What is your leopard gecko’s gender? If you don’t know and you’d like to find out keep reading! Today, I’m going to share with you how to sex a leopard gecko!
How old does a leopard gecko have to be to tell the sex?
You can accurately sex a leopard gecko once they are six months old. In younger leopard geckos, the traits which are used to sex them are under-developed. Making it difficult to tell what gender your leopard gecko is.
If you want to find out the gender of your baby leopard gecko, skip to The best way to sex a leopard gecko.
How to Sex a Leopard Gecko – 3 Easy Methods
The easiest and most reliable ways to sex leopard geckos is by looking for pre-anal and femoral pores.
While Hemipenile bulges can also be used to identify a leopard geckos gender, this method is more challenging.
1.Pre-Anal Pores: The opening where leopard geckos excrete faecal matter is known as the vent. Just in front of the vent is where the pre-anal pores are located. In males, these round pores form a distinct V-shape. In female leopard geckos, these pores are barely noticeable. As a male leopard gecko matures, these pores will produce a waxy substance. Unlike in female leopard geckos, where no waxy substance will be produced.
2. Femoral Pores: These are located underneath your gecko’s hind legs. Just like the pre-anal pores, these are more prominent in males. They are a collection of white dots which appear in a straight line on each thigh. Female leopard geckos also have these pores, but they are much smaller and less distinct!
3. Hemipenile Bulges: In males, two distinct bulges behind the vent, near the base of the tail are present. These are the Hemipenile bulges and are where the male leopard gecko’s reproductive organs are found! If you’re interested in leopard gecko breeding, give Leopard Gecko Breeding – The Ultimate Guide a read! Some people will push the hemipenile bulges, causing the hemipenes (male reproductive organs) to pop out. I suggest you don’t do this as it can damage the hemipenes!
The best way to sex a leopard gecko:
The above methods are quite simple, however, there is actually an easier method. Contact the breeder!
The breeder will know whether your gecko is male or female.
Leopard gecko gender is actually determined by the temperature they are incubated at. Low temperatures create females and higher ones create males!
Most breeders aim for a 50/50 split of males to females. So, your breeder is sure to have kept a record. Give them a call and the gender shall be revealed!
Conclusion:
You now know how to sex a leopard gecko! This will make it less of a shock if your gecko starts producing eggs! Probably still quite shocking if you’re only keeping one female gecko though!
If you enjoyed the post, why not share it with some fellow leopard gecko enthusiasts. Then they can also sex their leopard geckos!
Additional Reading:
Should I Get a Male or Female Leopard Gecko as a Pet
Physical/behavioral differences between male/female Leopard Gecko
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