Best Pet Reptiles for Handling

What are the best pet reptiles for handling?

Because reptiles aren’t technically domesticated animals, not all of them enjoy interacting with people. In fact, some are quite skittish. But in our experience, the reptiles that enjoy being held, petted and generally removed from their enclosures are bearded dragons, leopard geckos, corn snakes and ball pythons.

Bearded Dragons as Pets

Bearded Dragons are one of the most popular pet lizards. Period. It’s not hard to see why. Not only are they available in a multitude of different morphs and colorations, they are relatively easy to care for and super fun to play with!

Bearded dragons are known for their quirky and humorous personalities. Many get to know their owners and will get excited to be petted and taken out of their enclosure.

best pet reptiles for handling
Bearded dragons enjoy being held and have quite entertaining personalities.

They are extremely docile lizards that rarely get upset at humans, unless they are directly threatened or harmed. They are extremely laid back and enjoy spending quality time with their owners. We’ve seen beardies who will watch TV with their owners, go for walks, hang out near their owner’s laptop and even chill on their owner’s shoulder as they walk around the house.

The bottom line is that bearded dragons are very friendly and we highly recommend them for first time reptile owners and experienced herp enthusiasts alike.

There are many fantastic care sheets online for bearded dragons, but if you need more information about them prior to purchasing, we’ve got you covered. Check out our articles on what to feed your bearded dragon and most popular bearded dragon morphs.

Ready to buy your own bearded dragon? We’ve got a great selection available!

Leopard Geckos as Pets

A very common lizard found at pet stores and reptile expos alike is the leopard gecko. These lizards are smaller than their bearded dragon cousins, but equally as fun to handle.

Just like bearded dragons, leopard geckos can be purchased in an endless array of morphs, colors, and patterns. It can be confusing because there are simply so many to choose from. Check out our article on different leopard gecko morphs if you want to learn more.

leopard gecko being held
Leopard geckos come in an endless variety of patterns and colorations.

Leopard geckos are quieter than bearded dragons. They are slower and might seem “sleepier” if you are making a comparison between the two species. They are extremely relaxed lizards and definitely don’t mind human handling or interaction.

The great thing about leopard geckos is that because they are so calm, they won’t attempt to jump out of your hand when you hold them. They might get a tad squirmy, but usually they are quite content to hang out, pose for photos for their adoring owners and munch some insects.

If you are looking for a small, docile and interactive pet lizard for your first reptile, we highly recommend a leopard gecko. They are especially good for children who want a pet reptile.

Ready to buy your very own leopard gecko? Check out the selection we offer on our website.

Corn Snakes as Pets

If you’re in the market for a reptilian pal with no legs, corn snakes are an excellent option.

Corn snakes are also available in an array of morphs and colors. Some are rather unique-looking. And because they have been bred in captivity for so many generations, they are not only beautiful snakes, they are healthy and free of ailments that wild caught reptiles can encounter. Learn more about the most popular corn snake morphs by reading our article.

Caring for a corn snake is straight forward and they don’t even need UV lighting to thrive, although some owners do still prefer to provide it. And unlike bearded dragons and leopard geckos, corn snakes don’t need to eat daily. In fact, depending on the age of the snake, you will only need to feed it weekly or every other week.

corn snake being held
Baby corn snakes can be a tiny bit skittish, but they calm down with age and habitual handling.

As far as temperament is concerned, corn snakes are known for being fairly docile. They can be a tiny bit nippy as babies, but as they mature and grow, they usually lose this habit. Corn snakes are fun to handle and are not considered skittish snakes.

If you’re ready to commit to your own pet corn snake, check out Backwater Reptiles selection of colorful and lively corn snakes for sale.

Ball Pythons as Pets

Another option if you want a snake that you can easily handle is to get a ball python. Although they are “chunky,” these snakes stay relatively small and tend to have shy personalities.

Ball pythons actually spend a lot of time hiding, but that doesn’t make them antisocial. In fact, most ball pythons thoroughly enjoy being handled and even love being taken outside to get some supervised sunshine.

Like all of the pet reptiles listed in this article, ball pythons have been bred in captivity for generations now. This means that they are healthy and their genes are strong. And as an added bonus, they come in an endless variety of special colors and patterns. Just visit a reptile expo to see what we mean!

Many people are fond of ball pythons because they are easy to care for and also very cute. They have short thick bodies and bulbous heads. They are lovely snakes to show off. And they also have a very delightful habit of curling into a ball when you hold them as babies.

ball python being held
Baby ball pythons will often curl into a ball in your hand when you hold them.

Because ball pythons are stockier than corn snakes, they tend to move less quickly. Don’t get us wrong – they can still strike and slither very fast when they feel threatened. However, for the most part, ball pythons are cool, calm and collected when being held by their owners. They very much enjoy the warmth generated by human beings and they are known for their easy-going temperaments.

If you’re interested in learning more about these gentle snakes, read our article that discusses the most frequently asked questions regarding ball pythons.

Purchase your very own pet ball python here.

Conclusion

While there are many reptile species that you can hold and play with, in general, bearded dragons, leopard geckos, corn snakes and ball pythons are the most interactive. Each of these species are mild-mannered, typically captive bred and used to human handling and will enjoy being social with their owners.

Is there a reptile species that we didn’t list that you have found to be particularly friendly towards people? Let us know in the comments.

 

Do Leopard Geckos Need UV Light?

Do Leopard Geckos Need UV Lighting?

Reptiles are pretty much little solar powered creatures. Did you know that many species even require full spectrum ultraviolet lighting in order to thrive in captivity? However, this is not the case for all species as different animals have different health requirements.

Leopard Geckos, one of the most popular lizards kept as pets, actually do not require special UV lighting in order to be healthy! That makes one less thing that owners need to worry about.

In this short and simple blog article, we’ll answer the following questions:

-What exactly is UV light?
-Why do some pet reptiles need it to be healthy?
-Why don’t Leopard Geckos need UV light?
-Where can I find more information on caring for my own pet Leopard Gecko?

do leopard geckos need uvb lighting
Do Leopard Geckos require UVB lighting in captivity? Read this article to find out!

Commonly Asked Questions About Leopard Geckos and UV Lighting

What exactly is UV light? Why do some pet reptiles need it to be healthy?

The sun’s natural rays are composed of several different types. The types that are particularly important to reptilian health are UVA and UVB rays. Rather than launch into a scientific explanation of the many different types, we are just going to focus on UVA and UVB rays. Some reptiles need both types while some only need one type.

UVA rays are visible light rays, meaning that they can be seen and sensed. These rays are important to reptilian vision. In fact, some species of reptile can even see in more color variety than humans can! This is essential when it comes to detecting prey or finding a mate in the wild.

UVA lighting is also very important in helping reptiles set their internal clocks. Whether or not light is present helps them regulate their temperature, know when to sleep or be awake, go through breeding and shedding cycles, and even know what season of the year it is.

UVB rays are important to many reptiles because they stimulate reptiles’ immune systems and promote healthy bone growth. UVB rays help reptiles synthesize vitamin D3 which in turn makes sure that their bones do not grow warped due to being too soft. This is particularly important to developing jawbones and limbs.

There are many types of UV lights available when it comes to fulfilling your reptile’s needs. There are UVA lamps, UVB lights, and full-spectrum lights as well. What type of bulb(s) you will need for your pet reptile will vary based on the species. We recommend that you do your research thoroughly prior to purchasing any reptile so that you can be sure you are fulfilling its needs.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard we try, it’s impossible to exactly duplicate the composition of the sun’s rays when creating a reptile’s habitat. We have to do our best to mimic and provide supplementation when necessary. The exception to this is if you create an outdoor home for your herp. Then, of course your pet will be getting natural sunlight!

super giant albino leopard gecko
Even albino Leopard Geckos which are known for light sensitivity will not be harmed if you choose to add a UVB light to their set up.

Why don’t Leopard Geckos need UV light?

Leopard Geckos are now known to be crepuscular rather than strictly nocturnal. This means that they are able to monitor and regulate the amount of time spent in sunlight and therefore their exposure to UVB rays in the wild. They are very sensitive to night and day cycles and should be provided with a light that simulates natural day and night hours regardless of what exact type of rays it emits. We recommend investing in a timer that you can schedule according to the season – more “daylight” hours in summer time and fewer in winter time.

If leopard geckos don’t need much or any UVB, how do they synthesize vitamin D3 in captivity and maintain healthy bones, skin, and immune systems? Well, many owners use a vitamin D3 supplement on their gecko’s food specifically to avoid any issues that could occur from lack of vitamin D3 such as metabolic bone disease.

If you are concerned about your gecko getting enough vitamin D3, you can always invest in a full-spectrum or UVB bulb just to cover all of your bases. However, if you go this route, we do recommend that you make sure there are plenty of places within the enclosure for your pet Leopard Gecko to hide. This will ensure that it does not feel overly stressed by the lighting and that it can always decompress if it so chooses. Remember, reptiles are all about self-regulating their temperature and body needs, so the more options you can provide, the better.

Bottom line: many breeders do not use a special UVB bulb and their animals thrive with D3 supplementation. While it is not a strict necessity to provide UVB lighting, we’re finding that many owners are now preferring to provide it simply due to the amount of debate surrounding the subject.

Where can I find more information on caring for my own pet Leopard Gecko?

There is so much information out there on caring for Leopard Geckos! In fact, it’s almost overwhelming. A simple Google search will provide tons of care sheets, tips, recommendations, and forums for discussing the husbandry requirements of these amazing little lizards.

What is our personal recommendation on where to find a reliable care sheet? We advise that you check out our Leopard Gecko care sheet that is written based upon our years of experience breeding and housing these adorable creatures, as well as our articles about various leopard gecko morphs and what do leopard geckos eat?

adult leopard gecko
Ultimately, it is a personal choice whether you choose to use UVB lighting or supplements to fulfill your Leopard Gecko’s needs.

Conclusion

So, what did we learn?

Essentially, there is much debate surrounding the topic of whether or not Leopard Geckos do better in captivity if you provide them with special UVB lighting.

We have found that they do not require it to thrive, however we recommend that reptile owners make the choice on their own whether they prefer to provide supplemented vitamin D3 or a specific light where the gecko can bask.

Ultimately, what’s most important is that you keep a close eye on your gecko and watch for any signs of poor health including lack of interest in food and water, lethargy, or odd mobility habits. If you notice any of these signs, we’d advise trying out some changes in your gecko’s habitat, including the method through which your gecko absorbs vitamin D3.

Don’t miss our other articles on:

What do leopard geckos eat?

Leopard gecko lifespans

Do leopard geckos regenerate their tail?

How to breed leopard geckos

How to to set up a leopard gecko habitat

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Different Leopard Gecko Morphs

When trying to choose a Leopard Gecko, it can be hard to decide when there are so many different colors and variations available. While not every morph is listed in this article, if you’re thinking of purchasing one on our site, we’ve provided some more in-depth information of some of the morphs we have available and what makes each one unique.

Different Leopard Gecko Morphs

Tangerine Leopard Gecko

tangerine leopard gecko

tangerine leopard gecko morph picture

Tangerines are known for their orange colors, which differentiates them from the typical yellow coloring of Normal Leopard Geckos. The strength of the orange coloring can differ from gecko to gecko as Tangerines can exhibit yellowish-orange to intense orange-red colors.

Did you know that Tangerine Leopard Geckos are one of the most popular morphs sold by Backwater Reptiles?

Super Snow Leopard Gecko

super snow leopard gecko

As babies Super Snow Leopard Geckos can vary from white to gray. As they age however, their patterns start to come out with a high contrast of black and white speckling. They are also known for their solid, all black eyes.

Mack Snow Leopard Gecko

mack snow leopard gecko

Mack Snow Leopard Geckos are hatched with white bands rather than the common yellow bands of other geckos. As they mature, they become black and white but can have light hues of yellow or purple looking pigments. They are known to be the paler-looking of the Leopard Gecko morphs.

Leucistic Leopard Gecko

leucistic leopard gecko

leucistic leopard gecko morph picture

When these Leopard Geckos are babies, they can have a variety of wacky patterns. As they age, they become a more solid gray color all over their body with a purplish gray tail. Leucistics are also known as Patternless Leopard Geckos.

Enigma Leopard Gecko

enigma leopard gecko

enigma leopard gecko morph

Enigma Leopard Geckos are one of the most unique looking morphs due to their irregular spotting and/or colors throughout their body. Rather than bands like most Leopard Geckos, as babies, Enigma Leopard Geckos are easy to spot because their bodies have scattered blotch patterns.

Blizzard Leopard Gecko

blizzard leopard gecko

As babies, Blizzard Leopard Geckos will be yellow and purple and will lack any spots or bands throughout their entire lifespan. They can range in shades of whites and gray with some having a yellowish cast about them.

Blizzards are actually known to possess true leucistic genetics.

Blazing Blizzard Leopard Gecko

blazing blizzard leopard gecko

blazing blizzard leopard gecko morph

These Geckos are double recessive of the Albino and Blizzard traits which makes them solid white with no shades of gray. Some Geckos can have a yellow hue on their bodies however.

Albino Leopard Gecko

albino leopard gecko

albino leopard gecko morph

albino leopard gecko babies

Albino Leopard Geckos babies have light pink and yellow bands, however as they age, they will show brownish markings with lavender coloring.

There are three types of Albino Leopard Geckos: Bell, Tremper, and Rainwater Albinos. The easiest way to determine which your Leopard Gecko is would be to look at their eyes. Bell Albinos have light pink eyes, Trempers have light silver eyes, and Rainwaters have the darkest colored eyes.

Generally Backwater gets in the Rainwater Albinos, however it can vary from time to time.

Sunglow (Hybino) Leopard Gecko 

sunglow leopard gecko

sunglow leopard gecko morph

Sunglow Leopard Geckos are known for their red eyes and solid body color of either orange, yellow, or somewhere in between. They also have varied amounts of carrot-tail, which is orange pigmentation concentrated on the tail specifically.

Pinstripe Leopard Gecko

pinstripe leopard gecko

pinstripe leopard gecko morph

These Leopard Geckos are aptly named as they have stripes or blended spots that look like stripes along their body including the tail. Sometimes Pinstripes will have no patterns in the middle and only on the sides of their body.

Chocolate Albino Leopard Gecko

chocolate albino leopard gecko

Chocolate Albinos are just Albino Leopard Geckos with dark colorations. Getting Chocolate Albino Leopard Geckos can generally be achieved by incubating the Albino eggs at lower temperatures.

Conclusion

Although every Leopard Gecko will be different in color and pattern, we hope that this article gives an especially visual insight on some of the Leopard Geckos morphs sold by Backwater Reptiles.

Click here if you are interested in browsing all the Leopard Gecko morphs sold by Backwater Reptiles.

Don’t miss our other articles on:

What do leopard geckos eat?

Leopard gecko lifespans

Do leopard geckos regenerate their tail?

Do leopard geckos need UV light?

How to breed leopard geckos

How to to set up a leopard gecko habitat

How To Set Up Rack Systems for Reptiles

If you only own a single reptile of any sort, and you’re not a reptile collector, odds are you might not have even heard of a rack system. So, we’re going to preface this article by explaining exactly what a rack system is…just in case you’re unfamiliar.

When reptile enthusiasts and hobbyists speak of rack systems, they are referring to what is essentially a shelf filled with reptile “cubby” habitats in the simplest of terms. It is a specially designed shelf lined with bins that are heated to support reptile thermoregulatory habits and tend to be most useful to breeders or hobbyists who keep many reptiles.

How To Set Up a Leopard Gecko Rack System

First, we’ll tell you a little about using a rack system when breeding leopard geckos. We’ll outline what you need, how to set it up, and even include a brief video tutorial to explain how to set up our rack systems for leopard geckos at Backwater Reptiles.

leopard gecko rack system
Leopard geckos like this super snow morph, thrive in rack system set ups.

Items needed for a leopard gecko rack system set up
Plastic bins or tubs. These are used to house individual animals within your shelving unit. They function as lidless mini “cages.”
Shelving system to stack bins. Obviously you’ll need the shelf system in order to accommodate the bins your leopard geckos are living in. These units can be purchased online from specialty retailers or, if you’re handy, you can build your own.
Heat tape. Rather than hook up many pesky individual heat pads and wind up with a bunch of bulky electrical cords and ultimately, an electrical hazard, you should use heat tape to make sure the temperatures within your leopard gecko’s bin stays within the proper range.
Appropriate substrate. Just like with any other enclosure, your leopard gecko rack system bins will each require an appropriate substrate. You can use sand, paper towels, or any other substrate suitable for leopard geckos.
Water dish, food dish, and vitamin dish. Leopard geckos will need three kinds of dishes within each bin. Each dish’s purpose is pretty obvious based on what it will hold.
Egg laying bin or box/Hide space. Because most people using a rack system with leopard geckos intend to breed them, it’s necessary to have a hide space with dirt inside so that the females can lay their eggs when the time is right. The egg laying box also functions as a hide space for when your geckos feel like being secretive.
Drill. Each individual bin will need to have air holes drilled into the sides to allow for proper ventilation and moisture retention. You will only need the drill to poke holes in the sides of the plastic bins.

How to set up a leopard gecko rack system

As we’ve already established, a rack system will house numerous bins with various geckos living separately in each bin. The best strategy for success is to make each bin the same. In other words, follow the instructions below and replicate for however many number of bins you have in your shelving unit.

Step one – Drill holes in each leopard gecko bin. This is fairly straight forward. You should have at least ten to fifteen holes on each side of each bin. Spread these holes out evenly.

Step two – Hook up your heat tape. You’ll want to make sure that each bin that will have animals in it is properly heated. If you need some guidance using heat tape or setting it up, we’ve got an entire blog article dedicated to this process.

Step three – Line your bins with substrate. As we’ve mentioned prior, there are several substrates known to be appropriate for leopard geckos. Simply choose your favorite and line the bottom of each bin.

Step four -Set up your leopard gecko’s hide box. We use plastic shoe boxes with lids. You’ll want to put organic, chemically untreated soil inside and cut a round hole in the top so that the geckos can exit and enter easily.

Step five – Prepare your leopard gecko’s dishes. You will need three dishes, as previously mentioned above. The largest dish should be used for water. The mid-sized dish should contain mealworms, reptiworms, or whatever type of insect you will be feeding to your gecko. And lastly, the small dish should contain vitamin powder.

Voila! You’ve set up bin number one! Now all you need to do is repeat the process for each breeding pair of geckos you wish to house.

Leopard gecko rack system video tutorial

In the video below, we show you a physical example of how we set up our leopard gecko bins that we use within our rack systems.

How To Set Up a Snake Rack System

Items needed for a snake rack system set up
Plastic bins or tubs. Again, these bins or tubs will be home to a single snake. They will be “cages” without lids.
Shelving system to stack bins. As we discussed with leopard gecko rack systems, you will need a shelving unit to organize your snake bins. Shelving units can be purchased from specialty retailers or you can always make your own if you prefer.
Heat tape. This is the alternative method used to heat rack systems as it’s much too cluttered and unsafe to use individual reptile heating pads when working with so many animals.
Appropriate substrate. The preferred substrate for most species of snake (but not all!) is aspen bedding. You can use whatever substrate works best for your particular species, but always avoid cedar bedding as the fumes given off are toxic to snakes.
Water dish. Unlike leopard gecko bins, which require three dishes, a snake’s bin will only need a single water dish. We recommend one that is sturdy enough that the snake can’t tip it over.
Two hides. Ideally, snakes should have two hide spaces available to them, no matter what type of cage they are housed in. One hide should be on the warmer side of the cage and the other hide should be on the cooler side of the cage. This allows the snake to thermoregulate while still feeling safe and secure.

How to set up a snake rack system

snake rack system
Snakes such as ball pythons do quite well in rack systems.

Just like with the leopard gecko bins, once you’ve set up one snake bin, all you need to do is replicate the process for the remainder of the bins. Uniformity works well when it comes to rack systems.

Step one – Drill holes in each snake bin. Just like with leopard gecko bins, snake bins will require “breathing” holes. These holes aren’t so that the snakes can breathe, but rather so that their miniature ecosystems can. The holes will allow moisture to exit and will allow air to circulate better. As with leopard gecko bins, ten to fifteen holes per side should suffice, unless you are housing very large snakes in very large bins. Use common sense and space the holes evenly for best results.

Step two – Hook up the heat tape. Again, this process should be exactly the same as with the leopard gecko bins. Although we’ve already given you this link above, just so you don’t have to scroll back, here’s the link to the article we wrote discussing the ins and outs of how to set up reptile heat tape.

Step three – Place your chosen substates within the bottom of the bin. A thin layer is fine. Don’t overfill the tub/bin. You should have just enough to absorb any spilled or collected moisture and snake waste.

Step four – Set up a hide box on each side of the snake’s bin. One should go on the cooler side and one on the heated side.

Step five – Place the snake’s water dish inside the bin. It’s not really that important where you put it, but be aware that if you place it above the heated side, you will create more moisture in the environment due to more rapid evaporation. If your snake likes humidity, this is great, but if you have a species that prefers a more arid, dry climate, then it’s probably best to put the water dish on the unheated side of the bin.

Guess what? Your snake bin set up is now complete! All you need to do is repeat the process for each pet snake you have and finally…add snakes!

Setting up a snake rack system video tutorial

In the video below, we walk you through how we set up our individual snake bins used in the rack systems at Backwater Reptiles.

http://https://youtu.be/s3mYuFtBRn4

Reptile Rack System Frequently Asked Questions

-How do I heat a rack system?

Hopefully if you’re invested in reptiles enough to need a rack system, you’re aware that they need a source of warmth in order to thermoregulate. But because rack systems are not set up like normal cages and you can’t place a heat lamp on top of the cage or attach a heat mat to the bottom of the cage, how then, do you provide heat to all the individual bins?

The answer is simple really. At Backwater Reptiles, we use reptile heat tape. This allows us to control temperature and is also safe and convenient for both humans and animals alike.

As we’ve previously indicated, we actually have an entire blog article tutorial complete with video instructions on how to set up heat tape. Click here to read the entire article.

-Do I need UV lights when using a rack system?

Luckily, most of the species that thrive in rack system set ups (i.e. leopard geckos, corn snakes, ball pythons, etc.) don’t require UV lighting.

You can always take each animal out individually or in groups and expose them to natural UV light by taking them outdoors, but due to the way rack systems are set up, there’s really no way to provide a consistent source of UV lighting.

Ultimately, this means that reptiles that require UV light in order to process vitamins and maintain healthy bones and immune systems cannot be housed in rack systems. So do your research before your invest in a rack system for any particular species.

-How many animals can live in each bin?

This is a question with variable answers. In reality, the answer will depend on the species you are housing as well as how large your individual bins are.

With leopard geckos, generally a breeding pair or trio is acceptable. A single male with one or two females tend to get along just fine in the amount of space provided in a single bin within a standard sized rack system.

We don’t recommend keeping more than a single snake of any species within a single bin. The bins are just too small and the snakes will end up feeling stressed and competing for resources.

-Don’t the animals escape since there are no lids or screens?

The short answer to this question is yes, the animals can escape due to the more open nature of the rack system.

Because the plastic tubs or bins that house individual animals don’t usually have lids, some more tenacious and stubborn reptiles can and will find ways to climb over the edges of the bins and out into the real world.

There really is no guaranteed way to avoid this other than keeping a close eye on your animals and making sure that all their needs are met so they have little to no reason to seek outside stimulus.

We recommend checking each bin at least twice daily if not more. And as you learn the personalities of your individual animals, you will learn to watch out for the trickier ones who might be more inclined to be escape artists.

Conclusion

Rack systems are efficient for serious reptile hobbyists who intend to keep many animals or start breeding projects of their own. They take up less space than keeping multiple large cages would and they give convenient and easy access to the animals all in one place.

We hope this tutorial on setting up reptile rack systems has proved helpful. If there’s anything we didn’t cover or if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments!

How to Breed Leopard Geckos

Ever wondered how to breed Leopard geckos? Leopard Geckos (Eublepharis macularius) are quite possibly the most common pet lizard. You can find them for sale at big pet stores as well as get them from specialty breeders and reptile shows. They are very well-loved and respected amongst reptile enthusiasts.

But did you know that in addition to having very basic care requirements that are quite simple to meet, leopard geckos are also really easy to breed?

Read on to find out how we take care of our leopard gecko breeding groups. We’ll cover everything from mating to caring for your hatchlings, and everything in-between.

how to breed leopard geckos
Get ready to learn exactly how to breed Leopard geckos.

Step-by-step: How to Breed Leopard Geckos

Leopard Gecko Mating

It’s common sense that in order to get leopard gecko babies, you’ll have to get your leopard geckos to mate. The good news is that this is almost easier done than said!

Because leopard geckos of similar size can usually be housed communally, you can keep several females in the same enclosure with one male. Never, ever, keep two adult males in the same enclosure unless you want a bloody battle royale to ensue.

One easy way to tell if you have a male leopard gecko is by looking beneath the lizard’s tail. It should have a pronounced hemipenile bulge, whereas females won’t. Also, males and females both have a broad V-shape of pores at the base of their tail. Males have much deeper pores, and often times you can see a waxy substance in and around the pores of males (but never females).

Make sure that your geckos are of breeding age. Most will be ready to reproduce when they are nine to ten months old or weigh approximately 50 grams.

You most likely won’t witness the actual mating behavior because it only takes two to three minutes, and they are nocturnal lizards. However, most females are receptive to males unless they are malnourished or unhealthy. Excited males will vibrate the very tip of their tail prior to mating, and it can actually be fairly loud!

Females can lay several clutches of eggs from a single mating. However, in order to maintain peak fertility and laying, keep the male with the female at least once per week.

We have a rack system and continually move breeder males from bin to bin during breeding season. This have provided great results and our females lay eggs very regularly.

Hopefully we’ve sufficiently answered how to breed Leopard geckos, but if you have any additional questions, please feel free to e-mail us.

How Leopard Geckos Lay Eggs

The average clutch size for a leopard gecko is two eggs. However, don’t be alarmed if your female only lays a single egg as this does happen from time to time, albeit infrequently.

leopard gecko eggs unearthed
This clutch has two eggs. You can very gently uncover the eggs once you think the female has laid them. Most often, she will deposit them in the corner of the substrate container.

Over the course of a year, a successful mating pair can produce anywhere from eight to ten eggs. If you are repeatedly allowing your female to breed, we recommend proper vitamin dusting with calcium supplements as producing and laying eggs is a very strenuous process for a female.

We follow Ron Tremper’s advice and offer Vionate (vitamin) and Osteo-Form (calcium) to our Leopard gecko breeding colonies. Ron Tremper is, in our opinion, the most venerable Leopard gecko breeder in the world, and the industry owes him a great debt of gratitude.

fertile leopard gecko eggs
These two eggs are most likely fertile because they feel firm and dry.

If you observe your geckos closely, you will notice that the substrate in which the eggs are buried will appear slanted. For example, at Backwater Reptiles, we have special shoe boxes with lids filled with substrate to give the females a good medium to comfortably lay their eggs (another Ron Tremper recommendation).

When we open the lids, if we see that the substrate is piled up on one side and angled downwards on the other side of the box, this indicates that the female has been digging and signals us to unearth the eggs and transfer them to the incubator.

buried leopard gecko eggs
If you look closely at this photo, you’ll see that the substrate is at an angle. This indicates that the female has been digging. The eggs will be buried under the side at the top of the slant.

Incubating Leopard Gecko Eggs

Once you have gently unearthed your leopard gecko eggs, you can transfer them to an incubator.

leopard gecko eggs in incubating medium
Here are the leopard gecko eggs nestled gently into the incubating medium within the incubating cup.

Fertile eggs are firm, taut, and have a small amount of weight to them. If the eggs feel squishy and soft, odds are they will not hatch. However, we always incubate all the eggs just in case, even if we do think they aren’t fertile.

At Backwater Reptiles, we use an incubating substrate called Repashy Superhatch as our incubation media. We fill small plastic cups with lids with the medium, soak the clay granules for a minute, pour standing water out, and place 2-6 eggs into each vented deli cup with the lid on.

leopard gecko incubation medium
Backwater Reptiles uses Repashy Superhatch incubation medium to hatch our baby leopard geckos, but there are other options such as perlite or vermiculite.

Fun fact: If you know what morph your parent leopard geckos are, you can keep track of the mixes of babies you produce. It can be interesting to see what patterns and colors result from different breeding pairs.

Once you’ve placed your eggs securely in the incubation substrate (they should be embedded about halfway into the media), you can label your cup if you desire. At Backwater Reptiles, we include the date we uncovered the clutch as well as what morphs the parents were and the bin where the eggs were found.

leopard gecko eggs in incubator
As you can see, you can incubate multiple clutches simultaneously. This is why we label our incubation cups at Backwater Reptiles.

Keep your incubator temperature set anywhere from 77 to 90+ degrees. The gender of the babies will be determined by what temperature you select, so if you want females, keep the temperature in the lower range. If you want males, keep it warmer.

What to Do When Your Leopard Gecko Eggs Hatch

After about two months, you can expect your eggs to start hatching.

hatching leopard geckos
These hatchlings are ready to be moved from their incubation cup to a proper enclosure.

The babies know how to exit the eggs. They won’t need any help. Odds are that if you start checking the eggs on a daily basis around the time that two months have elapsed, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to open your incubator lid and – voila! – hatchling leopard geckos!

Here’s a story that proves just how easy it can be to incubate Leopard gecko eggs. Once when we were cleaning, feeding, and checking the bins we came across perfect little babies in one of the Super Snow shoeboxes! They were eggs that we didn’t notice, but that incubated successfully inside the main enclosure.

Conclusion – How to breed Leopard geckos

It honestly doesn’t take a lot to breed leopard geckos. This is a species that takes to captivity very well and will therefore reproduce naturally if you have a male and female together.

If you think you’d like to start a leopard gecko family of your own, Backwater Reptiles has leopard gecko morphs of all types and can get you a male and female to begin your journey, including many different morphs, and even giant and super giants!

Don’t miss our other articles on:

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Leopard gecko lifespans

Do leopard geckos regenerate their tail?

Do leopard geckos need UV light?

How to to set up a leopard gecko habitat