P24-25 Leopard gecko.indd

Back to basics with
leopard geckos
The move to create
new natural strains
I
count myself as being a very lucky
person. My job takes me around the
world looking at and helping to improve
the captive care of reptiles. I have been
involved in the UK pet trade for over 30
years and have seen things move through
cycles, as particular species become
popular and then fade away.
Over the last few years, the interest
in high-end colour morphs has clearly
exploded. Thousands of hobby keepers
produce young of all colours and sizes.
Whether this is corn snakes, ball pythons,
bearded dragons or leopard geckos, our
understanding of genetics is increasing
month-upon-month and some outstanding
colours are being produced, but at what
cost?
What has gone wrong?
In the case of the leopard gecko, I have
been worried for quite some time that the
gene pool is becoming too weak. Many
of the captive-bred animals offered now
are skinny and small in size, susceptible to
bacterial and viral infections and of course,
the parasitic wasting disease known as
cryptosporidosis.
There are further worries too,
surrounding specific morphs, such as the
enigma. This is now the subject of a breeder
survey, with the aim of gaining a better
overall understanding of the neurological
problems that can be linked with it, as
explained in last month’s Practical Reptile
Keeping. (Email [email protected] for
more details).
Things have clearly gone wrong.
Undoubtedly, part of the problem is that
a huge number of leopard geckos have
been bred from a proportionately small
foundation stock. When breeding of
morphs took off, this was where people’s
interest went, and away from breeding
normals. The aim instead was to explore
the genetic diversity in this species as far
and as fast as possible. The result has almost
certainly been a significantly increased level
of inbreeding within existing strains.
The leopard gecko’s behaviour has
changed too. These lizards are crepuscular
in nature. This means that they are most
active at dawn and dusk. They inhabit the
semi-arid region of central Asia, in parts of
Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. Cold night
temperatures and blazing days have meant
that leopard geckos have developed the
ability to absorb UVB through their dark,
thin skin in low light and at a fast rate.
Good levels of UVB have been measured
up to 15cm (6in) inside a leopard gecko’s
burrow. This means that it could stay here
and assimilate all the beneficial ultra-violet
light that it needs, without having to leave
the safety of the tunnel. This may be why
the predominant colour of a wild leopard
gecko’s head is mostly black. An animal
which uses light in nature to survive must
therefore require it in vivarium surroundings
too. When you have bloodlines that try to
avoid all light, then something has gone
fundamentally wrong.
All photos courtesy Paul Wiley/Rep-Tech.
Most neutral observers would concede that strains of leopard geckos today are not
are vigorous as used to be the case, before the creation of colour morphs started to
predominate. John Courteney-Smith recently made an unexpected discovery though,
which could be the way forward.
24 Practical Reptile Keeping
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Feature – Leopard geckos
A different approach
Any of the widely-bred species as
mentioned previously, such as corn snakes,
bearded dragons and ball pythons could
all begin to develop problems if we are not
careful. This came to mind again recently
when I visited Paul Wiley at Rep-Tech in
Windsor, Berkshire. The company is a reptile
dry goods and livestock wholesaler.
During my visit, Paul was kind enough
to show me some first generation (F1)
leopard gecko babies that he had bred
from wild-caught stock. Although I had
seen wild leopard geckos in the past, I
was struck by how huge - relatively! - and
vividly-coloured these normals now
appeared, compared with today’s captivebred strains. It is easy to forget how things
change!
The parents of the youngsters had
been brought in from Pakistan about
two years ago. They are housed in square
vivariums, with lots of hides and shedding
caves provided. The hatchlings have been
kept under 12% UVB lighting from the time
they hatched, along with their parents, in
thermostatically-controlled surroundings.
Their breeding was not originally
planned. Their parents were actually those
which Paul decided to retain, as they were
rather thin when they reached him. Once
he had conditioned them, he then decided
to pair the adults up, rather than selling
them. They are now breeding annually, with
the adults being kept together in a group,
although the females are kept separate for a
period of rest after laying.
Clear distinctions
All photos courtesy Paul Wiley/Rep-Tech.
Paul was kind enough to let me see the
young lizards at close quarters. When I
opened the vivarium door, I noticed how
these fit, well-muscled geckos were not
afraid to run full pelt at
I had seen wild leopard geckos
“ inAlthough
the past, I was struck by how huge relatively! - and vividly-coloured these
normals now appeared, compared with
today’s captive-bred strains.
the doors and they even make grunting
sounds. They seemingly had no fear at all,
and were very different indeed from some
of the slow, rather sickly-looking babies that
I have seen of late.
Interestingly, Paul told me that both
weight and size-wise, these normal leopard
geckos are at the same stage when they
hatch as a captive morph which is
four weeks old. Fearless and
bold, they were stunning.
It was so nice to see
natural colouration
”
and normal behaviour in these lively lizards.
No cryptosporidiosis has been found
in this new strain. They are fed a full
and varied diet, including waxworms.
Supplementation is monitored as Paul feels
that the lighting is providing the essential
Vitamin D3 although calcium powder is
offered regularly.
The way forward?
could introducing wild blood
WHAT DO Sostraight
back into the existing
YOU THINK? leopard gene pool be of benefit?
My personal opinion is yes. I feel
that this species is in danger of
being bred into an unsustainably
weak animal. Time spent by
introducing these completely
unrelated bloodlines would increase
the physical size again, hopefully
introduce more vigour and may even offer
some protection against disease and early
death. A wild-type leopard gecko kept in
the right way could again have a lifespan
of about 20 years, compared with the 5-8
years now being talked of in the trade.
There is also a strong case for a
reassessment of the normal form to be
carried out as it deserves to be more
popular. Without all the morphs in
the background, these lizards would
justifiable be appreciated more in their
own right. It would also be nice to think
that some breeders would be interested
in joining Paul, and taking on this specific
challenge too. ■
Do you agree with
John? Let us know
your views - emai
l
[email protected]
.uk
June 2011 25
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