If you are thinking of adding a reptile to your home, it is understandable that you might want more information about how large that reptile will grow.
When these creatures are small and young, it is really difficult to imagine them growing into large animals.
But, it is very important to prepare yourself for the size that these creatures will grow to because they typically grow quite large.
In particular, if you are thinking of adding a baby leopard gecko to your family, it is likely that you will want to know how big these creatures become when they are adults.
If this is the case, then you are in the right place!
In this guide, we’re taking a look at all you need to know about leopard gecko growth patterns, including how little they are when they are hatchlings, and how large they may grow when they reach adulthood.
First up, let’s take a quick look at exactly what a leopard gecko is.
A leopard gecko is a part of the reptile family, and is a type of gecko that has gained its names because it has spots on it that are similar to a leopard’s spots.
They are ground-dwelling lizards that are native to rocky, dry land.
Originally, these animals were from Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, and India, but now they are kept as pets across most of the world.
Leopard geckos have become popular pets because of their calm nature.
These reptiles are very docile and this makes them suitable pets for many households.
They’re happy to be held by children, gentle and slow-moving, and fairly easy to look after.
They aren’t at all aggressive in their nature, and are generally very respectful. Hence why they are such popular pets.
How Big Are Newborn Leopard Geckos?
When leopard geckos are newborn hatchlings, it makes sense that they are a lot smaller than adult leopard geckos.
Leopard gecko hatchlings are absolutely tiny, and this can lead you to believe that these lizards are fairly small when they are fully grown too.
But this isn’t the case.
When leopard geckos first hatch, they are incredibly small.
They do not have a very long gestation period, and they will hatch from their eggs in as little as 35-90 days from being laid.
When they first hatch from their eggs, leopard geckos will generally be around 2.5 to 3 inches long, weighing around 3-5 grams.
When they are newborn, leopard geckos are tiny so they require lots of special care and attention.
You need to keep them in very small containers to ensure that they have easy access to food and water, and that they won’t get lost.
Over time, they will then grow into adult leopard geckos.
How Much Time Does It Take For Leopard Geckos To Be Fully Grown?
When you see the incredibly small size of leopard gecko hatchlings, it is very easy to assume that it will take them a long time to grow.
When you see these tiny creatures, it honestly is difficult to imagine them as adults, but as you will find out if you ever have leopard gecko hatchlings, they grow very quickly!
When you are close to these creatures, it is often difficult to see them growing.
But if you have any visitors, ask them to see your hatchlings, and they will definitely be able to spot how much they have grown.
Within about a year, your leopard gecko hatchlings will have reached their full size.
Of course, just like with all reptiles, the term “full size” should be taken lightly.
Throughout their entire life, leopard geckos will continue to grow slightly hence why they shed their skin.
However, the bulk of their growth occurs in the first year of their lifetime, and after this they will grow slowly, shedding their skin as they go.
Are Male Leopard Geckos Larger Than Females?
In lots of different species, the males are larger than the females.
Of course, there are a few exceptions to this, but generally speaking, males are larger than females.
So, is this the case for leopard geckos?
Yes, generally speaking, male leopard geckos do grow to be larger than females. Male leopard geckos will generally be larger than females in every sense of the word.
They will grow longer, weigh more, have wider necks, thicker tails, and bulkier bodies too.
If you put a male leopard gecko and a female leopard gecko beside one another, about 95% of the time, the larger of the two will be the male.
We say 95% of the time, as these changes will only be noticeable once both the male and female leopard gecko have reached adulthood.
Once they reach adulthood, there are some other differences that will allow you to tell male and female leopard geckos apart.
These include males having post-anal swellings, V-shaped anal pores, and larger cloacal spurs than females.
How Big Are Adult Leopard Geckos?
So, we have established that adult leopard geckos aren’t small. Especially in comparison to baby leopard geckos.
But, just how large do these creatures grow once they reach adulthood? That’s a good question!
As we established earlier, leopard gecko eggs are hatched while the geckos are fairly small.
Leopard gecko eggs are laid across multiple births, and up to 10 eggs can be produced from a single mating cycle.
When these eggs are laid, the embryos inside measure between 2 and 3 inches in length and weigh just a couple of grams, so when the eggs hatch, the geckos themselves only measure and weigh this much.
But, as we also established earlier, leopard geckos are not slow growers.
These reptiles grow very rapidly, and as the largest type of gecko in the species, they grow to the largest size too.
By the time they reach around 1 year of age, most leopard geckos females will weigh between 45 and 70 grams and measure between 7 and 8 inches, while males will weigh between 60 and 90 grams, measuring between 8 and 10 inches.
This might not seem very big, but for a gecko, this is large.
Now that we have taken a look at how large your leopard gecko will typically grow once it reaches its full size, let’s take a look at a growth chart for leopard geckos.
Leopard Gecko Growth Chart
Leopard geckos will grow a lot during their first year of life. In just 12 months from becoming a hatchling, these leopard geckos will reach their “full size”.
Of course, they will grow after this, but the growth will be very small, and they will shed their skin as they do this.
To help you understand just how much these leopard geckos will grow, here’s a growth chart:
Age
Length
Weight
Hatchling (newborn)
2-3 inches
2-5 grams
1 month
4 inches
15-20 grams
2 months
5 inches
18-30 grams
6 months
5-6 inches
25-60 grams
18 months
8-11 inches
40-90 grams
As you can see, these animals grow a lot during their first 18 months of life.
So while it can be difficult to imagine them growing quite this big, they really do grow rapidly until they reach adulthood.
Why Isn’t My Leopard Gecko Growing?
Monitoring the growth of your leopard gecko is incredibly important.
Just like how you measure milestones in children, you need to do the same in your leopard gecko to ensure that they are growing healthily.
Especially in the first 12 months of their lifetime. If your leopard gecko isn’t growing to the milestones outlined above, then there may be a reason to be concerned.
It is critical that your leopard gecko grows in their first year of life.
If your leopard gecko doesn’t grow to these sizes, then there could be an underlying health problem causing this, or it could affect your leopard gecko’s life in adulthood.
So what does it mean if your leopard gecko isn’t growing?
And why isn’t your leopard gecko growing to the sizes that we outlined in the chart?
There are lots of things that can impact the growth of your leopard gecko and prevent it from growing to its full size.
To help you determine what is causing this, let’s take a look at some of the things that might prevent your leopard gecko from growing to its full size.
Nutritional Issues
Poor diet is one of the biggest contributors to leopard geckos not reaching their full adult size.
Nutrition is a huge contributor to growth, and poor nutrition will easily prevent your leopard gecko from growing to the size that they are supposed to reach.
Even if your gecko is eating a lot, they can still feel the effects of nutritional issues. Especially if the food that you are feeding them doesn’t have enough nutrients to help them grow.
To ensure that your leopard gecko is growing to its full potential, you need to feed it a variety of different insects to ensure that it is having its nutritional needs met.
If you suspect that nutritional issues are preventing your leopard gecko from growing to their full size, you should give them a varied diet packed full of silkworms, beetles, crickets, wax worms, tomato hornworms, and cockroaches.
Health Issues
If your leopard gecko is eating a full and healthy diet, but still isn’t growing, then health issues could be contributing to this.
Health issues aren’t always doom and gloom, there could be something that a vet can easily resolve which is stopping your leopard gecko from growing.
Of course, there can be some serious health conditions that could stop your leopard gecko from growing, but by the same degree, there could be some less serious issues too.
It is best to consult with a vet, even if it is just to put your mind at ease.
Bullying
Finally, if you have multiple leopard geckos, then your leopard gecko that isn’t growing could be experiencing stunted growth due to bullying from your other leopard geckos.
Bullying is actually one of the most common reasons for stunted growth in leopard geckos, and it can quickly become rather serious.
If you suspect that this is the issue, you should try separating your leopard geckos, and place the one that isn’t growing in its own enclosure.
Here, your leopard gecko will have access to its own food, water and environment.
If bullying was the reason that your leopard gecko wasn’t growing, having their own space should allow them to have access to proper nutrition, and they should start growing!
If after a little while of living alone, your leopard gecko still isn’t growing, then bullying probably wasn’t the reason why they stopped growing in the first place.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Big Is A 1-Year-Old Leopard Gecko?
By the time leopard geckos reach the age of 1, they are typically their full adult size. For female leopard geckos, they will measure between 7 and 8 inches and 45 and 60 grams.
While male leopard geckos will typically measure between 8-10 inches and weigh between 60 and 90 grams.
How Long Does It Take For Leopard Geckos To Reach Their Full Size?
Leopard geckos grow surprisingly quickly. By the time leopard geckos reach the age of 1 they will typically have reached their full adult size.
Do Leopard Geckos Like People?
Yes, leopard geckos do tend to like people.
As long as they are socialized to be around people, these creatures will typically enjoy being held and spending time with the people in their household. But remember to give them their space when they ask for it.
Summary
In short, leopard geckos grow surprisingly large.
Within their first year of life, leopard geckos will typically grow between 7 and 10 inches depending on whether they are male and female, and can measure between 7 and 10 inches in length.
This is their full adult size, but they will grow through the rest of their life, just like all reptiles do.
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