leopard gecko

leopard geckos are crepuscular ground-dwellers from arid rocky scrub. they are quiet, slow, and hand-tolerant once habituated, which is why they get marketed as a starter reptile. they live 15 to 20 years on a proper setup and a good chunk longer if you do everything right.

what makes them forgiving: room-temperature ambient is fine, no daily handling needed, no flying live prey. what trips first-time keepers: pet-store husbandry sheets that pre-date the 2018 uvb consensus, loose calci-sand substrate, and feeding mealworms as the entire diet (low calcium-to-phosphorus). a leopard gecko fed mealworms only and kept on calci-sand under a coil "uvb" bulb is the standard mbd presentation at exotic vets.

read the husbandry block below. every line is load-bearing.

metabolic bone disease (mbd): from inadequate uvb plus skipped calcium supplementation. signs: kinked spine, twitching, soft jaw, reluctance to climb the cool hide, swollen limbs in juveniles. requires an exotic vet. preventable with low-output t5 uvb and a sensible calcium schedule.

cryptosporidiosis (crypto): caused by cryptosporidium varanii, common in pet-store stock. no cure. signs: chronic weight loss despite normal appetite, watery stool, "stick-tail" appearance, regurgitation. requires species-specific pcr test from an exotic vet. infected animals must be kept isolated for life. quarantine any new gecko 90 days minimum.

impaction: ingested loose substrate (calci-sand is the worst offender) or feeders too large for the gecko''s gape. signs: refusal to eat, no defecation for several days, bloated abdomen, dragging back legs. emergency. rule of thumb: feeders no wider than the space between the eyes.

dystocia (egg-binding): females can develop infertile follicles whether or not a male is present, typically from 12 months. signs: enlarged abdomen, restlessness, digging without laying, refusing food. unresolved cases require a vet. always provide a damp lay box for sexually mature females.

retained shed: low humidity or no humid hide. signs: white or grey patches on toes, eyelids, or tail tip. retained shed on toes constricts blood flow and leads to lost digits. fix: provide a humid hide with damp sphagnum moss at all times, never peel shed off manually, soak in shallow lukewarm water if needed.

tail loss (autotomy): a defensive drop, regrowth is normal but the regenerated tail is a smaller "carrot" shape. drop usually happens from being grabbed by the tail or from severe stress. avoid both. a recently dropped tail is an open wound, keep the gecko on paper towel until it scabs over.

prefer captive-bred (cb) from a reputable breeder over pet-store or wholesale stock. pet-store leopard geckos are commonly carrying cryptosporidium varanii (the species-specific cryptosporidiosis), which is incurable and almost always fatal. ask the breeder whether their colony has been tested for crypto and quarantine any new animal for 90 days regardless.

ask for: hatch date, parents'' morph history, recent fecal screen, and weight curve. avoid: animals with stick-tail (visibly thin tails, sign of advanced illness or crypto), sunken eyes, retained shed on toes (can lead to lost digits), or any history of regurgitation. expect to pay 40–120 usd for a normal-morph cb juvenile, more for designer morphs. "free leopard gecko" rehoming listings often come with crypto.