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In recent decades, leopard geckos have become one of the most popular pet reptiles in the world. Today, almost every pet store seems to have baby leopard geckos in a variety of colors and patterns. However, it was not always so. If you own one of these delicious lizards or considering adopting one, you may have ever thought: what does a leopard gecko habitat look like in the wild? Where do they live?
Keep reading to learn more about the leopard gecko’s habitat in the wild. We’ll also discuss what a leopard gecko habitat should look like if you’re considering adopting one of your own.
Where do wild leopard geckos live?
Although leopard geckos now live in homes on almost every continent, their native habitat is actually a fairly small region tucked away in the Middle East.
These unique lizards hail from some of the hottest, driest deserts in countries like Iran, northern India, Afghanistan, Nepal and parts of Pakistan. There are a total of five subspecies of leopard geckos. All these subspecies are spread over the same general location.
You also won’t often see leopard geckos in densely populated, industrialized areas such as towns and villages full of people. They are quite skittish, solitary and secretive in the wild. As a result, they tend to avoid humans, preferring to hide under and around rocks and in dense undergrowth.
What is the habitat of a wild leopard gecko like?
As we briefly discussed above, leopard geckos thrive in very hot, dry deserts, semi-desert areas, and scrubland.
Surprisingly, these little lizards do well in these harsh conditions! Most notably, they can store large amounts of fat in their tails. This allows them to go days or even weeks without food or water if necessary. If they encounter a predator, they may also drop their tails to escape. They can even eat their shed skin for a quick boost of nutrients!
In general, the habitat of a wild leopard gecko is sandy, rocky and arid with small amounts of plant cover. Vegetation is quite sparse in these desert areas. The small lawns, rocks and thick bushes provide just enough shelter to hide from predators.
Because their habitat is so hot and dry, leopard geckos prefer to be crepuscular. This means that they are mainly active at night and early in the morning when temperatures are milder. They often bask on rocky outcrops when they need thermoregulation, as the large, flat rocks trap heat for hours after the sun sets. These rocky, sandy areas also provide great areas for the geckos to burrow for safety (and offer plenty of insects and invertebrates for them to eat!).
For decades, biologists believed that wild leopard geckos were strictly solitary in nature. More recent research, however, suggests that some individuals live in small groups or loosely structured colonies.
What is the habitat of a leopard gecko in captivity like?
When it comes to keeping leopard geckos in captivity, the most important thing is that they mimic their natural habitat as closely as possible (within reasonable limits). Fortunately, these hardy little geckos do quite well in captivity! They are very forgiving to common beginners reptile owner mistakes and have inquisitive but docile temperaments.
A captive leopard gecko should live in a secure enclosure, preferably 20 to 30 gallons or larger with plenty of horizontal space to explore. They are mostly terrestrial and do not climb much, so vertical space is not as important to them as it is to other tree gecko species.
In addition, temperature and humidity control are very important for a captive leopard gecko habitat. Temperatures should be similar to those in the wild, and their habitat needs a slight temperature gradient from the warm side (their basking spot) to the cooler side. Humidity levels should be low, just like in their native habitat, or within 30% to 40% at all times.
Finally, the substrate should be firm and flat, such as tile, stone, linoleum, reptile sand mats, reptile carpet, or even paper towels. This is to minimize the risk of impaction, as wild leopard geckos often succumb to this condition by eating lots of small, indigestible particles of sand and dirt over time. Variation in height and fortification should be added to the enclosure with embellishments such as rocks, bridges, caves and logs.
Interestingly, their ability to thrive in captivity is part of why they were the first domesticated lizard species! Beginning in the late 1970s and early 1980s, reptile breeders plucked leopard geckos from their native habitats and bred them in captivity to great and immediate success.
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