I did a little research for this topic. It seems leopard gecko is one of the very few species that live longer in the wild. Most other species have a longer life span in captivity due to better care.
The actual number could be vary from source to source. Generally speaking, most people claim the captivity leopard gecko can live up to 8~10 years, while normal average life span of a wild gecko is between 10~15 years.
Just like all pets, with proper care a leopard gecko can live a lot longer. The gecko under expert care can live as long as their wild counterparts, there are even claim of 20+ years on rare occasions.
On a side note, some sources claim male leopard gecko usually live longer than the female gecko. I guess the female shorten their own life span when give birth frequently. It can mean a female gecko is capable of living longer if without having to go through breeding.
Waiting for a few of our leopard gecko experts to correct or to add some information to this topic.
I don't have much personal experience with this yet with leos. From what I understand, Thor is pretty much on the money. 5-8 years Is pretty common if cared for well. The problem with females is people over breeding. Especially if they try to do it twice a year, that's add many as 12 clutches of eggs. The poor little things bodies never get a chance to recover. People who are blue concerned with selling babies than caring for the animals. And even more so its they're not being fed properly throughout the breeding season.
I bought two leopard geckos for my son when he was 4 years old-both females. One lived for 21 years and the other is still alive at 25. We keep them fed with crickets, plenty of water, we use crushed up walnut shells for bedding, and we help her get off the skin when she sheds. I've noticed that she has been shedding excessively lately so I will give her some vitamins and see if that helps, along with spraying with water often. My son seems to think that she is getting too old and we should consider putting her down because the shedding problems will get worse she may soon not be able to see and develop eye problems and he doesn't want to see her suffer. I don't mind helping her get rid of the skin when she sheds but I am wondering if my son is right. Any ideas?
I estimate that the gecko's lifespan can extend to 20 to 30 years if well taken care of with proper feeding, nutrition and healthcare. Leopard geckos have a shorter lifespan in nature due to predators, diseases and injuries. They are very easy to maintain and take care as pets. One can extend their lifespans by giving them supplements since insects don't have all the nutritional requirements in terms of vitamins and calories. However, there is the risk of being overzealous and large doses of calcium can be dangerous. Its commended that one replicates their natural environments. Spreading newspapers and wood chips is fine. Lessening the danger of stress should be a priority. Shelters should be large in order to lessen territorial disputes.
(03-15-2015, 05:15 AM)spacemandickens Wrote: I bought two leopard geckos for my son when he was 4 years old-both females. One lived for 21 years and the other is still alive at 25. We keep them fed with crickets, plenty of water, we use crushed up walnut shells for bedding, and we help her get off the skin when she sheds. I've noticed that she has been shedding excessively lately so I will give her some vitamins and see if that helps, along with spraying with water often. My son seems to think that she is getting too old and we should consider putting her down because the shedding problems will get worse she may soon not be able to see and develop eye problems and he doesn't want to see her suffer. I don't mind helping her get rid of the skin when she sheds but I am wondering if my son is right. Any ideas?
Wow, it is awesome that your leopard gecko have lived so long. 21 years and 25 years are longer than most cats and dogs. You must be taking really good care of them. It is good to have such responsible pet owner.
Unfortunately, I am no expert of gecko. So I can't offer any educated advice on the subject. As my personal opinion, I believe you should continue to help your gecko on shedding problem instead of putting her down until the very end. For example, when she has truly developed terrible eye problem from unable to shed properly.
A leopard gecko is not just a reptile, it is a specific reptile with the cat’s habits, it drinks water lapping it, it’s absolutely not a whimsical reptile, care is not difficult, the main thing is to have a humid environment, a drinker with water and a damp chamber, or a house, they live about 8 -10 years for males, for females 5-8, at home and proper care can live up to 25-30 years. It feeds on insects, they can usually be bought at pet stores, it is not difficult to care for it, and even children can, most importantly, maintain humidity by spraying the aquarium or terrarium with a conventional sprayer at least once a day.
05-19-2022, 05:15 AM, (This post was last modified: 05-19-2022, 05:15 AM by Valentin01.)
I think I've seen one on here live till 19 (??) but that age nowadays seems to be a rarity (the 12-15 years is probably more accurate). The problem is, as they are wild animals, they still hide illness very well - once the animal exhibits the symptoms and the keeper recognises them it can often be too late. Couple this with (potentially) sub-standard husbandry/housing (especially no UVB provision) and inadequate diet (not the variety or nutrient composition of wild bugs) and you can see why some individuals don't live as long as they could do (not saying the people you know can't look after animals but you get my drift).
In my opinion, I think part of the problem is a decrease in fitness due to the lack of genetic diversity or 'new blood'. It is inevitable that there will have been/continues to be some degree of inbreeding (especially where morphs are concerned) and especially considering there are little/no wild caught (or F1 etc.) individuals available. Inbreeding itself isn't necessarily bad, but over generations it may become a factor.
Again this is my opinion but out of my two AFT's, the morph individual is definitely the weakest. My normal goes from strength to strength whereas the morph has become ill a couple of times and is tiny compared. Obviously I can't be sure; they are from the same breeder, kept in exactly the same way, provided the same food etc, but there is still an obvious difference between the 2. Other AFT owners that I have talked to have also found the amel morph a bit more problematic than normals, obviously it could be a coincidence though.
It is good to have such responsible pet owner. 