Adult leopard geckos only poop once every two to five days. However, young and baby dragons have a higher frequency of defecation. Regarding poop color and shape, healthy geckos will have dark brown feces that may be irregular. The poop size is about a quarter of the gecko’s tail length. Moreover, their defecates contain a chunk of white material at the tip.
Keep reading to the end to understand more about leopard geckos’ poop and whether your leopard gecko is healthy by checking its poop color and texture!
What Does leopard Gecko Poop Look Like?
A healthy leopard gecko’s feces should be solid, not liquid or runny. It should be approximately half an inch with an irregular cylindrical shape.
Geckos usually have brown or dark brown poop, but the color can change based on what they eat and the swiftness of their digestive systems. Typically, a white substance is attached to the brown cylindrical poop at the periphery.
Unlike mammals that eliminate uric acid through liquid urine, reptiles get rid of it through a solid discharge known as urate.
In leopard geckos and most lizards, the uric acid crystallizes to form this white substance that attaches to the end of the poop.
The longer the waste stays in the digestive system, the darker it becomes. So, young lizards and lizards whose bodies break down food faster than average will have lighter brown poop than those with slower-than-average digestion.
How Often Do Leopard Geckos Poop?
On average, a mature leopard gecko will defecate once in two to 3 days.
Baby leopard geckos aged between 1-5 months usually pass stool 1-3 times a day. Because the creatures feed daily, they usually pass poop that’s a bit soft.
On the other hand, juveniles will poop at least once per day. The main reason why leopard geckos poop less as they grow is that they also eat less as they age.
Remember, you must take your gecko to the vet if it hasn’t defecated in four to five days, as this indicates serious health problems.
Do Leopard Geckos Pee?
Yes, but not in the conventional way we are accustomed to. Instead of liquid urine, geckos excrete a solid, white substance known as urate. Urates are usually excreted along the poop through the cloaca.
Unlike mammals with independent excretory organs for both poop and pee, lizards such as leopard dragons rely on a sole organ known as cloaca to get rid of feces and urate.
As we all understand, leopard geckos are native to dry regions in Asia. Since they come from dry climates, they must conserve as much water as possible.
Instead of wasting the little water in their bodies by urinating as we do, they pass a whitish/yellow substance that attaches to the end of the poop.
So, if you expect your leopard gecko to pass liquid urine like a cat or dog, sorry, it will never happen. The whitish/yellowish substance at the end of the poop is actually how it gets rid of uric acid.
Should A Leopard Gecko Poop Stink?
Even when it’s fresh, the poop of a healthy leopard gecko has a mild smell. Thus, you will be unable to detect any odors unless you get very close.
But if you suddenly notice that you can smell your lizard’s feces from afar, something has obviously changed. An alteration of the diet can be the cause of stinky poop. For instance, the waste of mealworms and crickets is more intense than that of roaches.
Lack of proper and regular cleaning can also make the entire enclosure smelly. But a parasitic infection may be to blame if the stool becomes watery and has a foul odor. So, make an effort to take a sample of the stinky poop to the vet for examination.
Unhealthy Poop in Leopard Geckos
As we have mentioned countless times in this guide, the color, texture, and size of your leopard geckos’ poop can tell whether or not it’s in good health. Some typical examples of unhealthy poop include:
White Poop
You may not see this way too often, but it does happen occasionally, and it can be unsettling if you don’t know what it is.
Essentially, leopard geckos usually defecate white poop around the shedding period. If the color of the lizard poop is white, this indicates that your scaly friend has ingested its skin after shedding.
Since lizards cannot digest the entire amount of skin they consume, it’s eliminated as white matter seen in the poop. Therefore, whitish poop is not indicative of a health complication.
However, if there are white specks and dots in the poop, they could be cricket eggs or parasite eggs. You might need to take the stool samples to your vet to have them checked out.
Yellow Feces
The presence of bile is the primary factor responsible for the yellow color of stool in almost all animal species. When fats enter the digestive system, they cause the production of this greenish-yellow fluid. Too much fat in the diet stimulates bile production, which turns feces yellow.
Another possible reason for yellow feces and urate is the over-consumption of vitamins or calcium and dehydration.
It is important to adjust the dosage based on the gecko’s age and size. Conversely, providing your pet with fresh and clean water daily is imperative.
If your leopard gecko poop has yellowish mucus, something is wrong. It could be due to parasitic inflammation, infection, or even a lack of adequate water in the body. If your lizard passes poop with yellowish mucal discharge, take it to the vet for immediate examination.
Green Poop
It’s not uncommon for herbivorous reptiles to produce green poop since they feed on plants. However, it’s highly unusual for leopard geckos since their diet consists almost entirely of insects. Therefore, if your gecko produces green defecate, the first line of inquiry should be to figure out whether someone has been feeding it plants.
Another possible reason is that your leo may have ingested some loose substrate, such as colored sand, moss, and paper towel rolls. If the gecko’s poop is green and watery, it may be because its digestive system is adjusting to a new food.
Soft Feces
Young geckos typically have poop that is a little softer than mature geckos. This is because they boast a developing digestive system, which is shorter and might not have all of the essential bacteria it needs.
If your adult gecko is passing soft stools lately, it’s probably because you’ve given them a new kind of food.
Giving geckos new feeder insects, for instance, can lead to many unprocessed bugs in their waste. You must slowly add new insects to geckos’ diet to ensure they don’t have trouble digesting them.
Remember, your leopard gecko’s poop shouldn’t raise concern if it’s soft, only when it’s watery. The latter indicates that there is an existing health complication.
Diarrhea/Watery Poop
Diarrhea or the passage of watery or excessively squishy stools more frequently than once every few days is not typical in leopard geckos. Even more problematic is the presence of undigested insects in their feces.
Usually, the potential cause of watery poop or diarrhea in leopard geckos are parasites, stress, filthy tank, bacterial infections, and eating spoiled insects. Due to bacteria waste, diarrhea will also have a much stronger odor than regular leopard gecko poop.
Since there are several potential causes of watery stools, the best thing to do is to visit a reptile vet for an examination and a stool sample for testing.
Why is My Gecko Not Pooping?
At times, you may discover that your scaly reptile is not defecating as regularly as usual. If you discover that your leopard gecko isn’t passing stool frequently, it might indicate a problem.
Leopard geckos sometimes go 3-7 between bowel movements in their natural habitat. However, if it doesn’t poop in more than a week, it’s time to intervene and seek a reptile vet’s opinion.
Below as some of the reasons why your leopard gecko may not be pooping:
Impaction and Gut Blockage
One common issue that makes your leopard gecko not poop is impaction. This occurs when the leopard gecko’s digestive system becomes blocked. Sadly, it happens all too often, especially with owners who don’t have much experience.
Using the wrong substrate in your lizard’s terrarium is the leading cause of impaction in leopard geckos. If your pet ingests loose substrate, it will have difficulty digesting its food, and as a result, it will have trouble defecating properly. This is usually problematic for younger leopard geckos.
If this happens, give the leopard gecko two drops of vegetable oil daily to ease the blockage. You might also consider bathing it in tepid water while massaging its belly. However, talk to your local reptile vet if the problem persists.
Dehydration
If a leopard gecko isn’t getting enough water, it will poop less. Water is vital to your beloved leopard gecko’s health and well-being.
Not only does water keep the body hydrated, but it also aids in digestion. This is why it’s essential to ensure that your leopard always has access to an adequate amount of clean water.
The following are some symptoms of dehydration:
- Tight, wrinkled skin.
- Absence of urates in the stool
- A more abrasive skin
- Lethargy
- Sound and noises indicative of muscular tension, like chirping
Your gecko’s habitat is the desert, but he still needs fresh water to thrive and survive. While a gecko usually gets water from its food, clean water should be added to the tank daily.
The temperature in the Vivarium
Leopard geckos, unlike many other reptiles, use the warm ground in their natural habitats to regulate their body temperature from the belly up. This way of warming up their bodies also helps them digest food.
Therefore, keeping a close eye on terrarium temperatures and ensuring they are within the recommended range is essential.
If you don’t provide the required heat in the terrarium, your pet will get cold and might refuse to eat, hence won’t have anything to defecate.
To replicate the temperatures in their natural habitat, leopard geckos require a cold spot and a heat gradient, in which the temperature at one end of their enclosure is different from the temperature at the other. One end should be kept at 90 degrees and the other at 70 to 75 degrees.
Stress
Stress is the last possible explanation for their inability to defecate. The leopard gecko’s body may malfunction in various ways when it’s under stress. It can make them lose their appetite, become irritable and aggressive, and even experience fewer bowel movements.
Your scaly friend may get stressed and refuse to defecate because of shedding, extreme heat or cold, illness, or egg-laying. If your gecko isn’t passing stool, please try to determine whether they are stressed and what is making them stressed.
Altering the Gecko’s habitat
If you have transferred your leopard gecko to a new tank or added new décor or accessories to its current tank, this can affect its bowel movement. Therefore, you must ensure that everything is properly set up prior to adding your pet to the new tank.
Do not overlook the necessity of hygiene and tidiness. Terrariums tend to clog with dirt and become filthy and smelly if not cleaned. Weekly cleaning and thorough monthly cleaning with water and liquid cleaners are recommended.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should my leopard gecko stay without going to the bathroom?
The frequency of pooping should be relatively proportional to feeding. If you give your leopard gecko food daily, it should go to the bathroom every day.
There should be no cause for alarm if a leopard gecko goes a day without pooping but defecates the next day.
Adult geckos should go to the bathroom once every two to three days. If your mature gecko hasn’t gone to the bathroom in more than seven days, you should look into what’s wrong.
Seek to determine whether they are stressed, dehydrated, impacted or if the temperatures in the cage are appropriate.
Why does my leopard gecko keep eating its feces?
Eating own poop (coprophagia) is a repulsive behavior to us human beings. However, it is a natural, instinctual behavior for many species. With that said, it’s crucial to note that leopard geckos are not known to be coprophagous.
Therefore, if you see them eating their poop, it is by accident or due to other causes such as starvation or deficiencies of certain minerals. Although the fecal matter is harmless, ingestion into the body can introduce parasites and disease-causing pathogens that may make your gecko sick.
Make sure your reptile friend is getting enough food for its age and size, and make dietary adjustments to prevent malnutrition and coprophagia.
How do I get rid of and clean my leopard gecko’s poop?
Since these scaly reptiles typically defecate in a particular spot inside the cage, locating the waste is easy. Most of the time, their waste is relatively dry, making it simple to pick up using a gloved hand, a paper towel, or a sand scooper.
Make it a habit to check the tank for waste daily and remove it as soon as possible. This will discourage the growth of bacteria and keep their environment odor-free and clean
My leopard gecko is producing larger than normal stool. Should I be worried?
An alteration of the diet or eating habits can cause your reptile friend to have larger than usual feces. However, if the stool and urate look and feel normal, there’s probably nothing to worry about.
You should only be concerned if the poop is watery, has insect remains or has another color other than brown and white.
Wrapping Up
As for how frequently a leopard gecko has a bowel movement, the brief answer is that it depends. Just like humans boast different digestive cycles, the frequency and quantity of feces that a leopard gecko produces may vary from one lizard to the next.
However, baby and juvenile geckos tend to defecate more regularly than adults. They poop brown feces that are round and solid, with a point of white urate at one end.
If your lizard suffers from a health condition, its stool may be watery (diarrhea), yellow, green, bloody, or soft. Traces of undigested insects in the defecate is also a sign of sickness.
When it comes to caring for leopard geckos, there are more entertaining things to do than inspect their droppings.
However, if you want to stay abreast of your scaly friend’s health and well-being, this is one thing you should do religiously.