Slate or ceramic tile is a popular substrate choice because it carries zero impaction risk and holds heat well
Tile also makes spot-cleaning simple and can be warmed slightly by an under-tank heater to provide comfortable belly heat, which is why many keepers favour it over loose substrates, especially for young or new geckos.
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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.