Have you ever heard about leopard geckos? As geckos are starting to be one of the popular pet among reptile species, leopard geckos come in a variety of sizes and colors. Usually, they have yellow and white colors with black dots on it.
Leopard geckos are not only famous because of their skin patterns, but also because of their mesmerizing eyes. Leopard geckos have a pair of large, round eyes with unique eye pigments that are different from each other. However, do you know behind those pretty eyes, leopard geckos usually suffer from eye problems that may lead to blindness issue?
Don’t worry, though. Even if your little friends are blind, you can still take care of them, and of course, love them! Here is some insight for you about blind leopard geckos and how to take care of them as your lovely pet!
Blind Leopard Geckos And How To Love Them
- How do they get blind in the first place?
Well, leopard geckos blindness can come from many factors, such as infections and lack of vitamins. Since they cannot see, they may need your extra help especially for finding their food. You can help your gecko by using tongs to offer its favorite food.
- Do they have some usual behaviors that worth to know beforehand?
As you know, leopard geckos are a nocturnal animal. Unlike any other geckos type, leopard geckos cannot climb walls vertically because they do not have sticky toe pads. They are also generally docile, easy to tame and move slowly. As those are not good enough to be reasons for you to love them, another good news for you: leopard geckos don’t bite!
You can also tell about their feelings from their tail. If your leopard gecko’s tail is rattling, it means your little friend is happy! But if you notice the tail-waving when your leopard gecko meets another one from its species, it means your leopard gecko feels threatened and ready to attack!
- Can they self-amputate their tails too?
Of course, they are! Just like many types of lizards, they can self-amputate their tails as a defense mechanism when they feel threatened.
- That’s cool. Now, I’m interested! How can I keep one of them?
To prepare the most suitable house for your leopard gecko, you may need at least 15 to 20-gallon tank for two or three leopard geckos, depending on their sizes. Just make sure you only keep one male per tank to keep them from attacking each other.
They do not need a humid environment. So keep your eye on the humidity in their house so it is not too low or below 20 percent, because low humidity environments may lead your gecko into shedding problem.
For the substrate, try to avoid using sand and wood shavings because it can give your gecko intestinal problem and skin irritation. So what do you use? You can use another material that is absorbent and easy to change like paper or carpets.
Leopard geckos are insectivores, which means they eat much variety of insects, but usually their favorite are crickets, mealworms, and waxworm.
Now since they are blind, feeding them can be a little bit tricky and need extra effort from you. The best way to feed them is by using a pair of tweezers or reptile tongs from the pet store. Grasp their food such as a live cricket near one end so your blind leopard gecko has plenty to latch onto. Also, do not squeeze the insect way too hard until you kill it because your blind leopard geckos usually will not eat the dead prey. Yes, they demand only the fresh and alive crickets and worms!
To let your blind gecko find the food in the tongs, brush the food to its mouth gently to encourage your gecko to and take the food into its mouth. You can also let your gecko smell the food so it will try to find the food by itself. Your little friend is pretty smart to find its own food, you know!
- Sometimes the blind leopard gecko refuses the food I offer, what should I do?
Don’t be hesitate to assist feed your gecko if your gecko refuses to eat what you are offering especially if it is insects that are dusted with supplements or some medication (no one likes to take meds!). How do you do it? Gently pick up your gecko with your hand, not too high from the surface so it will not get injured if it falls or gets away from your hand (don’t worry, they usually don’t bite!), and use your other hand to pick the food or meds with the tongs, and brush your pinky finger to its cheek to stimulate your gecko to open its mouth so you can put the food in it.
We do have to take care of their diet and health condition and to make sure they eat well. But do not cram the food into its throat because no one likes to be treated like that! Feeding your blind leopard geckos need a lot of patience because it takes time. Try to introduce the food as gentle as possible to them. After their mouth finds the food to grip on, let the food go from your tongs. Don’t force it.
If you still find a problem about feeding your blind leopard geckos or if they keep of refusing the food you offer until they become sick, you may want to ask some advice to the vet about some proper ways to feed them depend on their condition, some diet plans, or some extra supplements that they need and require.
Remember that your blind leopard geckos are also worth to be loved just like any other type of geckos. They are as lovely as the others, so treat them well! Good luck!