The pale bulges visible behind a leopard gecko's jaw are calcium storage sacs, not swelling or illness
These are the endolymphatic sacs, used to bank extra calcium reserves. They're most visible in well-supplemented adults and are a normal anatomical feature, not a symptom of disease.
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Most active at dawn and dusk when temperatures in their native Pakistan and Afghanistan are ideal.
A widespread misconception is that the tail acts like a camel's hump storing water.
Autotomy — voluntary tail shedding — is a defence mechanism.
Unlike most gecko species which use van der Waals forces to climb smooth surfaces, leopard geckos have conventional claws.
The moveable eyelid is unusual among geckos.
Hold your gecko up to a light source and look through one ear opening — you can see light through the other side.