Low-level UVB improves health even though leos were kept without it for decades
Leopard geckos were historically kept without UVB by supplementing D3 in calcium powder. Research since 2018 shows crepuscular geckos do encounter UV naturally and benefit from low-level exposure. UVB allows natural D3 synthesis and may improve immune function. Not strictly required but increasingly recommended.
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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.