To know the sex of your leopard gecko, you’ll need to turn them upside down and inspect the area under the tail. Male leopard geckos can be identified by their “V”-shaped pre-anal pores, prominent hemipenal bulges in the cloaca region, and substantial femoral pores on the hind thighs. Females lack hemipenal bulges, and although they have femoral pores and pre-anal pores, they are not as prominent as male geckos.
Keep reading to learn how you can distinguish between male and female geckos!
When Should You Sex a Leopard Gecko?
The earlier you know the gender of your leopard gecko, the better. However, it’s not always possible to know the sex of baby geckos since they are yet to develop fully and display any distinguishable features. When you source your gecko from a trustworthy breeder, that’s the only time you can know whether you have a male or female gecko.
Typically, reputable breeders usually keep detailed records about the growth and other aspects of the leopard geckos. Leopard geckos are one of many reptiles whose sexual orientation is affected by the incubation temperature.
Therefore, by knowing the temperatures within which the leopard geckos are incubated, reputable breeders can tell you their gender even from when the leos are young.
Suppose you don’t know the information from the breeder or the incubation history. In that case, you’ll need to pick up your gecko carefully and examine the region under the tail to determine its sex.
However, since leopard geckos hit sexual maturity between 6 and 10 months, you can’t determine their gender before they reach this age.
How To Tell Whether Your Leopard Gecko is Male or Female?
Don’t worry If you can’t get the information about your leopard gecko’s s gender from your breeder. As long as your leopard gecko is above six months, you can check some unique features to know the gender of your leo.
Check out these features when sexing your leopard gecko:
Hemipenal Bulges
One surprising fact about male leopard geckos is that they have two sexual reproductive organs, the hemipenes. When trying to distinguish between a male and female gecko, slowly turn them upside down and inspect the area under the tail.
You’ll discover two bulges near the cloaca, under the tail’s base if it’s a male. Essentially, the bulges house the male reproductive organs. Inside the bulges reside two penises that pop out when the leopard gecko wants to mate.
Unlike male geckos, females don’t have hemepinal bulges. This is one feature that helps differentiate them.
When inspecting the hemipenal bulges, please don’t touch or apply pressure on the organ. Try to figure out the gender of your leo carefully without making them feel threatened. Applying pressure on the bulges can lead to hemipene prolapse or cause trauma, prompting the lizard to drop its tail.
Look For Pre-Anal Pores
Another thing that you can use to distinguish between male and female leos is the pre-anal pores. Essentially, leopard geckos have V-shaped rows of pores just directly below their cloaca. Male pre-anal pores become more profound as they age and might start to release a unique waxy discharge that helps attract mates.
Female leos also boast V-shaped pores, but unlike males, theirs are not noticeable and won’t be seen easily by the naked eye. Therefore, if you examine the leopard gecko’s ventral area and don’t see the V-styled pre-anal pores, you definitely have a male gecko in your home.
Femoral Pores
Interestingly, leopard geckos also boast femoral pores on the inner thighs of the hind legs. Like pre-anal pores, the femoral pros are more prominent and authentically visible in male leos. Male geckos will display large femoral pores between the hind legs and the body.
The femoral pores in female leos are much smaller and won’t be easy to notice. Therefore, your scaly friend is a boy if it has prominent femoral pores on its thighs.
Essentially, the femoral pores in reptiles are responsible for producing pheromones associated with breeding. In male leopard geckos, the femoral pores produce scents that help attract mates and mark the territory.
Leopard gecko owners should provide their pets with premium-quality care to ensure that the pores don’t get clogged. If they do, you’ll have to ask your local reptile vet to help unclog them.
Other Unique Features and Attributes that You Can Use to Sex a Leopard Gecko
Besides these three definitive ways of telling the sex of your leopard gecko, other attributes and signals can help you know your gecko’s gender. They include the following:
Making Noise
While all leopard geckos produce different sounds, you can differentiate between males and females based on their sounds. Inherently, males are territorial and tend to make noise more often than their counterparts.
They will produce sounds to mark their territory, warn intruders, and invite females’ attention during mating.
Demeanor and Temperament
While behavior and temperament can help breeders to separate between males and females, it’s not always a clear-cut attribute to make a distinction. Although you’ll still find aggressive and easily irritated female geckos, aggressiveness is synonymous with male leopard geckos.
However, if you keenly follow the growth milestones of your leopard gecko, you’ll notice that males usually get more aggressive when they reach puberty.
Conversely, when females start to ovulate, they decrease their food intake and might seem slightly pale.
Final Verdict
Every leopard gecko owner would want to know their pet’s gender to give them a friendly name and prepare them for breeding. While breeders usually offer such information, not everyone remembers to ask or has the luxury of buying their pet from a breeder.
However, as discussed in this write-up, you can do a few things to sex your leopard gecko. Remember these helpful tips when determining your leopard gecko’s gender:
- Only leos aged above six months should be sexed
- Leopard geckos should be scrutinized without intimidation, as any slight fear can make them drop their tail.
- Check for pre-anal pores, femoral pores, and hemipenal bulges first.
- For confirmation, you can monitor their temperament and how much noise they make.
