Eublepharis hardwickii – The East Indian Leopard Gecko

By Johannes Knierer

“I wish my baby Leopard Gecko would keep its banded pattern into adulthood” – a  thought that has probably crossed the minds of many Leopard Gecko keepers over the  years. What if I told you such a Leopard Gecko exists and it’s actually the founding species of the Eublepharis genus? In this article I want to provide some basic information about Eublepharis hardwickii – the East Indian Leopard Gecko.  

This species was first described by Gray in 1827 and was long considered the holy grail of Leopard Geckos as many people have only known it from a few drawings and photos that were circulating of this species. It wasn’t until around 2007/2008 that the first animals of this species made their way into private collections and only recently have gained popularity as they become more and more affordable. 

Description  

At first glance Eublepharis hardwickii might get mistaken for an African Fat-Tailed Gecko  (Hemitheconyx caudicinctus) but the experienced eye will soon realize it’s a Leopard Gecko – and maybe the most beautiful of them all.  

Eublepharis hardwickii has the typical white neck band like all the other Eublepharis  species but keeps it into adult colouration. They only have two wide dark bands on their  body and the lighter bands in-between have a creamy yellow colour. Even as adults they  will not develop spots between the two dark bands on the back. Going through their  colour change, the dark head as well as the bands on the body and tail will lighten up, developing some spots that make this species a real Leopard Gecko. The dark and white banding on the tail remains nearly the same but will develop some pattern and even some spots over time. So, the East Indian Leopard Gecko still goes through a colour change as it grows but of all the Eublepharis species it is less dramatic. 

As adults each individual has a unique head and body pattern. In comparison to Eublepharis macularius, Eublepharis  hardwickii has a lot more of the large dorsal tubercle scales. The space between the tubercles is smaller than the tubercles themselves as they are sitting right next to each other. Tubercles on Eublepharis macularius are further apart with numerous smaller scales  between them. 

Body size is similar to Eublepharis macularius with a length of about 20-22 cm and 50-60g  in weight, although I have seen pictures of animals at 90+ grams.  As adults they have a compact robust body structure. Like all Eublepharidae, the Eublepharis species have movable eyelids. Eublepharis  hardwickii has the darkest eyes of all the species in the genus. On their feet they have no adhesive toe pads but use their claws to climb rough surfaces.  

Biotope  

In the wild, Eublepharis hardwickii can be found in the lower-mountain regions of East-India and Bangladesh. All animals in captivity originally derive from wild caught animals that were collected in the Odisha region in India. They live in forests at 500-800 meters in altitude.  Adults are mainly active during rainy seasons from June to September when humidity can reach 80-100%. Temperatures during their main activity months in the wild are rarely above  30°C and drop to 22-24°C at night. This species is strictly nocturnal with main activity 

from 7pm-10 pm especially during rain showers. They are primarily found in the woods but  several reports documented them on open areas after a rainfall. As shy as this species is, you will not find it near roads or in cities. From December to March Eublepharis hardwickii is not active as the climate is more dry and temperatures significantly drop to around 13°C at night and 20°C during the day.  

Behaviour  

In my experience Eublepharis hardwickii is more strictly active at night than Eublepharis  macularius. They are more timid and placid and do not show that almost “dog-like behaviour“ you often see with Eublepharis macularius, who will come to the front of their  enclosure begging for food even during the day. The East-Indian Leopard Gecko prefers  to come out of their hides when the light in their enclosure is turned off and lights in the  room are dimmed. You can watch them slowly roaming their enclosure looking for food.  I always describe them as a Leopard Gecko at half speed. But, as soon as you put the  food in they will speed up to hunt and gobble down food.  

Housing and Feeding  

I’ve always kept my geckos in naturalistic enclosures. But especially with Eublepharis  hardwickii I would not recommend keeping them in a rack system. People keep and breed  them successfully in such setups but you will probably never see them as they will hide as  soon as you open the tub.  

Eublepharis hardwickii is the only Leopard Gecko species that prefer a humid and cooler  climate (although too little is known about how Eublepharis macularius live in the wild,  giving their wide distribution one could imagine that they could be found in more humid  areas as well). Husbandry is more similar to Hemitheconyx caudicinctus or Goniurosaurus  species. As a substrate I use a mix of earth and coconut humus with natural plants  planted directly in the substrate as well as dry leaves on the ground. Additionally, I cover  the substrate on some areas with moss. Watering the moss and the plants ensures for a  good humidity. I typically spray the enclosure in the morning and in the evening. These  animals like to drink the water drops from leaves and other surfaces but one should  additionally offer a water dish next to a dish with calcium. UVB lighting is not essential as Eublepharis hardwickii hide during the day but the natural plants in their enclosure will thrive better if you are able to offer it.  

As the main heat source, I use a heating mat under one side of the enclosure generating a  maximum of 30°C on the warm side of the enclosure and around 25°C in the cooler parts.  A temperature drop of 2-4°C at night is preferred. Apart from the obligatory wet box for the females to lay their eggs I offer different stone and wood hides with varying humidity. This way the animal can decide if it prefers a humid or dry hide for the day.  

I always tend to give my Leopard Geckos a long period of hibernation, especially the  adult animals. Usually about 2-3 months from December until February. I have mine go through a  preparation time of about two weeks without offering any food to make sure no  undigested food stays in the gastrointestinal tract. I reduce the light and heating hours to  eventually turn off all heating sources. Temperatures during hibernation drop to about  15°C and I reduce spraying the enclosure. I only water the plants and keep the laybox wet  just in case the animals want to use a more humid hiding spot.  As soon as hibernation is over and the temperatures are back up I start to regularly spray the enclosure again and offer food.  

Eublepharis hardwickii are strictly insectivorous and will eat any type of insect they can  swallow (crickets, roaches, mealworms, superworms and the occasional silkworm and  wax worm as a treat). In the end these are Leopard Geckos and are not very picky eaters. I use crickets as the main food source which should be dusted with Calcium and Vitamin  D3. A lot of keepers tend to overfeed their reptiles. During breeding time, I feed the adult females every second day but quickly extend the interval when they are done laying. Babies are fed about 4-5 times a week.  

Breeding  

The debate of keeping Leopard Geckos in groups or separately has  always been a hot topic. Personally, I never had any issues keeping my Eublepharis hardwickii in groups or even pairs year round.  This is a pretty calm and relaxed species and as long as you offer them enough space and retreats they do fine in groups. But this should not be taken as a general advice to  keep this species in groups. A Leopard Gecko won’t die from loneliness but it will not thrive if it is suppressed or stressed by others in their group. For an experienced keeper, keeping and breeding this species communally can work fine as long as you are able to read your animals and detect abnormal behavior. A beginner might be better off choosing the safe route of individual housing.  

Eublepharis hardwickii reach sexual maturity at around 12-18 months of age. Depending on how often and what you feed them dictates if they grow and reproduce faster. Females should at least be at 35-40 grams to be bred safely. They lay up to 6 clutches of two eggs per year  from April until June. Like most geckos, Eublepharis hardwickii females will stop eating a few days before laying the eggs. That’s why it is critical that females have a good weight and are well fed between clutches. Once laid, the eggs should be taken out of the parents’ enclosure to prevent the babies from hatching in the enclosure and ending up as a snack for the adults!  

They can be incubated on all established mediums like Vermiculite, HatchRite or even just  coconut humus. There is a big debate as to how temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) works with Eublepharis hardwickii. Some breeders say TSD doesn’t work at all or not as  well as with Eublepharis macularius. A lot of breeders seem to have problems hatching out males which is the reason they are harder to come by and more expensive than females. The general advice is to incubate at 26-28°C to obtain females and at 32°C to hatch males. Anecdotally, I’ve heard of a French breeder that had an adult female in her collection that exclusively produced male offspring. So a lot more research on this topic is necessary.  

Depending on the incubation temperature the babies hatch after 50-70 days. Decor of their enclosures resembles that of the adults. They will take food 3-5 days after hatching or after their first shed. Juveniles can be sexed at about 3 months of age. Males can easily be identified by their pre-anal pores and hemipenal bulges.  

Future  The East Indian Leopard Gecko will probably never be as popular as Eublepharis macularius, but its best years in the hobby are still to come. When they first came into the hobby prices were as high as 2,500€ for a pair. Nowadays their fanbase is steadily growing as they are more affordable at around 200-250€ for a female and a little more for males. Every Eublepharis enthusiast who wants to try something a little different should consider this beautiful species. A lot of Leopard Gecko people are all about morphs. So far no morphs of this species exist and I honestly think it’s not necessary for their success as they are beautiful as they are. But one could only imagine how good a bold striped or jungle phase of this species would look.