Geckos are not the typical pet that we have at home. But nowadays, they are on the spotlight and start to gain popularity among reptile pet. Geckos are not only they are easy to take care of but they are also lovable because they are exotic.
Along with their popularity, you can easily find and purchase them at a pet store or a breeder. If you have your geckos directly from the breeder, they may tell you what sex your geckos are. Knowing this information is important so you don’t give the wrong nickname for your geckos and also to treat them better according to their gender. Male and female geckos have different traits, right?
So it can be a problem if you don’t get the information about your geckos’ gender. But don’t worry, though! Let’s learn together about how to differentiate your geckos’ gender here! Shall we start?
What Gender Is It? Learn of How To Differentiate Geckos
Is it a boy or is it a girl? You can start to tell the sex of your geckos after they reach three to four months of age and it will become easier as they get older. So ideally, if you are not the expert or experienced in sexing geckos, you can tell your geckos’ gender after they are at least six months of age.
Pick them up gently
The key to differentiate geckos is actually on the underside of your gecko’s body. So the first thing you have to do is to learn how to pick up your gecko. Do not underestimate this step, because this is actually one of the hardest parts of sexing geckos. Your geckos may get scared when you lift them and handle them, especially when you don’t do it gently enough. Whenever they get scared or threatened, they can self-amputate their tails! You don’t want this to happen, so pick them up gently.
Firmly hold the body of your gecko and let it get used to being held that way. If your gecko is trying to escape, then release them for a while. After your gecko is calm, then you can look at the underside of your gecko’s body.
It will be easier for you to differentiate their sex if you have each sex to compare side by side. To identify it, you can notice these traits. Let’s start with the male. The characteristic of male geckos are:
1. Large femoral pores
Both male and female geckos have femoral pores on the back of their thighs, but the male’s pore is usually larger than the female’s.
2. Distinct V-shaped row preanal pores
Again, each sex has preanal pores, but male’s preanal pores look like dots in a V-shape row and more noticeable because it is bigger than female’s pore so it can easily be seen.
3. Hempineal bulges
On their tails, you can notice two bumps or bulges, especially if your gecko has reached the sexual maturity. Female geckos do not have hemipenile bulges. You can find these bulges behind the vent on both sides of the base of your gecko’s tail. You probably do not want to confirm this by pushing these hemipenile bulges whatever if you do it gently or not. This is because you may be traumatized and injured the hemipenile bulges when you push these parts so better be careful with the way you handle your gecko!
Now how about sexing the female?
For short, female geckos are identified by having a lack of male’s characteristics below. They have tiny femoral pores on the outside of their back legs, which are hard to find because how tiny they are. For the preanal pores, they also have v-shaped row preanal pores and you can find them towards their head, but the pores are so small so they are barely noticeable. And for the hemipenile bulges, they don’t have these so don’t bother to try to find them on the underside of female geckos.
Another fun fact about gecko’s gender is that temperature of gecko’s incubation can influence their gender! For example, if you are a breeder and want your hatched egg to be mostly males, you can put your incubation in a constant 31 to 32 degree Celcius, or if you want them to be females you can lower the temperature to a constant 26 to 27 degree Celcius for the first three weeks and raise it to 31 to 32 degree Celcius after that. For having both of the sexes, put your incubation in a constant temperature of 29 to 30 degree Celcius for the entire incubation period.
Talking about gecko’s eggs, do you know that female gecko can develop eggs even without mating first? The eggs, however, if they are not fertile, they will start to develop fungus within a couple of weeks.
That is all about gecko’s gender and how to differentiate each of them. To sum up, the secret of sexing a gecko is laying on the underside of the gecko’s body, so you have to lift it gently in order to see the parts that may help you differentiate the sexes. The males have obvious femoral and preanal pores and also the hemipenile bulges, while the females’ femoral and preanal pores are too tiny to be noticed and do not have any hemipenile bulges.
Sexing a gecko can be a hard task, especially if you have never done this before. It is okay to seek help to a breeder or a vet if it needed. After all, knowing the sex of your gecko is important so you can give your little friend a proper treatment. This should be the first thing that you have to know before having a gecko as a pet, anyway, along with how to give your pet a proper home with a proper substrate and what proper and healthy meal that you offer to your gecko to keep them healthy and happy! Good luck!