Uroplatus can be sexed after they have reached maturity. Certain species make leaf-tailed gecko sexing is easier because they are sexually dimorphic — meaning that males and female have different physical characteristics. For example:

• Male U. phantasticus tend have notches in their tails, while females tend not to (not always reliable). Males will also usually have a white teardrop-shaped spot behind the eyes, while females will have a line or no marking at all.
• Female U. lineatus have white dotted lines on each side of their spine; males’ spots are more randomly distributed
• Male U. sikorae tend to have a more bark-like pattern, while females will tend to look more mossy

However, not all Uroplatus species can be sexed right out of the egg. The most reliable way to sex a leaf-tailed gecko is to wait until it has almost grown to its adult length, and then check the area between the vent and tail.

Male leaf-tailed geckos have a noticeable hemipenal bulge behind the vent.

Female leaf-tailed geckos do not have a bulge.

**Males and females should not be housed together unless you intend to breed them.**