Crazy about leopard gecko pets!
Remember a week or so ago we commented on the brand new species of leopard gecko found in the Cat Ba National Park in Vietnam?
Sky News is reporting that the Cat Ba leopard gecko, along with the 162 other new species found in this park could be under threat from climate change. If that is true, that would be absolutely tragic.
Here’s the latest news on the new species of leopard gecko recently found: the Cat Ba leopard gecko (named after the Cat Ba National Park in Vietnam where it was found)
A Cat Ba leopard gecko ( Goniurosaurus catbaensis ). A Cat Ba leopard gecko, known by its scientific name Goniurosaurus catbaensis, is seen in Cat Ba Island National Park in northern Vietnam. This species was among 163 new species … 
A Cat Ba leopard gecko – one of some 163 species discovered in the. Greater Mekong river region. Photograph: Thomas Ziegler/WWF/EPA. The world is reassuringly stranger than we thought: another fanged frog has hopped into view, …
The leopard gecko, Goniurosaurus catbaensis, turned up on Cat Ba island in northern Vietnam. It has large beautiful cat-like eyes, and leopard stripes along the length of its body. The scientist who found it, Lee Grismer from La Sierra …
Another unlikely discovery was the Cat Ba leopard gecko found on Cat Ba Island in northern Vietnam. Named Goniurosaurus catbaensis, it has large, orange-brown catlike eyes and leopard spots down the length of its yellowish brown body. …
A handout photo from WWF GMPO shows a Cat Ba leopard gecko found exclusively in Cat Ba Island National Park in northern Vietnam. Scientists discovered 163 new species in Southeast Asia’s Greater Mekong region last year, but all are at …
Another unusual discovery was the leopard gecko found on Cat Ba Island in northern Vietnam. Goniurosaurus catbaensis has large, orange-brown cat-like eyes, and leopard stripes down the length of its body. …
The leopard gecko, found on another Vietnamese island, has the colouring of a leopard and bizarre orange, cat-like eyes and spindly limbs. The Cat Ba leopard gecko was one of several new species found in the region. …
Along with the fanged frog and Cat Ba leopard gecko, the other new species include a tiger-striped pit viper, a tube-nosed bat named Murina harpioloides, and a bird given the strange name of Nonggang babbler. …
The Cat Ba leopard-patterened gecko (Goniurosaurus catbaensis) has orange eyes, spindly limbs and technicolour skin. And it has a Cockney accent. But seriously, a lot of things are going byebye. Some due to natural selection, …
The elusive Oligodon deuvei (left), a shy snake that has been spotted in Pursat province; the technicoloured, felinesque Cat Ba leopard gecko (centre) found in North Vietnam and Musa rubinea (right), a wild banana found exclusively on …
That’s it for today.
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This kid is awesome. He has two leopard geckos as far as I know. One called Yoshi and the other called Daisy and I love his regular youtube video updates on the progress of his leopard geckos from hatchling to adults.
In this video below, tubbysnake3 teaches you how to handle a leopard gecko. As he says, there are three types of leopard gecko;
1. The sweet calm type who love being held
2. The type who don’t mind being held but would much rather run around
3. The feisty grumpy leopard geckos who prefer not to be touched and might try to bite
When you first pick up a leopard gecko, just scoop them up in your hands and be gentle, allow them to crawl around your hands and be sure not to touch or pull on their tail. You can stroke them, but if they don’t seem to like it, it’s best to put them back into the vivarium. Remember to have clean hands and wash your hands after handling.
Watch the video, the kid is just too charming and filled with personality…
I LOVE IT and I WANT ONE NOW
The UK’s Daily Telegraph has an awesome photo and story of the newest lizard pet craze. The SpiderLizard. The SpiderLizard has uncannily similar red and blue coloring just like SpiderMan and it can run vertically up walls too.
The Spider-Lizard used to be called an Agama. They make good pets, similar to a leopard gecko in terms of care required. However, just as with a leopard gecko, you do need to create a proper habitat taking special care of the vivarium temperature and substrate (or bedding)
I want a Spider-Lizard and I want one now!
Informative video on decorating your leopard gecko cage. Enjoy!
Medical researchers are looking for an alternative to medical sutures or stitches. Researchers are inspired by the sticky nature of gecko’s feet to develop a similar surgical tape. Just so you know, leopard geckos are one of those geckos who do NOT have sticky pads on their feet, but still this video is AWESOME. Nature teaching medicine.
From Leopard gecko care
Exciting week as our beloved leopard gecko makes pet of the week as chosen by The Independent newspaper.
What next? A guest appearance on Leno or Letterman?
Pet of the week: The leopard gecko
By Jamie Buckley
Saturday, 5 September 2009
Who’s this wriggly customer? The leopard gecko is one of the most popular reptiles in captivity. As its name suggests, it is decorated with black spots similar to those of a leopard, and it is mainly creamy or yellowy in colour. All this, of course, provides vital camouflage in the wild, but due to selective breeding in captivity the leopard gecko is now available in all sorts of colours, or morphs.
What’s his natural environment? The mountainous deserts and scrubland of Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern Iran. He’s a real desert warrior, hunting by night for crickets and suchlike (even mice, so long as they’re not too big), then sensibly hiding out under rocks to escape the midday heat. He eats when he can and stores excess food in his tail which can be digested in lean times. His tail is detachable, too.
Sounds like a tall tale? It’s true. If the leopard gecko needs to take flight from predators, it will vibrate muscles in its vertebrae that will disengage the tail, leaving just a wriggly stump to distract its would-be assassin while it makes good its escape. A new tail takes about 40 days to grow back. If you are planning on keeping a leopard gecko, please remember: this is not a party trick.
What’s substrate? It is what leopard geckos use as bedding and shelter, but they also like to nibble at it. A common problem with leopard geckos is that they cannot digest this compound, so it’s best to obtain some professional advice on what best to put in the tank. Paper towels or broken bits of slate seem to be least harmful. With reptiles it is best to be clued up on their correct environment before starting out, rather than learning as you go along. Thankfully there are plenty of reputable reptile retailers. Try getting Jonathan Ross to say that.
What’s the difference between a gecko and a lizard? Geckos are part of the lizard family, but what marks the leopard out from other geckos is that it has eyelids. Other lizards lick their eyeballs to remove dust, not so the leopard. It blinks.
So how does he get on in suburban Britain? By and large very well, as he is relatively easy to keep. He feeds on dried insects, such as crickets and fat, juicy wax worms. You need a 20-gallon vivarium with plenty of heat and moisture at one end of the tank (30C), and places to keep cool at the other end (room temperature). And he needs coarse matter to rub against when he is shedding skin. Males should not be kept together as they do not get along. It is best to install the vivarium first, get the temperature right and put in the right substrate, then introduce the reptile.
How do I get hold of a leopard gecko? As always, you should go through an accredited animal breeder. Exotic-pets.co.uk has an excellent reputation and extensive knowledge, as well as a wide range of reptiles for sale. A juvenile leopard gecko will cost upwards of £35, plus about £100 in start-up costs for the vivarium. And Exotic Pets takes great care in delivering the creature, too.
Wow, here’s a gutsy little leopard gecko.
The New Zealand Herald News are reporting that staff at Ti Point Reptile Park saw what appeared to be the back legs of a cricket sticking out of their leopard gecko’s mouth. They simply thought the gecko was finishing off his favorite food.
Then they took a closer look.
It turns out that the ravenous and adventurous gecko had just devoured a large centipede and was having problems swallowing it. Staff considered removing it and decided it was best to wait a day to see if the gecko would digest her meal by herself. The gecko was 10 years old and in good health.
They next day, they discovered that the leopard gecko had regurgitated the centipede – in once piece. The centipede was 160 mm long, and the gecko was only 150 mm long!! Can you imagine eating something that is longer than you! She must have had a monster appetite!
The gecko was lucky to have got to the centipede first as the centipede was capable of killing a small lizard.
Since the gecko has poor eyesight and is quite primitive, maybe that’s the reasons she thought herself capable of devouring an animal longer than herself.
Mr Borich who works at the Reptile Park thinks that they are not the most intelligent creatures around:
“When you go in to feed them, they will go for your foot rather than the food you are bringing to them.”
Talk about literally biting off more than you can chew!!
An interesting story. Click here if you want to read the whole article including photos of the gecko and the sorry centipede.
Really fascinating article about leopard gecko tail loss from the New York Times.
Researchers studied leopard gecko tails and what happens when they fall off. The leopard gecko’s tail has tons of complex movements and patterns. The theory is that since the leopard gecko is a ground dweller, when the tail falls off, it is probably still visible on the ground to a predator so it will move more and for longer. However, other geckos like tokay geckos which live in trees, probably don’t need such wild movements as their tail would probably be less noticeable when it fell off.
Have a read, great stuff! They have a short video clip too.
 Global |
The Gecko’s Tail Has a Life of Its Own
New York Times Just a pinch near the base is all it takes to cause the gecko to drop, or autotomize, its tail. The researchers studied leopard geckos, taking videos of the … Severed Lizard Tail Has a Mind of Its OwnFOXNews Severed Gecko Tails Have a Mind of Their OwnWired News Detached gecko tails dance to their own tuneAFP Clemson University -The Canadian Press all 104 news articles » |