NEWS105
40
he Leopard Gecko is without doubt
one of the easiest lizards tomaintain
in the terrarium.This isbecause it originally
came from the inhospitablestonywastesof
Pakistan,partsofAfghanistanand India,and
Iran,where thesegeckoshave tobeable to
enduredrought,heat,andcoldandthe food
supply isn’t too abundant either.As a result
these geckos are undemanding in the
T
The Leopard Gecko,
Eublepharis macularius
, has been bred so long and
successfully in the terrarium that themajorityof younger terrarium keepers (ie
peopleunder30)havenever seenawild-caughtonewith theirowneyes.There
are even specialist breeders that produce designer Leopard Geckos for the
wholesale trade, justas therearebreedersofornamental fishes.Thephotos that
illustratethisarticleshowthe latestcultivated formsofthis lovely lizard.
Lotsand lotsof lovelyLeopardGeckos!
byThorstenHoltmann
Wild-caught specimenof theLeopardGecko fromPakistan. Photos:FrankSchäfer
terrarium. The basic décor should be a
substrate of soft, dust-free sand around 10
cm deep,with an admixture of around 10-
15% loam,andadaytimehiding-place inthe
form of a horizontally positioned, hollow
pieceof corkbark. In addition there should
beaboxforegg-laying (see"Breeding").And
that isall these lizardsrequire.Ofcoursethat
doesn’tmean that their owner can’t set up
anattractiveterrarium,as longashe isunder
no illusion that he is doing it for himself
rather than thegeckos.
Bewareof avalanches!
If you are going to simulate a stony waste
using rocks, then it isessential tomake sure
the structure is robust and stable. These
geckos are astonishingly strong. If the
rockwork collapses then this may lead not
onlytobreakageof theterrariumbutalsoto
serious harm to the geckos. It is also
important tomake sure that the terrarium
doesn’t have toomany nooks and crannies
where food insects can creep away and
hide.Itcanbequiteanuisancewhenamale
cricket sings his serenade all night long or
whenzophobasandmealwormsdevourthe
eggs of the geckos. Because Leopard
Geckosusuallyselectaparticularspot in the
terrariumas their toilet,cleaning isvery little
workand takesnext tono time.
Lizards
Designer LeopardGecko.“MackSnow”
Designer LeopardGecko.
