Leopard gecko eyes

Not only do leopard geckos have different colors, but they also have different eyes depending on their genetic makeup.

Gwyn has normal eyes.


Cyra's eyes are known as "Las Vegas."


Other eye colors available include all black and red. For more information on Leopard Gecko genetics check out these sites.

http://www.geckosetc.com/htm/genetics.htm

http://www.leopardgecko.co.uk/documents/caresheet/genetics.htm

Gwyn Shedding

Leopard geckos shed the skin from thier enire bodys every few weeks. To aid them in this process it is important to provide them with a moist hiding spot. I use a rubbermaid tub, cut a hole in one side, and keep moist paper towels in it. Their skin will start to look white and dull when they are about to shed. They eat the skin as they pull it off.

I had the pleasure of watching Gwyn shed last night. It was a very long process but here are a few pictures.




She began by rubbing herself against the walls and dishes. When she got old skin off of her neck and front legs she was able to reach around and grab the shedding skin in her mouth. She proceeded to pull off and eat the rest of the skin.

She's a He

Last night I decided to take the divider out that was separating Cyra and Gwyn. Cyra has almost caught up to Gwyn in size, and both are eating well. I watched their behavior as they approached one another so I could separate them if they fought. Fortunately they did not fight at all. Unfortunately I found out that Cyra is a male.

Both Gwyn and Cyra were temperature sexed as eggs to be females, but this is not 100% accurate. When I watched Cyra and Gwyn interact last night I knew right away what was on Cyra's mind. From what I had read about breeding Leopard Geckos all the signs were there that Cyra was ready to mate with Gwyn right then and their. First she smelled (licked) the air and approached Gwyn. Her tail tip moved back and forth so fast that it made a buzzing sound. She then proceeded to lightly bite Gwyn at the base of her tail and up her back. At this point Gwyn ran away and I put the divider back in place. If Gwyn had not run away they most likely would have mated. After a quick double check on a website about Leopard Gecko mating behaviors I was sure that I could not call Cyra a she anymore!

Next I checked the physical signs of male and female Leopard Geckos. These are not actual pictures of Cyra and Gwyn but this is what I saw.

This news is somewhat disappointing because I really wanted Cyra and Gwyn to share their tank. The cardboard divider was meant to be temporary. They could live together when breeding season is over, but I have read that this can stress them out. I am also concerned that the two have already mated. A week ago the divider got moved in the middle of the night and they were able to reach each other. They could have already mated at this time.

Just in case Gwyn and Cyra have already mated, I have ordered an incubator and some vermiculite. Although I would love babies, it is highly recommended that Leopard Geckos be at least a year old before mating. Also, there are possibilities of complications in egg laying that could hurt Gwyn.

Problems Encountered

It is more difficult to have a baby leopard gecko than to purchase a Leopard Gecko that is a little older. Not only did I chose to have a baby Leo, but I chose to get two of them. I read that this would be challenging, but I consider myself very good with animals. I did have a few problems along the way including feeding, and shedding.

Shedding:
Cyra did not shed properly once and was left with a small string of skin left wrapped around the tip of her tail. She was very small and did not like to be picked up. I was afraid to mess with her tail because I did not want her to drop it. I just left the skin there and she lost half of a centimeter from her tail. The skin cut off the circulation and the tip dried up and fell off.

To prevent this in the future I make sure the moist hide stays moist. I have also learned that I can place them in a small container with some warm water if there is some shed skin that will not come off.

Cyra stopped eating!
Two and a half months ago Cyra stopped eating. Prior to this her eating habits were regular, but she did not eat much. I was only feeding mealworms at this time. I would leave mealworms for her in the cage, but this just led to Gwyn eating even more than I already fed her. Gwyn was a week older then Cyra to begin with, but she was getting a lot bigger than Cyra until eventually Cyra stopped eating altogether.

Possible reasons:

• parasites
• bullying from Gwyn
• lack of variety (sick of only mealworms)

Of course I did not know what went on at night with my Leos but from what I had seen the two seemed to get along. They each had their own hide but always chose to sleep together. I did not see any bullying but I could never be sure. The first thing I tried was giving Crya some crickets. I was happy when she flicked her tail and lunged at a few. Unfortunately they got away and she gave up. This led me to another possible factor as to why she was not eating:

• cage too large

I decided I could try and solve a few of these problems at once. I put a separator in the tank. This would keep any bullying from going on and keep the cage smaller and easier to catch crickets. If this didn't work I planned to take Cyra to the vet for a check up.

After two weeks with the change I was getting worried. Cyra's tail was getting smaller. I purchased Repta Aid. I mixed up the formula and put small drops on her nose for her to lick off. Within a the week she was licking the formula from a Q-tip dipped in it. This seemed to bring her appetite back and she started eating again! She is now eating a variety of crickets and mealworms but she loves crickets. Her tail is looking much fatter and she is catching up to Gwyn in size. Soon I am going to try and take the divider out and see how they do.

Visit http://www.drgecko.com/ for more reading on common problems.

How are the Leos today? New Videos!

Today my Leopard Geckos, Cyra and Gwyn, are about 8 months old and seem to be very healthy. Here is some details about their living conditions:

Set up:

20 gallon long terrarium with sliding, locking screen top.

• substrate: reptile carpet
• moist hide: "shedding stump"
• for climbing: resin basking branches, and a piece of driftwood
  
• hides: resin log, and a driftwood hide
• water dish: corner rock dish
• food dish: small ceramic dish

Heating- 90 degrees daytime, 75 degrees night time (both in warm area of tank)

• large clamp lamp
• 150 watt infrared heat bulb
• small heating pad (stuck to side terrarium wall rather than floor)
• thermostat
  

Food (dusted with leopard gecko dust supplement once a week)
I feed them every other day. Both seem to prefer crickets but I vary between the two.

• medium to large sized mealworms (gutloaded with a mixture of plain oats, bran, and wheatgerm)
• large crickets (gutloaded with commercial cricket food and kept in a "cricket keeper")
  
• water: bottled water or GLUB

Handling: I try hold them for at least a minute or two every day. Gwyn is a lot more tolerant of being picked up and held. Cyra does not always want to be picked up.