Natural History
The leopard gecko, Eublepharis macularius, is a desert species native to the deserts and arid grasslands of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Western India and Iran.  The leopard gecko spends its days in cool burrows, where conditions aren't nearly as dry or hot as they are at ground level. 

Five subspecies make up the species, Eublepharis macularius.

- Eublepharis m. macularius
- Eublepharis m. fasciolatus
- Eublepharis m. montanus
- Eublepharis m. afghanicus
- Eublepharis m. smithi

The species was not split up into subspecies until the late 1970's and early 1980's, a time when taxonomists began a trend of splitting up several reptile species.  In fact, it was around this same period when carpet pythons (Morelia spilota) were also divided into subspecies.  As with other species, leopard geckos had already made their way into the collections of several hobbyists who had begun breeding them in small numbers.  As such, most of the leopard geckos in the hobby today are a mixture of two or more subspecies.

Personality, Personality, Personality
For a reptile, it's amazing how much personality these geckos have.  I often liken their movements to a cat and their behavior to that of a dog.  Hatchlings will "cry" or shriek when you bother them.  As they mature, they get used to human interaction and will learn to associate their keepers with food...usually looking up at you like a dog waiting to be fed, as soon as the cage is opened.  When they become excited about the presence of food or a potential breeding partner, they will shake their tails vigorously, which is something I never get tired of seeing. When threatened, they will also waive their tail slowly in a cat-like fashion to ward off predators.

Color & Pattern Variety
While their personality and ease of care are what make these geckos the most popular pet lizard in the world, the variety of colors and patterns available are what make the leopard gecko so popular with advanced gecko keepers and breeders.  The personal satisfaction and excitement of "designing" your own gecko is something that captivates many hobbyists, myself included.  By combining all the different color and pattern mutations, there's really no end in sight to the possibilities they offer.

Reproduction at a Glance
A mature, healthy female will generally lay 2 eggs approximately every 20-30 days (give or take a few days).  They generally lay around 6-8 clutches per year in my experience...again, give or take a couple clutches.

As a rule of thumb, we usually wait until a gecko reaches about 9-10 months of age and at least 40 grams before putting a male with her.  Most females will be much larger than that by 9-10 months of age, though.  In fact, we've had a few reach 40 grams by 3 months of age. Generally speaking, a male will only breed a female if she is emitting pheromones that tell him she's ready to breed, so you can't expect your geckos to breed just because they're big enough and/or old enough.