Observing a leopard gecko’s behavior is the best way to know whether or not the pet is happy. A happy leopard gecko has a regular and healthy sleep cycle, has a good appetite, actively hunts its prey, constantly explores its surroundings, poops regularly every 2-3 days, and often moves from the basking spot to the cooler parts of its enclosure.
Moreover, a happy leopard gecko likes it when you handle them, often flicks its tongue and licks a lot, and is naturally agile and alert. It also moves smoothly and effortlessly throughout the terrarium.
11 Signs of a Happy Leopard Gecko
Generally, a happy leopard gecko has these qualities:
1. Has a Healthy Appetite
A healthy and happy leopard gecko loves eating and will gladly snack up feeder bugs whenever you feed it.
Leos are opportunistic eaters in the wild because they don’t know when their meal will come. Surprisingly, these geckos can survive for up to two weeks without food.
If your Leo has a poor appetite and doesn’t react to food, it has an underlying health issue, such as an illness or stress, and is thus unhappy. Resolving that problem is often enough to restore the pet’s happiness.
2. Has a Regular Sleep Cycle
Leos sleep more than most other pets. Besides enjoying sufficient sleep, a happy leopard gecko has a regular sleep cycle. It sleeps and wakes up approximately the same daily.
Then again, a healthy and happy Leo is active throughout the day.
On the other hand, unhappy leopard geckos are often lethargic and sleep excessively.
3. Is Brightly Colored
Healthy leopard geckos are among the most colorful reptile pets. Thus, a happy Leo is usually full of color (brightly colored).
While Leos come in various colors, the most common is a blend of brown, orange, and red. The colors vary will each leopard gecko, but the vibrancy hangs on.
On the other hand, an unhappy leopard gecko is usually pale. An ailing or stressed-out Leo is easy to spot from its pale, almost grey color. However, a shedding Leo can also be pale in color.
4. Has a Full Body Shape
Healthy and happy leopard geckos have full bodies with plump tails. Leos store surplus body fat in their tails, prompting the tails to be chubby.
Contrarily, a leopard gecko with a skinny tongue is most likely underfed or unhealthy, thus unhappy.
5. Actively Hunts Prey
Like other predatory animals, leopard geckos’ primary focus in life is survival. Thus, actively hunting prey stimulates Leos’s brain and gives them a great sense of happiness and satisfaction.
A healthy and happy Leo takes time to chase and run down any feeder insects you give it.
On the other hand, an unhappy Leo isn’t excited by the presence of food in its tank. It might even ignore the feeder insects and not hunt them at all.
6. Loves Handling
Pet leopard geckos are exceptionally friendly. They love being handled by their owners and will gladly climb up your body. However, it takes time for a leopard gecko’s confidence to grow to this level.
7. Frequently Flicks its Tongue and Licks
Healthy leopard geckos often flick their tongues and lick their lips and noses. They use the tongue to collect crucial information about the surroundings and then relay the signals to the brain.
Besides using the tongue to determine environmental conditions such as weather, Leos use tongue-flicking to tell predators and prey apart.
8. Regularly Clears Its Bowels
A happy Leo usually poops every two to three days. Clearing the bowels removes toxic wastes from the reptile’s body and fosters good health.
Then again, a Leo that doesn’t go to the bathroom regularly is unhealthy and unhappy. It often develops digestive tract complications such as constipation and impaction. Further, Leos often suffer from dwindling appetites, thus being frail and weak.
9. Constantly Explores the Surroundings
Healthy and happy leopard geckos naturally love exploring their environment. You’ll find them climbing, foraging, digging, hunting, and basking in their enclosure as in the wild.
In contrast, unhappy leopard geckos are often lethargic and hardly move around their enclosure. Moreover, they tend to sleep abnormally or sit lazily with closed eyes most of the time.
10. Is Naturally Agile, Active, and Alert
Happy leopard geckos are always active and alert and respond quickly to stimuli such as touch, sounds, and lights. They move effortlessly around their enclosure, climbing rocks and branches, scurrying under hides, and foraging under the substrate.
On the other hand, unhappy leopard geckos are incredibly docile. They notice but ignore most things around them and tend not to move much.
However, healthy and happy leopard geckos are relatively inactive in the morning. They spend most of their morning hours basking to crank up their body temperatures.
11. Constantly Basks and Cools Off
Like other reptiles, leopard geckos rely on the surrounding temperature to regulate their body temperatures. Thus, a healthy and happy Leo Love basking in the sun or under the heat lamp when it’s cold.
Equally, happy Leos hide in the cooler parts of their tank when it’s too hot.
Signs of an Unhappy Leopard Gecko
Unlike most other pets, reptiles can withstand pain and discomfort for a long time. Thus, leopard geckos can put up with distress without showing signs of unhappiness immediately.
Nevertheless, there are many signs that your pet Leo can display to communicate misery, pain, or general unhappiness. A sick, stressed-out, or uncomfortable leopard gecko doesn’t behave normally.
Some of the most common signs of unhappiness in Leos include:
- Lethargy, sluggishness, and unresponsiveness- often show that your Leo is stressed up or ill
- Lack of or poor appetite, meaning the pet is unwell or has another underlying problem
- Eyes that stay shut for too long, even when the pet is awake- show that the pet is stressed
- Quick and jerky movements- depict fright and stress
- Tail waving- a signal to leave the pet alone
- Hiding or sleeping excessively, along with general inactivity most of the time
- Climbing the tank walls in an attempt to escape the enclosure- depicts insufficient tank space or extreme stress levels
How to Make a Pet Leopard Gecko Happy?
If you notice that your pet Leo displays unhappiness, it’s best to address the underlying issue promptly. Fortunately, resolving the happiness-sapping problem often restores the pet’s good mood.
Here are a few sure ways to keep your pet leopard gecko happy:
- Keep each leopard gecko separately in a 15-20 gallon tank to ensure each has sufficient space and resources such as food and water
- Maintain the recommended temperature gradient inside the tank to keep the pet healthy, comfortable, and happy. Maintain the basking spot at 87-90°F (30° – 32° C) while the cool side should range between 75° and 80° F (24° – 27°C
- Furnish the Leo’s tank with sufficient hides, climbing objects, and rocks
- Take the pet to a reliable reptile pet vet or herpetologist if it’s showing signs of unexplainable unhappiness, illness, or impaction
- Leave the Leo alone to relax and restore its happiness if it’s wagging its tail whenever you attempt to pet the reptile
- Relocate the Leo’s enclosure to a more peaceful locale away from disturbing lights and loud noises
- Use an appropriate substrate to prevent impaction
- Keep the pet on a sufficient and balanced diet to guarantee robust health and happiness.
Final Thoughts
You can tell whether a pet Leo is happy by observing its behavior. Monitoring the pet’s feeding habits, sleeping patterns, and general activities is a sure way to learn about its health and mood.
A happy leopard gecko is usually active and alert, has a healthy appetite, enjoys actively hunting its prey, and has a regular and healthy sleep cycle. Additionally, happy leopard geckos defecate regularly and frequently move from the warm basking spot to the cool area to warm up and cool off, respectively.
Luckily, providing a suitable terrarium with appropriate conditions (sufficient space, optimal temperatures, the proper humidity, and a clean environment) and a healthy diet is often enough to keep a pet Leo healthy, active, comfortable, and happy. However, it’s best to consult a specialist reptile pet vet if your leopard gecko is constantly unhappy.
