Geckos ? Interesting Facts About an Intriguing Exotic Pet : The Wise ...

March 21, 2012 ? Posted in Hobbies?

With over 1,400 species in existence around the globe, it?s no wonder that geckos are so loved as exotic pets. One of the favorites, the leopard gecko, actually looks like a leopard as far as its colors and stripes. Another favorite, the crested gecko, looks like it has armor protecting its eyes and its spine.

The Kawekaweau was the largest gecko ever reported. This lizard grew to be almost two feet long. Another other side of the spectrum is the dwarf gecko, which does not even reach an inch in length. It is the world?s smallest reptile.

One thing about these lizards is that they have no eyelids. They have a sort of protective coating, though. They have to clean their eyes with their tongues because of having no lids. One of them, the crested gecko, looks like it has eyebrows because of the crest above its eyes, which is made of skin.

These marvelous creatures are quite vocal. They will bark, chirp, click and hiss, depending on what they are trying to convey. Some of the sounds are for defense, and some are social behavior. They let the others know when they are excited. Fortunately for exotic pet owners, they cannot form these sounds into words.

You would think that geckos have suction cups on their feet because they can walk up walls and the sides of glass aquarium tanks. But there are no suction cups. Instead, they have microscopic hairs on the pads of their feet that can fit into the smallest openings, even those a human can?t see. Their toes bend the opposite direction of a human?s finger. The exception to the pads is the Leopard Gecko, which has claws instead. This makes it easier for it to climb the sides of trees.

Breeders who raise leopard geckos have an opportunity to determine the sex of a hatchling. If they incubate the eggs at 90 degrees, the offspring will be a male. If they incubate in the mid 80s, it can go either way, and if they do so at 80 degrees, it will be a female.

Just like many lizards, geckos can drop their tails as a defense mechanism. That is widely known, but what is not so known is that the Crested Gecko cannot grow its tail back. For the others, the tails the regenerate do not look the same as the one they lost. It will have duller colors and markings, and it will be shorter and stubbier. It may even be malformed. One more interesting tidbit here: They store fat in their tails to get them through lean times. It holds fat, and also nutrition, so it?s not just a source of energy.

Perhaps the most interesting of these lizards is Kuhl?s Flying Gecko that is found in Asia. It is built to glide through the air and appear as though it is flying. It is able to do this because it has flaps on both sides of the body, as well as webbed feet and broad, flat tail. It will jump out of trees and glide to the ground.

Stephen is an experience reptile breeder and loves sharing facts about geckos. Check out his exotic pet care tips about hides for snakes

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