Leopard Gecko Sex

We don’t always know the gender of our leopard gecko when we get them.  My first gecko I never actually found out she was a male or female until I took her into the pet store four years ago.  Not to mention that naming them can come into play when you are trying to determine their gender.

The chances are that if you have more than one leopard gecko, you’re going to want to house them together. Remember that two males can NOT be housed together, because they will fight and torment each other.  Females, on the other hand, can be housed together and generally will get along just fine.  (See Can Leopard Geckos Live Together)

Is My Leopard Gecko Male Or Female?

Identifying the gender of your leopard gecko is quite easy once you know how, and they get a bit older. Under the age of about 6 months it can be really difficult to tell for sure. This video shows very clearly how to tell the difference between a male and female:-

The interesting thing is that the sex of a leopard gecko is not determined when the egg is produced. That happens later and it’s actually the temperature the egg is incubated at that makes a male or female! So in theory, when you buy your leo the seller should know for certain which it is – because they should know what temperature the eggs were kept at.

In reality though mistakes are made and you don’t always take home what you were expecting. The problem is that the difference between males and females is very difficult to actually see when they are babies. So if they get mixed up it’s near impossible to spot as sexing them at that age is really hard!

So how do you tell? Above 6 months it gets really easy to tell the gender. You need to be able to look at the underside of your gecko near the tail to tell if it is a boy or a girl, so you really need to learn how to safely handle them first. But it is important to know the sex for sure, so e.g. you don’t get a shock when your ‘boy’ gecko suddenly produces an unfertilized egg! It is therefore a good idea to double check once they get older, and not just trust what you were told when you bought your leo. It’s quite common for owners to find a name change becomes necessary 🙂

Here is a picture which should help you in determining the gender of your leopard gecko:

Leopard Gecko Gender

Picture from reptilecare.com

It’s important to note that you will not be able to determine their gender until about the 3-4 month mark.  Sometimes it can take up to 6 months before they develop their male or female parts, though.

To figure out if Tony is “really” Tony, you’re going to have to first be able to pick them up.  If your gecko is young, they might not be all that familiar with you yet.  That is fine, but make sure their body language isn’t trying to tell you to leave them alone.  The worst case scenario is that your leopard gecko will drop their tail because they are terrified of you, so don’t rush making friends with them.

So, once you have picked up your leopard gecko you need to turn them vertically and gently lift up their tail.

Male Gecko Traits:

  • Two hemipenal bulges that can be found at the base of their tails.  They should look like little lumps and should be pretty noticeable at the 3-4 month mark.
  • They will have a V-shaped vent between their hind legs.  These are called pre-anal pores (black).  These pores help them to scent their territory.  Therefore, males know when other males are in the same habitat.  There can be somewhat of a waxy build up around their pre-anal pores.
  • Have femoral pores on their hind legs.  They look like little bumps on their inner thigh.

Female Gecko Traits

  • Have femoral pores on their hind legs.  These are very tiny and shouldn’t be visible.
  • You won’t be able to see pre-anal pores.
  • They do have two hemipenal bulges at the base of their tail.

You should also keep in mind that males usually have larger heads than females.  Their heads will be broader, and males typically weigh a little more than females.  However, you should always pick them up and check their gender.  Hopefully, this article clears up some questions you might have about your leopard geckos gender.