{"id":111,"date":"2021-05-08T18:52:38","date_gmt":"2021-05-08T18:52:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beingreptiles.com\/?p=111"},"modified":"2022-10-22T12:45:13","modified_gmt":"2022-10-22T12:45:13","slug":"male-vs-female-leopard-gecko","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beingreptiles.com\/male-vs-female-leopard-gecko\/","title":{"rendered":"Male vs Female Leopard Gecko \u2013 How to Tell the Differences"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It might be hard to tell the gender of a leopard gecko at a glance or when the gecko is running around in the vivarium. The reptiles have characteristic features underneath them that enable a breeder to differentiate between male and female geckos. Here are some ways to tell if a leopard gecko is male or female.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to tell the sex (gender) of a leopard gecko<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"Male<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The gender of a leopard gecko can be known by looking at some features on the underside of the reptile. Picking up the gecko is the best way to make observations; roughly handling the reptile may result in a bite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hold the gecko with slight pressure to keep him from slipping out of your hand, which is opposed to snatching him up. <\/span><\/font>When you grab their tail, the leopard gecko will drop the tail<\/a> as a defense mechanism leavening him exposed to infections before he grows another one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other way to tell the sex of the gecko is to put him inside a transparent glass tank and observe from beneath. This will relieve the reptile from the stress of direct contact and moving him around or falling from your grip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are some of the characteristics to look out for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Preanal Pores<\/h3>\n\n\n
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\"Male<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Both female and male geckos have pores known as preanal pores. The naked eye cannot see the female pores, while the male pores are easily visible. The leopard gecko excretes waxy substances with pheromones through these pores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reptile then rubs the substance on the surfaces of the rocks and his tank to let other geckos that this is his territory. The pheromones also help the gecko to court when they are at their active sexual level. If your leopard gecko is male, you should be able to see small doted pores in a V-formation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Hemipenal Bulges<\/h3>\n\n\n
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\"Male<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The male sexual organs of leopard geckos are known as hemipenes. When the gecko is sexually mature, the hemipenes develop as two bulges beneath the leopard gecko’s vent at the horizontal slit in the base of his tail. The bulges hide the hemipenes until the male leopard gecko is ready to mate with a female. Hemipenal bulges are not too big but are noticeable to the human eye. This way, you can tell whether you have a male or a female gecko, as the females do not develop bulges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Femoral pores<\/h3>\n\n\n\n