Gecko fact

Waxworms are extremely high in fat and should only be fed as an occasional treat

Important

Quick answer: Geckos tend to find waxworms highly palatable, which can lead to selective feeding and obesity if offered too often.

Geckos tend to find waxworms highly palatable, which can lead to selective feeding and obesity if offered too often. Most keepers limit them to once every week or two at most.

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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.