Philippe De Vosjoli - The Leopard Gecko Manual: Includes African Fat-Tailed Geckos

Brian Vietz, Ph.D.

My heartfelt thanks go out to my collaborators on these various projects: David Crews, Adam DiPrima, Michael Ewert, Deborah Flores, Richard Heidemann, Craig Nelson, Larry Talent, Alan Tousignant, Rick Williams, and Steve Wise. Larry and Rich deserve special mention as good friends and fellow lizard lovers. Larry is the authority on lizard keeping in academe, and Rich has been my right-hand man for the last five years.

Philippe de Vosjoli is the highly acclaimed author of the best-selling reptile-care books, The Herpetocultural Library Series. His work in the field of herpetoculture has been recognized nationally and internationally for establishing high standards for amphibian and reptile care. His books, articles, and other writings have been praised and recommended by numerous herpetological societies, veterinarians, and other experts in the field. Philippe de Vosjoli was also the cofounder and president of The American Federation of Herpetoculturists, and was given the Josef Laszlo Memorial Award in 1995 for excellence in herpetoculture and his contribution to the advancement of the field.

L eopard geckos belong to the family Eublepharidae, which includes all geckos with moveable eyelids. The members of the family Eublepharidae, also lack toe pads (subdigital setaepads of tiny, hairlike scale projections on the undersides of the toes). Therefore, these lizards are not able to climb smooth, vertical surfaces.

The Eublepharidae family is divided in two subfamilies: Eublepharinae and Aeluroscalabotinae. The subfamily Eublepharinae includes all geckos with eyelids except one: the odd little Indonesian creature known as the cat gecko (Aeluroscalabotes felinus). The cat gecko is in its own separate subfamily, the Aeluroscalabotinae.

Some of the other well-known eublepharids (geckos with eyelids) in herpetoculture include the banded geckos (Coleonyx sp.) of the New World; Japanese and Hainan eyelid geckos (respectively Goniurosaurus kuroiwae and G. lichtenfelderi); the African fat-tailed gecko (Hemitheconyx caudicinctus), and the occasionally imported African clawed gecko (Holodactylus africanus). The cat gecko, a rare species from parts of Indonesia and Southeast Asia, is currently maintained and bred by only a handful of American hobbyists.

The scientific name of the leopard gecko is Eublepharis macularius (Etymology of the name: Eu = good, true; blephar = eyelid; macularius = spotted). In the pet trade, leopard geckos are also sometimes sold under the common name of Indian or Pakistani fat-tailed geckos. Some scientific literature also lists this species as the spotted fat-tailed gecko.

The leopard gecko is found in Afghanistan, northwestern India, and Pakistan. The majority of the early captive stock was imported from Pakistan, although in recent years some imports are said to have originated in Afghanistan.

There is only slight sexual dimorphism between males and females. Males are somewhat more heavy-bodied and have a slightly broader head and thicker neck than females. The only reliable method for determining sex is to look at the underside of these animals. Males have a V-shaped row of enlarged preanal pores in front of the vent (anus) that may exude a waxy secretion. Another obvious characteristic of mature males is the presence of paired hemipenal (male sex organs) swellings at the base of the tail. In contrast, females have preanal pits rather than enlarged pores and lack paired swellings at the base of the tail. Juveniles that are at least one month old can be sexed with some reliability by checking for developing preanal pores (in contrast to the barely hinted pits of female hatchlings). Use a 10x magnifying glass or pocket microscope.

Adult leopard geckos can attain a maximum length just over 8 inches. Hatchlings have a total length of 3 to 3 inches.

Close-up of a male leopard gecko showing enlarged preanal pores and hemipenal bulges.

Close-up of a female leopard geckos tail base.

Compared to large lizards, the relative growth rate of leopard geckos is minimal, a twenty-fold increase in weight from hatchling to adult. Hatchlings weigh 2 to 3 grams. Adults typically weigh 45 to 60 grams but can attain a weight of 100 grams. Young adults can breed at 30 to 35 grams. Adult size is usually reached by about eighteen months.

Leopard geckos are long-lived lizards. There is record of a male that was twenty-eight years old and still living at the Saint Louis Zoo. Herpetoculturist Ron Tremper reported another captive male specimen that was twenty-nine years of age and still living. Female leopard geckos are generally shorter lived than males. The current longevity record for a female leopard gecko is twenty-one years and ten months (Slavens and Slavens, 1997).

Other Leopard Geckos

All members of the genus Eublepharis are known as leopard geckos. Besides the common leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) of the pet trade, there are the Turkmenian leopard gecko (E. turcmenicus), the East Indian leopard gecko (E. hardwickii), the Iranian leopard gecko (E. angramainyu) (up to 6.8 inches snout-to-vent length [SVL]), and the recently described West Indian leopard gecko (E. fuscus). The latter is of particular interest to hobbyists. It was initially described as a subspecies of the common leopard gecko (E. macularius fuscus) (Borner 1981) until Das elevated it to species status (Das 1997). The West Indian leopard gecko is one of the largest geckos, with an SVL of nearly 10 inches.

L eopard geckos, even though they are the most easily kept of the lizards, are not necessarily the best lizard pets to be handled and interacted with frequently. They should be thought of as display lizards that will tolerate occasional handling. Still, leopard geckos seldom bite and, if they do, the bite is of little consequence. Also, after a little handling, leopard geckos dont scurry but instead move in a relatively slow and deliberate manner. As with all animals, the degree to which your leopard gecko is a pet depends on the animals genetic propensity and the amount of interaction you invest in it. As a general rule, closely supervise children when they are handling leopard geckos. Animals that are regularly handled for short periods are usually calmer than animals that do not have such interaction. On the other hand, extensive and long-term handling is generally not recommended with leopard geckos because it causes the animals stress. Hatchlings and juveniles are smaller and more nervous than adults and should not be unnecessarily handled until they become subadults (5 inches long or so).