Gecko fact

Leopard geckos have poor tolerance for prolonged cold and can become seriously ill or die if enclosure temperatures drop and stay low for extended periods

Critical to know

Quick answer: A brief dip in room temperature is not usually dangerous, but sustained cold, especially combined with a failed heat source, suppresses digestion and immune function and is a common cause of preventable illness..

A brief dip in room temperature is not usually dangerous, but sustained cold, especially combined with a failed heat source, suppresses digestion and immune function and is a common cause of preventable illness.

healthcritical

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Most active at dawn and dusk when temperatures in their native Pakistan and Afghanistan are ideal.

The tail stores fat reserves, not water

A widespread misconception is that the tail acts like a camel's hump storing water.

Dropped tails grow back, but never look the same

Autotomy — voluntary tail shedding — is a defence mechanism.

Leopard geckos cannot climb glass — they have claws, not sticky lamellae

Unlike most gecko species which use van der Waals forces to climb smooth surfaces, leopard geckos have conventional claws.

Leopard geckos can blink — most gecko species cannot

The moveable eyelid is unusual among geckos.

You can see through a leopard gecko's head via the ear canals

Hold your gecko up to a light source and look through one ear opening — you can see light through the other side.