Category: Geckos

Many wild and domestic animals will swim to cool down, for fun, or to hunt for their next meal. Others prefer to keep their feet on dry land. Leopard Geckos will sit in shallow water to soften their skin for shedding or to cool down, but they can’t swim and don’t like being around too much water.

Since a water dish is often a recommended part of a gecko’s vivarium, it’s important to choose the right one to suit your pet’s needs. This guide will tell you why Leopard Geckos can’t swim and why they still need a source of water, even if they don’t want to splash around in it.

Can Leopard Geckos Swim?

Unlike their feline namesake, the Leopard Gecko is not a fan of swimming. They can float for a short time, but that’s as far as their swimming ability extends. They don’t have the right body construction to be strong or even weak swimmers. Due to this, geckos can drown if they fall into their water dish.

Should You Let Your Leopard Gecko Swim?

Swimming might sound like a good way for your Leopard Gecko to pass the time, but their inability to swim makes it incredibly dangerous. Although they can float, their body isn’t designed to keep them above the surface for long. They also lack the ability to move their body in a way that enables them to right themselves in deep water.

Remember, these geckos are not native to an area that gets a large amount of water. They’re used to dry, desert climates. Being around too much water can be stressful for them and prevent them from drinking the water that they need or even prompt them to hide away in their vivarium rather than explore.

It’s safer and far healthier for your Leopard Gecko if you don’t try to encourage them to swim. You can leave a water dish in their vivarium so they can sit in it, but make sure it isn’t large enough for them to feel unsafe.

If you want your Leopard Gecko to have enrichment activities in their vivarium, you should find safe options, such as rocks and plants for hiding and live crickets for chasing.

How to Give Water to Your Leopard Gecko

Leopard Geckos are native to arid climates throughout the Middle East and Asia, so they don’t need as much water as other pets that you might keep. That said, providing clean water is still an important part of their care, both to manage their vivarium’s humidity level and for them to drink. There are several ways that you can give water to your Leopard Gecko.

Misting

When it comes to taking care of reptiles, misting them and their environment helps keep the vivarium humid and moist. It’s more time consuming than using a bowl of water, but you’ll be able to better monitor the humidity levels in their habitat.

Shallow Bowl

Despite their inability to swim, Leopard Geckos do like to sit in shallow water. For this reason, you should use a shallow bowl to keep their water in. This serves two purposes. One, it enables your Leopard Gecko to soak their entire body whenever they need to—particularly when they’re shedding—and two, it can help manage the humidity level in their vivarium. It’s important to make sure the bowl is big enough to hold your gecko but is not so large that they risk drowning.

You must change the water frequently to ensure that your pet always has clean, fresh water nearby. The water should be changed at least once a day, especially if it’s dirty. Keep the water dish on the cool side of the vivarium.

Humidity Hides

Geckos are prey animals and will need places to hide throughout their vivarium. These areas help them feel safe, and one can serve as a cool, damp place. Your Leopard Gecko will visit this humidity hide to relax and take advantage of the moist air when they’re shedding.

You can purchase a humidity hide from a pet store or use an overturned container that’s big enough for your pet. To ensure that it’s humid enough, you’ll need to line it with damp sphagnum moss or paper towels.

Why Is My Leopard Gecko Sitting in Their Water Dish?

Leopard Geckos might not be able to swim, but you’ll often see them sitting in their water dish. This is why the bowl needs to be shallow enough to prevent drowning but big enough that they can sit in it as much as they want. Your pet gecko will sit in their water dish for several reasons.

Drinking

Despite being used to dry environments, water is still a necessity for their survival, and they will drink when they need to. Most of your Leopard Gecko’s hydration will be received from the insects that they eat. They can also eat fresh vegetables with a high water content to help regulate their hydration levels.

If they have a moisture-rich diet, you likely won’t see your Leopard Gecko drinking much, but it’s still a good idea to keep fresh water in their vivarium at all times. Every so often, you might see them sitting in the water whenever they want a drink.

Regulating Moisture

Leopard Geckos are good at taking care of themselves, especially when their body’s moisture and temperature are concerned. You can help them by keeping the vivarium at the perfect temperature and humidity level, so your pet can dart from their cool spot to their basking area and back again whenever they need to.

Having a dish of water is another way for them to regulate their body’s needs. It will help moisturize their skin when it gets too dry during their basking and cool them down if they get too hot.

Shedding

A natural part of your Leopard Geckos’ routine is shedding their skin. This process is much easier when their skin is moist. A humidity hide can help, and your gecko will likely spend a great deal of time in there when they’re shedding to soften their skin and make it easier to remove.

Sitting in their water dish has the same effect. It enables them to soften their skin and makes it easier and less painful to remove the shed layers.

Conclusion

Although Leopard Geckos share a name with one of the best swimmers in the cat world, they don’t share the same swimming ability. In fact, they can’t swim at all and much prefer staying on dry land.

However, Leopard Geckos will sit in shallow water or a humidity hide if they need to moisten their skin while they’re shedding. They should have a water dish that’s big enough to suit their needs but not deep enough that they can’t touch the floor, to reduce the risk of drowning.

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Featured Image Credit: Leroy Dickson, Pixabay

The post Can Leopard Geckos Swim? Facts & Safety Guide appeared first on Pet Keen.

Have you fallen in love with leopard geckos? Lots of people are, and who can blame them? However, just because these animals are cute doesn’t mean that you should bring one home without knowing how to take care of them, along with the potential diseases that these pets face.

The truth is, leopard geckos can catch certain diseases unique to their bodies if you don’t know what to look for. Caring for a sick gecko is never fun or easy, so why not take the time and learn about common diseases and how to avoid them? Here are 10 common diseases in leopard geckos:

The 10 Most Common Diseases in Leopard Geckos

1. Gout

Gout results from your Gecko’s inability to process uric acid effectively. Reptiles eliminate nitrogen from their system through uric acid. But if they can’t flush the uric acid from their body, it builds up in their bodies and surrounds other areas, like the joints and vital organs.

Diets too high in protein, or the wrong kind of protein, can cause gout. Other factors like dehydration, starvation, and predisposing kidney issues can also lead to gout.

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2. Dysecdysis

All reptiles shed their skin, but sometimes they can’t shed their skin correctly. When this occurs, you typically notice accumulating skin layers around the eyes and limbs. This is called Dysecdysis. 

There are a few reasons your gecko isn’t shedding its skin properly. It could be from a lack of humidity in the enclosure or an underlying health issue.

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3. Prolapsed Hemipenes

A prolapsed hemipenes isn’t a disease, it’s actually a condition. This is when the male reproductive organ slips out and remains exposed. Leopard geckos don’t use their reproductive organs for urinating like male humans, so they shouldn’t be exposed regularly.

There are several reasons why a male leopard gecko’s hemipenis would prolapse. Lack of humidity, other geckos in light of sight, sexing, and excess skin removal are all potential factors.

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4. Dystocia

Dystocia, or egg binding, is when a female leopard gecko can’t pass an egg. This can be from illness, poor diet, enlarged or oddly-shaped eggs, pelvic injuries, unsuitable nesting environments, and more.

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5. Ophthalmic Disease

Ophthalmic disease, or eye issues, is a common problem with leopard geckos. The biggest reason is vitamin A deficiency. A lack of a heat source can also lead to eye issues, mainly because cold geckos don’t feed as much and can become malnourished.

Interestingly, a study published in 2018 found that head dysecdysis almost always paired with eye trouble in geckos.

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6. Hepatic Lipidosis

Hepatic Lipidosis is also called fatty liver disease. This is when there is an abundance of fat in the liver, causing other diseases and adverse effects on the organ. The most common reason for fatty liver disease in reptiles is overfeeding.

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7. Cryptosporidiosis

Cryptosporidiosis is a fancy word for a parasitic infection. Unfortunately, leopard geckos are the most commonly diagnosed lizard with this infection, and it’s not easy to treat. If you have other leopard geckos, you must quarantine your infected geckos to stop the spread.

The culprit is the parasite Cryptosporidium saurophilum. It likes to invade the stomach and intestines, so you’ll often see a lack of appetite and an extended belly.

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8. Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD)

MBD stems from vitamin D3 and calcium deficiency, two vital nutrients for bone and egg creation. Metabolic Bone Disease is life-threatening if not caught early, but it can be easily avoided with proper nutrition and lighting.

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9. Gastroenteritis

Gastroenteritis relates to an infection in the gut, specifically the intestines. This can be from numerous factors, like parasites and sand impaction. This can quickly become a life-threatening problem, so it’s wise to take your leopard gecko to an exotic vet if you notice the Signs.

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10. Pneumonia

Pneumonia is a respiratory tract infection caused by bacteria in the lungs. Respiratory infections are common but are equally serious. Usually, a cold enclosure with high humidity is the main reason leopard geckos catch pneumonia. Other causes can be poor ventilation, unsanitary conditions, poor diet, and other underlying illnesses, like vitamin A deficiency.

Keeping Your Gecko Happy and Healthy

So, how does a gecko owner avoid the nightmare of dealing with a sick reptile?

Here’s the good news: most of the diseases we just mentioned can easily be avoided with a quality diet and environment. Let’s explore this further.

Diet Dominates Disease

With any creature, diet is of the utmost importance for health and vitality. Geckos can be tricky because they only eat live insects and refuse dead insects or any plant matter.

For that reason, it’s crucial to source your gecko’s food from a reputable pet store. When purchasing insects, ensure you buy well-fed ones. A well-fed insect will pass on vital nutrients and minerals to your gecko.

Variety is also key. Offer your gecko an array of insects, like crickets, worms, silkworms, waxworms, and roaches. Go a step further and dust the crickets with calcium powder twice weekly to ensure strong, healthy bones and proper egg laying.

With any creature, there are some dos and don’ts with what you can offer as food. Under no circumstances can leopard geckos eat bugs that glow. The chemical that makes the insect glow is toxic to leopard geckos. You also want to avoid wild bugs since pesticides can poison them.

Age Matters with Leopard Geckos

Feeding your gecko the right amount of food will help it receive nutrients and avoid disease. You don’t want to overfeed or underfeed your leopard gecko, so understanding your gecko’s age can help.

Adult geckos can feed once every other day for about 15 to 20 minutes. During this time, they can eat however much they want to their heart’s content. Offer insects no larger than the space between the gecko’s eyes. Otherwise, the insect won’t digest properly.

In contrast, young leopard geckos require daily feeding. Hatchlings can eat a bug about ⅜ inches long, and juvenile geckos can eat bugs about ¼ inch long.

House Requirements

A proper habitat includes light, humidity, warmth, and good ventilation.

Light

Geckos are nocturnal, so avoid using bright lights at all costs. Instead, opt for black heat lamps and red lamps.

The lighting should mimic the natural light cycle your gecko would experience in the wild. Geckos need about 14 hours of light during the summer and 10 hours of “nighttime.” During the winter, change the lighting to 12 hours for the morning and 12 hours for the night.

Humidity & Warmth

Humidity is vital for a gecko’s well-being. Too much or too little humidity can cause skin issues and respiratory infections, so you want to ensure you have it just right. Likewise, a cold gecko will refuse food and could eventually become nutrient deficient.

Ideally, a humidity level between 30% to 40% is best, with a toasty enclosure between 77 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Nighttime temperatures shouldn’t drop below 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The entire chamber doesn’t need to be kept at a consistent temperature. A little variety is good as long as it’s within the ideal temperature range. Experienced gecko owners will have a warm and cool side of the enclosure.

Geckos also need moist boxes to help with shedding. To create a damp environment, you can use a moist substrate like peat moss, damp soil, or sphagnum moss.

Ventilation

To achieve proper ventilation, add a mesh covering the entire lid or do something more active and install an electronic ventilator. Either method is acceptable as long as the gecko has good air quality.

Substrate

The substrate is the bedding at the bottom of the tank, and it’s more important than you’d think. Leopard geckos spend most of their time on the ground, meaning they will walk, run, and eat on the substrate provided to them. Females will even lay their eggs on the substrate.

The wrong substrate can affect your gecko’s life because your gecko might ingest it, or your female could refuse to lay eggs on it.

Sand, wood chips, quarts, walnut shells, and bark are all substrates to avoid since these are outside the gecko’s natural environment and can cause harm.

 

Conclusion

Leopard geckos are indeed prone to certain diseases. Still, a solid diet and enclosure setup can avoid most of these ailments. Take the time and money to offer your leopard gecko the best food and living space, and your gecko will thrive.

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Featured Image Credit: torstensimon, pixabay

The post 10 Common Diseases in Leopard Geckos (& Care Tips) appeared first on Pet Keen.