Insights into the leopard gecko

Part 3

Photo courtesy Eric Isselee/www.shutterstock.com

A territorial nature

Male leopard geckos are very territorial and cannot be kept together -even a male’s offspring of the same gender are likely to end up being eaten if they are housed together. It is possible to keep females in small groups, but they should be introduced to the enclosure at the same time. They must also all be of similar size, to minimise the risk of bullying, which can trigger a downward spiral, leading to a progressive loss of condition in the weaker individuals over a period of time.

Nevertheless, I am aware of experienced keepers who have recently created very large enclosures of at least 1.8m (6ft) in length, allowing them to house a full social group of an alpha male with 3-4 females. I cannot yet suggest that this method is safe for all, but simply for those enthusiasts with experience and a watchful eye. But once the parameters are better understood, I think this could be a fascinating way to keep these lizards, providing new insights into their communal behaviour.

These geckos are equipped to live under quite harsh conditions in the wild.

Photo courtesy DanielSnake/www. shutterstock.com

A pair of leopard geckos. It is now proving possible -with care and plenty of space -to house these geckos as they would live in the wild.

Photo courtesy cellistka/www.shutterstock. com

Harsh environments

The leopard gecko is a robust and highly adaptable animal, wellequipped to survive in what can become seasonally quite harsh surroundings in the wild. It is therefore not a coincidence that this was one of the first species to become established in the hobby, able to survive in rather barren and artificial systems that predominated at that stage, with little dedicated equipment available either. Not only did these resilient geckos survive though, but they also bred successfully and in surprisingly large numbers.

This poses a number of questions of course. If this level of basic care did not mirror the lizard’s wild environment in full, but still allowed effective long-term captive breeding, can it therefore be viewed as being both effective and ethical? Surely these are two of the benchmarks for progressive reptile keeping?