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Cute, low maintenance and friendly, leopard geckos are fascinating animals, both as pets and in the wild. In particular, they are known as the very first lizard species to ever be widely domesticated. Beginning in the mid-1970s, these plucky little geckos were transported from their native habitats to homes around the world and kept as pets. Since then, many gecko owners and reptile enthusiasts have asked: How long do leopard geckos live?
Whether you’re a proud leopard gecko owner, planning to adopt one, or simply fascinated by this one-of-a-kind species, it’s understandable that you’ll want to know how long their lifespans are. Let’s take a look at how long you can expect a typical leopard gecko to live. We will also discuss which factors influence their longevity in the wild and in captivity.
How Long Do Wild Leopard Geckos Live?
Leopard geckos are native to the dry, hot, mountainous deserts of the Middle East. More specifically, they live in parts of Iran, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Part of the reason why this lizards are so hardy and easy to care for in captivity is that they have evolved to cope very well with the harsh conditions of their native habitat.
Despite their robust, sturdy nature, the average lifespan of a wild leopard gecko is usually only about 3 to 8 years. Females tend to live a little shorter than males. This is due to the physical and mental stressors associated with repeated breeding and egg laying.
There are many reasons why the lifespan of wild geckos is so short, from the many predators they have to watch out for to a variety of diseases to which they are much more susceptible if not closely monitored in captivity.
Factors Affecting Wild Leopard Geckos Longevity
Wild leopard geckos have a much shorter lifespan than their domesticated counterparts for a myriad of reasons. Here are the main factors that make them only live about half as long as captive geckos:
- Very high rate of predation by snakes, birds, spiders and other larger carnivorous lizards
- Higher percentage of parasites from eating wild insects (compared to captive geckos, which mainly eat insects that have been carefully bred in captivity)
- Diseases and health problems such as malnutrition, impaction, dysecdysis (“stuck shed”), respiratory infections, eye problems, retained eggs, etc.
- Not a guaranteed way to get treatment for the above health problems
- Chronic stress due to the above factors
In addition, in the wild, leopard geckos have only one reliable defense mechanism: tail dropping, also known as caudal autotomy. While it can be effective as a one-off escape, it takes several weeks to regrow the tail.
When their tail grows back, it will not be as big as the previous one. The gecko will also lose significant fat stores on their body in the meantime. Research shows that the process of autonomy even changes the posture and gait of a leopard gecko considerable!
When a leopard gecko drops its tail too often, they become stressed and weakened. They may also sometimes drop their tails out of fear or sudden fear, even when not actively being chased by predators. Without the fat normally stored in their bulbous, fat tails, leopard geckos cannot survive long without food.
How Long Do Pet Leopard Geckos Live?
Pet leopard geckos do a lot better compared to wild leopard geckos. On average, they live about 10 to 20 years. Females in captivity also tend to have slightly shorter lifespans than males as they will often lay (infertile) eggs even if they have not been in contact with a male. This repeatedly puts stress on their bodies and thereby shortens their lifespan.
Incredibly, many geckos living in captivity have lived well into their twenties; the longest-lived leopard gecko, a male, reportedly lived a whopping 28 years in captivity! There are even a few rumors about a person in Germany who has been living for 40 years.
However, such extraordinary reports are rare and largely unconfirmed. Hopefully, as we learn more about leopard geckos keeping and proper care for these unique lizards, their lifespans will extend even further.
Factors Affecting the Longevity of Pet Leopard Geckos
When it comes to captive leopard geckos, there are many factors that influence their relatively longer lifespan than wild geckos. These factors are:
- They have no predators to watch out for except in rare instances such as cat or dog attacks
- Much lower percentages of parasites; this is because they usually eat insects born and raised in captivity and then sold to pet stores and other retailers
- Lower rates of illness and health problems, mainly due to more hygienic and more regulated conditions
- Higher rates of effective, professional treatment if they have certain illnesses or health conditions that would normally significantly shorten their lifespan
- Lower stress rates in general compared to wild leopard geckos
In short, the main reason why: leopard geckos for pets have a longer lifespan is that they normally live in very tightly controlled enclosures. Ideally, temperature, humidity and nutrition are closely monitored and adjusted at the first sign of irregularities. If a captive gecko becomes sick or injured, the owner will usually have access to a local reptile veterinarian who can treat it immediately.
This in turn generally leads to happier and healthier geckos living well into their teens rather than perishing much earlier from predators, starvation or disease.
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