Leopard Gecko Behaviors and Their Reasons

Many beginner and even advanced reptile keepers need time to understand their lizard’s activities and behaviors, and what they mean. In this post, we will talk about leopard gecko body language, 14 different behaviors and their reasons. Leopard geckos are curious and entertaining reptiles, and it is always interesting to see them do different things. Understanding leopard gecko’s behavior will help you learn about their intentions, problems and even emotions!

Why is a leopard gecko digging?

Leopard gecko might be digging due to different reasons. The most common reason why a leopard gecko is digging is because it is an instinct – they dig in case they want to fit and hide in there. Leopard geckos will dig if there is loose substrate only. Both males and females will dig and this is normal.

Female leopard geckos also dig when they are gravid, or pregnant. A week or few days before laying eggs, she will start looking for a nesting site to lay eggs.

This is why it is crucial for you to create a nesting site or two filled with loose substrate. She will find be actively digging there to later lay the eggs slightly buried in the substrate. She will also dig while laying eggs.

As long as your leopard gecko is eating and defecating well, you should not worry about the digging behavior.

Why is a leopard gecko climbing the tank glass? Also called ‘wall surfing’.

There is nothing wrong with your leopard gecko if it is trying to climb the glass. There can be few reasons why a leopard gecko is climbing the glass.

• One of them is when the tank is too small and there is no enough space for it to explore. So it is trying to get out and see what is out there. Some leopard geckos will feel uncomfortable in a tank that is 10 gallons or less. If you switch to a bigger tank, the issue might resolve. An adult leopard gecko needs a tank that is at least 15-20 gallons.
• Another reason for wall surfing can be a lack of terrarium furniture that your leopard gecko can climb and it might be bored. Add some accessories and see if it gets better.
• Another possible reason can be also a breeding interest – your leopard gecko might want to escape to find a potential mate.
• Leopard geckos do not understand that glass is the barrier, so they try to ‘pass it’. Don’t worry about this behavior, it is part of a learning process and acclimation. Most leopard geckos try to pass the glass, and then stop trying after some time.
• Some terrarium setups might be wrong. If it is too hot in the tank and there is no temperature gradient, your leopard gecko might be trying to escape. Humidity and bright light can also stress your leopard gecko.
• If you are keeping few leopard geckos together, one of them might feel threatened and try to escape. Watch them closely and separate them to avoid any incidents.

Why is a leopard gecko flicking its tongue?

Leopard geckos often flick their tongue and this is a normal behavior. This is actually a sign that your leopard gecko is healthy, active and curious – they use the tongue to learn about their surroundings. A leopard gecko will flick its tongue to taste foods, substrate and even terrarium accessories. It is also normal for your leopard gecko to lick your hand when you are handling it.

The thing is, leopard geckos have a Jacobson’s gland that helps them recognize not only the taste, but also if the object is alive. So, tasting helps them learn about the environment that they live in and new things that they see.

Why are leopard geckos biting each other’s tail?

Leopard geckos that live in the same tank might become competitive towards each other. If you see leopard geckos biting each other’s tail, that is a sign of dominance. Leopard geckos will try to dominate and tail biting is a warning sign.

If this happens, house each leopard gecko separately, or they might injure each other when you are not there. Both males and females can do it at any age.

This can happen when you introduce a new gecko in the tank – and others might not accept it. Another time when tail biting might happen is when leopard geckos are mating.

Leopard gecko making squeaking/chirping sounds and noises

Leopard geckos are often quiet and don’t make any sounds at all. But sometimes, you might hear them making a squeaking or chirping noise, but what does it mean?

Your leopard gecko has a voice. And when making these sounds, it wants to warn you that it is uncomfortable, scared or unhappy with what you are doing. Both young and adult leopard geckos can do it. They usually do it when you handling them.

Why is a leopard gecko hiding in a hideout all the time?

New owners might become worried if their leopard gecko is in a hideout for most of the day. But spending most of their day in a hideout can be normal, because leopard geckos are crepuscular reptiles. This means that they often become inactive during day (it gets very hot in their natural habitat) and come out in the evening – at dawn & dusk.

But there can be other reasons why your leopard gecko is constantly hiding. If it has been in the hide for more than a day, there might be something wrong.

• You have just brought your leopard gecko home and it is not comfortable with its surroundings yet.
• The temperatures in the tank might be too hot, the light can be very bright and humidity might be too low/high. Check if everything is set up right.
• Your leopard gecko might be sick. It can be infected with parasites or have other issues. Look at your leopard gecko and see if anything looks abnormal – tail shape, is your leopard gecko skinny, any wounds, how do feces look like?

Leopard gecko tail wagging and shaking reasons and meanings

• Leopard gecko is wagging its tail slowly – this means that your leopard gecko is hunting. You can notice your young or even an adult gecko do it when hunting for crickets or other insects when feeding. It will raise the tail and then slowly move it from side to side.
• When a leopard gecko is shaking the tip of the tail quickly – very common behavior just before attacking a prey.
• Leopard gecko has a standing tail – it does it to scare off any predators or when stressed. You should not handle your leopard gecko when it raises its tail and is moving it from side to side. Try to approach the tank slowly and rest your hand in the terrarium after some time. Your gecko should calm down and understand that your are not trying to threaten it. It might also hide or come to lick your hand to learn more about you.
• Your leopard gecko might also shake or waggle its tail quickly in the presence of a female. This is a part of breeding behavior and the male wants to show that he has seen and acknowledged a female.
• Leopard gecko might feel threatened or unsure about you or another reptile in the tank. The common behavior in these situations will be going close to the ground, lifting the tail and slowly moving it from side to side.

Don’t try to handle your leopard gecko when it raises its tail (don’t confuse with excited tail shaking during the meal time). Your leopard gecko is probably very stressed and can bite you. Let is calm down and only then approach its tank.

Why is a leopard gecko licking its mouth?

This is the early stage of stomatitis

You might notice your leopard gecko opening its mouth widely and licking its mouth and food more than usual. If your leopard gecko can’t hold the food in its mouth or finds it hard to do so, this can be a sign of a problem.

This can be a symptom of weak jaws, which develops with calcium deficiency and MBD. Try to palpate leopard gecko’s jaws very lightly to see if they feel soft and spongy.

Another reason for a leopard gecko to be licking its lips can be a mouth rot or abscesses. Examine leopard gecko’s mouth to see if there is any redness or sores. Mouth rot is painful and your leopard gecko might have a problem feeding.

Leopard gecko sleeping with one eye open

Sometimes you might see your leopard gecko sleeping with one eye open. This is normal behavior, and you shouldn’t worry about it. Unless they keep their eye shut during the day, this is not a sign of any problem.

Leopard gecko always pooping in the same spot

A very good thing about leopard geckos is that they choose one or two spots where they regularly defecate. This is a very good behavior as it makes cleaning easy. Leopard geckos are defaecatorial, which means that they choose one spot for regular pooping.

How to tell if your leopard gecko is happy?

Your leopard gecko must be happy if it is active, climbing branches and rocks, eating and pooping regularly. A healthy leopard gecko will also sleep during the day, use its hideouts when needed and won’t try to escape.

Happy leopard geckos like hunting, exploring and walking slowly around the tank. They might also choose a spot for basking and lay on flat surfaces to absorb heat.

Why does my leopard gecko become suddenly aggressive?

If your female leopard gecko is becoming suddenly aggressive towards you and other geckos, she can be a ‘hot female’. Hot females are often mean and aggressive – they will try to attack you when feeding and will have a problem with breeding.

It is thought that hot females are produced when being incubated at higher temperatures. But in reality, some leopard geckos might be more aggressive than others, including females.

Other reason for aggressiveness in leopard geckos can be improper temperatures in the tank. Very low temperature is likely to make your leopard gecko angry and lethargic.

If the temperature is too high, a leopard gecko will be trying to hide a lot and climb the glass to escape.

Breeding season can make leopard geckos aggressive. Males will be aggressive with each other and can fight.

What is the breeding behavior in leopard geckos?

During the breeding season, leopard geckos might become more active and even aggressive. Males become more active and angrier, as they are looking for a mating partner. Usual and common breeding behaviors in leopard geckos include tail wagging and vibrations, going around and after a female and trying to approach her.

Males will become territorial and will fight with other males. Even females will become competitive with each other, and will try to show dominance.

There is often an alpha female in a group and few females can reject another female. So it is always a good idea to introduce females to each other at a young age, before sexual maturity ( around 40 grams).

Why is a leopard gecko soaking?

Soaking is normal with leopard geckos and helps with shedding skin. But if you notice your leopard gecko doing it too often, that might be a sign of a problem or few.

If your leopard gecko is soaking a lot, this can mean that is having problems shedding, is trying too cool down in a hot tank or trying to get rid of something in the skin (such as mites).

It can also mean that the shedding box is not humid enough or that your leopard gecko is dehydrated. Make sure to check on these factors if soaking happens too often.

Thank you for reading this post! Make sure to read our next post on leopard geckos, where we cover leopard gecko shedding and tail injuries.