Telling the gender of your gecko is known as ‘sexing’. If you purchased your leopard gecko directly from a breeder, then they may have already told you what sex your gecko is. Otherwise, it can be nearly impossible to tell the difference between a male and a female leopard gecko unless you know what to look for. Even when you know what to look for, at what age can you tell a leopard gecko gender?
In this article
How to Tell If Your Gecko Is Male or Female
The specific incubation temperature is the earliest defining period that can dictate what gender a gecko ends up with. Male and female geckos incubate at different temperatures. Knowing this beforehand will help you in sexing your geckos without physically handling each of them for cues with a risk of harming the fragile young reptiles.
Can you influence the gender of an unborn leopard gecko?
Yes.
The environmental temperature around the eggs can decide the gender of the leopard geckos. This is a fact that breeders leverage upon and can accurately tell you the gender of your pet baby leopard gecko, provided there are no mixed incubation temperatures.
Lower temperatures result in female baby geckos, whereas higher temperatures result in males. Below are the resultant gender out of a specific range of temperature:
Male Geckos A constant 88 °F to 91 °F for the entire incubation period
Female Geckos constant of 79 °F to 81 °F for the first three weeks; after that 88 °F to 90 °F
Mixed Gender Geckos A constant temperature of 85 °F to 87 °F for the entire incubation period.
Why should you know if the gecko is a boy or a girl?
As an illustration, we refer to a lizard that’s just born, not an older one.
Sex determines their future life span.
Females have shorter life spans than males. On average, females live for six to ten years, whereas males can live for up to twenty years. If you want to have a long-living gecko that’s likely to live longer than most, you’ll need to find a male gecko.
Males are more territorial than females.
Males tend to be more aggressive and territorial. Females don’t always have this attitude. A lot of female lizards are known to be more affectionate and peaceful. However, this is not always the case. This means that if you want to have a more peaceful gecko, you should purchase a female gecko.
Also, this advises that it is not good to have two male geckos in the same enclosures since they may injure each other due to their territorial nature.
Male lizards grow bigger than female ones.
This is because males require more food to fuel their metabolism, which results in them being more prominent. On the other hand, females can use their fat reserves to survive. This means that if you want a larger gecko, you will need to buy a male.
Males are more active than females.
Males are much more active than females. They will tend to move around more than females. Females will be more likely to sit around and watch over their eggs. On the other hand, Males will be more likely to explore and eat more. This is because males are usually more interested in finding food for their growth. If you want a more playful and active gecko, you need to find a male gecko.
Males are better at camouflage.
This means males are less likely to be seen by predators. Males are also more likely to hide in dark places like cracks and crevices. Females are much more likely to be seen, as they’re more likely to hang out in open areas. Therefore, if by any chance your home is prone to have gecko predators, you stand a better chance of your pet survival by having a male gecko.
Male lizards are more vocal than females.
This means that males will be more likely to make noise than females. This is especially true for lizards that live in large groups. Females, on the other hand, are much quieter than males. If you want a more vocal gecko, you should buy a male gecko.
Males are more likely to bite.
Males are much more likely to bite their owners than females. Female lizards are usually less aggressive than males. However, if they do bite, it’s usually not that bad. This means that if you want a less aggressive gecko, you should buy a female gecko.
How to identify the gender of an adult leopard gecko?
We all know that there are differences between male and female leopard geckos but do you know what they are? The best place to find information about a leopard gecko’s sex is on the underside of its body. The gender identity of an adult leopard gecko involves checking the gonadal ducts in their cloacae or rear opening.
To find the sex, you’ll have to pick the gecko up first carefully.
Handling leopard geckos can be difficult, but there are things you can do to make your experience more pleasant. They’re known to drop their tails when they’re scared, so it’s essential to understand how to pick them up and handle them safely.
If you want to sex your leopard gecko without hurting them, gently but firmly hold their body, not their tail. If your gecko struggles to get free, let them go and allow them to walk out of your hands to avoid them dropping their tail to break free. Once they get used to being held, you can peek at the underside of their body to see if it’s a male or female.
Sexing Features of Leopard Geckos
Hemipenile bulges:
Under the Male leopard, you will see two distinct bulges on either side of its vent near the base of its tail. These bulges house the male reproductive organ which will come out during mating. On the female geckos, however, you will not find these bulges. These bulges are by far the best and the easiest way to tell the gender of your pet gecko.
Femoral pores on the legs:
Located on the hind legs, Femoral pores look like rows of small white dots present in both males and females. However, they are barely noticeable in females while larger in males.
These pores are used to secret scented pheromones that help the geckos determine their gender when they smell each other.
Pre-anal pores:
While the male pores are larger and more accessible to see, females are almost invisible and will require a keen magnified look to point them out. The Pre-anal pores/holes form a ‘v’ shape above the vent and often have wax build-up around them in males.
This scented waxy substance is used to mark their territories, thus announcing to nearby geckos in charge.
Conclusion
So, at what age can you tell a leopard gecko gender?
If you have a baby leopard gecko, you won’t determine the gender by looking at it. The features discussed above are far less developed, and handling a baby gecko is even riskier. You might have to wait until the gecko is older before you can be sure or even handle it safely.
A leopard gecko is typically between 5 and 6 inches long when about four months old. It is at this age that you can see the gender difference. You’d be able to tell if it is a female or male.
However, if you bred them yourself and stuck to the specific male or female incubation temperatures, you will be better placed to sex them even before hatching.
