Gecko fact

Quarantine protocols call for entirely separate tools, hides, and dishes for a new gecko, not just physical distance from other reptiles

Critical to know

Quick answer: Pathogens like Cryptosporidium can spread via contaminated equipment as easily as direct contact, so effective quarantine means dedicated feeding tongs, water dishes, and cleaning tools that aren't shared with the rest of a collection until the quarantine period is complete..

Pathogens like Cryptosporidium can spread via contaminated equipment as easily as direct contact, so effective quarantine means dedicated feeding tongs, water dishes, and cleaning tools that aren't shared with the rest of a collection until the quarantine period is complete.

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.