Leopard Gecko: Your Happy Healthy Pet

by Frank Indiviglio

Overview

The authoritative information and advice you need, illustrated throughout with full-color photographs—now revised and redesigned to be even more reader-friendly!

Leopard geckos are attractive and easy to care for, making them popular pets. There's lots to know before you bring home a gecko, and this guide fills you in with information on:

• Choosing your Leopard gecko
• Must-have supplies
• Setting up and equipping your vivarium
• Feeding, handling, and caring for your pet
• Breeding geckos and hatching and raising babies

Leopard geckos can live twenty years or more, so be sure you're ready to commit to your fascinating creature. You'll enjoy years of slinky live entertainment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683367154
Publisher:	TURNER PUB CO
Publication date:	04/01/2007
Series:	Your Happy Healthy Pet , #70
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

FRANK INDIVIGLIO has traveled throughout Latin America on reptile research projects supported by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the National Geographic Society. A teacher, author, and speaker on the care and conservation of animal life, Indiviglio has spent most of his life working at the Bronx Zoo and the Staten Island Zoo.

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Table of Contents

Part I: The Leopard Gecko’s World.

Chapter 1: What Is a Gecko?

Lizards as Pets.

How Geckos Are Like Other Reptiles.

How Geckos Are Different.

Humans and Geckos.

Chapter 2: What Makes the Leopard Gecko Special?

All in the Subfamily.

Natural Habitat of the Leopard Gecko.

Is a Leopard Gecko the Right Pet for You?

The Perfect Lizard Pet.

Chapter 3: Colors, Patterns, and Phases.

The Language of Variation.

Part II: Caring for Your Leopard Gecko.

Chapter 4: Choosing Your Leopard Gecko.

Where to Shop.

The Ideal Age.

Re-grown Tails.

When You’ve Chosen Your Leopard Gecko.

Environmental Ethics.

Captive Bred vs. Wild Caught.

Chapter 5: Housing Your Leopard Gecko.

The Vivarium.

Understanding and Avoiding Salmonella.

Building a Custom Habitat.

Cleaning Your Leopard Gecko’s Habitat.

Chapter 6: Feeding Your Leopard Gecko.

What to Feed.

How to Feed.

Vitamins and Minerals.

How to Keep and Gut Load Crickets.

Wild-Caught Invertebrates.

Water.

Chapter 7: Keeping Your Leopard Gecko Healthy.

Choosing a Veterinarian.

Common Health Problems.

Part III: Behavior and Breeding.

Chapter 8: Your Leopard Gecko’s Behavior.

Hunting.

Shedding.

Territoriality.

Home Alone.

Mating.

Nesting.

Hiding.

Your Gecko’s Personality.

The Outside World.

Change of Seasons.

Handling a Leopard Gecko.

Chapter 9: Breeding Leopard Geckos.

Sexing Leopard Geckos.

Breeding Age.

The Right Time of Year.

The Mating.

Chapter 10: Hatching and Raising Baby Geckos.

Choosing an Incubation Medium.

Choosing Egg Containers.

Moving the Eggs.

Caring for the Eggs.

Maintaining Moisture Levels during Incubation.

Maintaining Proper Temperatures.

The Hatching.

Raising Young Leopard Geckos.

Appendix: Learning More About Your Leopard Gecko.

Some Good Books.

Magazines.

Herpetological Societies.

Internet Resources.

Index.