Lavender gecko has a beautiful lavender base with strips or spots of different colors. Beginners who are interested in reptiles, and especially Leopard geckos, can start with this beautiful gecko as they have easy care requirements. They are easy-going geckos with bubbly personalities and frequently move around their habitat.
If you’re interested and are thinking about bringing it to your family, scroll down for more information about this gorgeous creature.
Lavender Leopard Gecko: A Brief Overview
They are commonly known as Lavender geckos and belong to the species of Eublepharids’ Macularius. The care level, as we stated above, is beginner level; their diet mainly includes insects, and they can live in a minimum 10 – 15 gallon tank.
They have a lifespan of 20 or more years, which means that you will have a long-term partner in your Lavender gecko. They grow a maximum of 8 – 10 inches, while their weight depends on their gender. Ideal temperature and humidity include 88°F basking spot with 75°F temperature gradient and 30 – 40% humidity level.
| Common Name | Lavender Leopard Gecko |
| Species Name | Eublepharis Macularius |
| Maintenance level | Low |
| Life span | 15+ (Can live well into their twenties) |
| Length | 8 – 10 inches (males are larger than females) |
| Weight | 60 – 90 grams (male) 45 – 50 grams (female) |
| Diet | They are carnivorous—mainly feeding upon live bugs |
| Tank Size | 10 gallons for housing one gecko 20 gallons for housing more than one gecko |
| Temperature Ranges | 85 – 90°F for the warmer portion 80 – 82°F degrees for the cooler portion of the tank |
| Humidity Range | 30% – 40% |
Appearance of Lavender Gecko
Lavender geckos have a purple base color with different colors of spots and striped patterns. The lavender color will appear in large spots or stripes over a mostly yellow body. However, as they age, the purple color starts to disappear, which is why we would advise you not to get too attached to its ravishing but ephemeral patterns.
Do Lavender Leopard Geckos Make Good Pets?
One of the most easily handled pets can be Lavender geckos as they are pretty docile and can be tamed with frequent interaction. They are hardy and do not require extensive habitat maintenance. They are lenient if something is not done perfectly, and they love to move around their habitat, which is an interesting sight to behold.
While they’re easy to care for, they still require maintenance on the part of their owners. Below, we delve into the whats and hows of caring for a Lavender Leopard gecko.
How to Take Care of Lavender Leopard Geckos?
Caring for a gecko includes, among others, the size and temperature of its tank, lighting setup, type of substrate, heating requirement, diet, healthcare, and understanding their behavior.
Tank Setup
A 15-gallon tank will serve as a perfect setup for your beloved gecko, as many as three geckos can easily house up in that tank. Make sure to house one male per enclosure and mix males and females only if you want to deal with breeding.
You should also provide specific details as per their nature, for instance, hiding logs for them to climb on or hide into. The tank should be spot-cleaned every day, and feces should be removed, while a complete clean-up should be done once a month by removing all the items from the tank and scrubbing them thoroughly at this time.
Lighting Setup
Lavender geckos are nocturnal animals and do not require a great deal of UV light. A small amount of UVA or UVB lighting should be sufficient, and they should be provided with about 14 hours of lighting during the summer and 12 hours in winters.
Heating
Reptiles self-regulate their body temperature, so there should be a temperature gradient in the tank. Firstly, there should be a basking spot at one end and a chiller environment at the other end of the tank. By using a regular white incandescent heat bulb, a basking spot can be generated, where the temperature should be about 31°C (around 88°F).
By using red, blue, or purple lamps, the other end of the tank should have a temperature of about 23 – 24°C (74 – 76 ° F), which should be maintained during the night.
While the humidity in the tank should be about the same as you have in your home—about 30 – 40%. This can be achieved using a screen top on the enclosure, and to be sure of the level of humidity, a humidity gauge can be used.
Lavender Gecko Substrate
There are a variety of options available for the substrate, ranging from sand to wood and from newspaper to paper towels. But we discourage using fine sand and wood shavings as substrate, as geckos can ingest sand, and it can cause intestinal blockage. Similarly, wood can cut their feet. If the wood is round and there are no sharp protrusions, wood can be used. But to be on the safe side, it is best to use paper as gecko substrate.
How Much Does Lavender Leopard Gecko cost?
Due to their unique and gorgeous color, these geckos are pricier than usual. A Lavender Leopard gecko can cost between $150 – 500, while a young baby gecko may cost cheaper.
Do Lavender Leopard Gecko Shed?
Your Lavender gecko will shed once every four to eight weeks, and you can tell this when their lavender color starts changing to gray. This process can be smoothly done if you increase the humidity in the enclosure after sensing the transition.
Not all but some geckos also go through brumation too—this is like hibernation. For 30 – 90 days, your gecko will enter a state of semi-dormancy in which it will not eat and will spend most of its time in hiding. This happens due to intense winters.
Lavender Leopard gecko’s Diet
Lavender Leopard gecko is an insectivore, eating mostly insects. You should feed them with crickets and waxworms. Twenty-four hours before feeding, you should gut load the insects. This way, your gecko can have a nutritious meal and can have maximum nutrients.
For adult geckos, you can coat the insects with calcium or vitamin D supplements, and for juveniles, their every feeding should be coated. As for the water, there should be a shallow dish or bowl in the tank for the gecko to drink from or soak in. This dish should be refilled and cleaned every day. The water will also provide humidity in the tank.
Make sure that they get their food on time. While Leopard geckos can survive without food for certain days, leaving them without enough food is never a good idea. They may survive, but their health will surely be affected.
Health Issues of Lavender Geckos
Some common health issues related to Lavender geckos that you should be careful about are:
- Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD): It is caused by the deficiency of vitamin D and calcium. It can be detected when your gecko has a poor appetite and is tremulous when it moves.
- Armpit Bubbles: When your gecko starts gaining weight and becomes overweight, they tend to store fat, protein, vitamins, etc. This causes armpit bubbles. However, these bubbles are harmless and can go away when your gecko returns to normal weight
Pros and Cons of Keeping a Lavender Gecko:
What is Good About Them?
The lavender Leopard gecko is a very easy-going and friendly pet if they interact with it on a regular basis. Though these geckos do have teeth, they are not biters and can form a good bond with the owner. They are low-maintenance, quiet, and not messy.
In short, they tend to be the easiest reptile to own and care for.
The Downside
Lavender Leopard geckos are expensive, and their healthcare can be expensive too. They tend to drop their tail—but only if they sense a threat—and can be more of an independent pet. Lastly, it is one of the Leopard gecko species, and they require special lighting and heating requirement.
How to Keep Lavender Leopard Gecko happy?
You can tell if your gecko is happy by observing its movements and feeding patterns. One of the easiest ways to make them happy is through healthy interaction. Besides, the tank they live in shouldn’t be too much overcrowded with other geckos. Geckos are not much fond of their other counterparts, especially males don’t go along well with male geckos.
Note, however, that too much handling can cause stress in them. Apart from this, they are loyal to their owner, but it has a price. You can make them loyal by giving them treats of their favorite insect and not handling them too much. Letting them roam in the house will also make them happy.
Conclusion
Lavender Leopard gecko is a true gem; they are friendly and low maintenance, and love to move around their enclosure, rarely bite, and can be loyal. It is a great gift for beginners and can live with them for a long time, given their lifespan. Overall, Lavender Leopard gecko is a great pet for those looking for a low-maintenance and unusual gecko.
