If UVB lighting is used, the distance between the bulb and the gecko's basking area significantly affects the actual UV dose received
UVB output drops off sharply with distance and through mesh or glass, so simply installing a bulb without checking placement and any barriers can result in far less usable UVB reaching the gecko than intended.
See the full facts guide, or browse all 593 info pages.
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.