excitement about either eating or mating.
Leopard geckos, like other lizards, have the ability to self-amputate their tails as a defense mechanism when threatened.