Gecko fact

Incubation humidity is managed separately from incubation temperature, and both need to be correct for healthy hatch rates

Critical to know

Quick answer: Because the leathery eggshell exchanges moisture with its surroundings, incubation substrate must be kept at a specific dampness — too dry risks the eggs collapsing and desiccating, while too wet risks mould, independent of whether temperature is correctly set..

Because the leathery eggshell exchanges moisture with its surroundings, incubation substrate must be kept at a specific dampness — too dry risks the eggs collapsing and desiccating, while too wet risks mould, independent of whether temperature is correctly set.

breedingcritical

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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.