Leopard Geckos London

20/04/2026

You need a license to sell animals as pets in the UK.

Well... sometimes.

I had my Animal Activities License for a few years while I was actively breeding leopard geckos, and I have very mixed feelings on the law.

At its best, it serves to protect animals bred for profit by enabling regular, neutral third-party inspections. It enforces minimum standards of care, and rewards going above and beyond with longer-lasting licenses and higher star ratings - a good look to customers and a genuine financial incentive to do better.

At its worst, it puts massive financial strain on hobbyists who are trying to do the right thing by following the law. License prices in some boroughs and counties exceed the gross earnings threshold that triggers the requirement in the first place - immediately putting any hobby breeders skirting the edges of the cap at a loss for being compliant.

Whether or not you need an AAL comes down to two questions:

1. Do you make more than £1000 per 12-month period selling animals as pets?
2. Do you trigger enough of the HMRC's badges of trade to be classed as a business (spoiler - these are much more nuanced than just "are you a limited company?')

In my latest post, I go through the HMRC's badges of trade in the context of reptile breeding, explain how AALs work, how you attain one, and my gripes with the system - all as somebody who held a 5* AAL and fully engaged with the system.

The law on this subject is... a little open to interpretation.If your gross income from animal sales is below £1,000 in a 12-month period, you don't need a licence. Above that, whether you need one depends on whether HMRC's badges of trade suggest you're operating as a commercial business rather th...

19/04/2026

I've been busy!

It's been a while, but last year I made the decision to stop breeding leopard geckos.

I had two losses back to back (Squib and Grimey, unrelated causes) and totally lost my spark. What started as a hobby that I spent all day thinking about and loving, became a huge source of anxiety and something I dreaded. I went through the motions for about a year, but finally made some hard decisions and almost immediately started to enjoy the geckos again.

I have shifted my website - the site I have put years of thought and time into - into a specialist hub of information on caring for a Leopard Gecko in the UK.

I have various blog posts I have added, most recently an objective look at the Animal Activities License from somebody with experience and very mixed feelings on the subject which I will publish shortly.

This is now a hobby for me - no AAL, no company number, and no pressure on myself. I have 14 pet leopard geckos, a very greedy Uromastyx, and a sassy western hognose.

I miss the dramatics of the babies, the projects, and the amazing people I got to know while I was active in the community, but this was the right thing and I am so grateful for all I have learned.

More posts to come 🦎😁

04/08/2025

Absolutely devastated to hear this - my second ever Leopard Gecko, Squib, who passed earlier this year at 11 years old was from CPR.

Please support your local pet shops ❤️

Dear Friends and Customers,

After more than four decades of serving this amazing community, we are heartbroken to announce that (Aquaplan) Crystal Palace Reptiles will be closing its doors for the last time at the end of September.

This has been an incredibly difficult decision for our family. Sadly, a combination of serious illness, along with an extraordinary increase in rent demands and business rates, has made it impossible for us to continue.

Running the shop has been a true labour of love. We’ve cherished every moment — every scaly visitor, every curious question, and every passionate conversation with fellow reptile lovers. As much as we love what we do, continuing under these circumstances just isn't possible.

We want to thank each and every one of you for your loyal support over the years. Your passion, kindness, and trust have meant the world to us — and we truly couldn’t have done it without you.
Though this chapter is coming to an end, the memories and connections we’ve made will stay with us always.

Please keep an eye out in the coming days and weeks for special discounts and some truly wild offers — after all, everything’s got to go!!

With heartfelt thanks
,
Darren Biggs, Carole Moore and the all the CPR team

25/10/2024

New blog post out on Leopard Gecko Enclosure sizes, and why they are important!

https://www.leopardgeckoslondon.com/post/what-size-enclosure-do-i-need-for-my-leopard-gecko

-----

Image Description: Four examples of leopard gecko silhouettes in different sized enclosures, ranging from a 2 foot vivarium to a 4 foot vivarium.

Text to the right reads: 'The average leopard gecko is around 20 cm long from nose to tail. The mockups on the left illustrate how a 20 cm-long leopard gecko looks in different enclosure sizes. One of the primary reasons a 90 x 45 x 45 cm vivarium is considered the minimum size for a thriving leopard gecko is because it can be difficult to achieve proper temperature and UV gradients in smaller enclosures. It's also important to remember that these animals can be relatively active when they want to be, and will engage with enrichment when provided. Traditionally, a 120 x 45 cm enclosure was considered enormous, but as you can see from the size comparison, it definitely doesn’t seem that way! Leopard geckos thrive in well-heated, adequately furnished, spacious enclosures.'

-----

16/10/2024

Ultimate face card

22/09/2024

Vermillon Glow Madness Tremper holdback from this season.

The jungle expression is always my favorite!

20/09/2024

- - - BIG NEWS! - - -

In 2019, while scrolling through MorphMarket, I came across some beautifully contrasted orange geckos from a seller in Portugal. I had never imported a gecko before, nor had I ever purchased anything from a breeder. I was inexperienced and had countless questions, but ultimately decided on a Glow Madness Tremper, Poss Vermillon ph Eclipse male from Wabisaur Geckos, whom I named Glowworm.

The Glow Madness line has been my main project since the very beginning, and it remains my favorite. I currently have four generations of holdbacks from this line in my reptile room, and I expect there will be many more to come.

Now, I am thrilled to announce that I have taken over David's (Wabisaur Geckos) work on the Glow Madness line—a responsibility and privilege that I am eager to uphold.

The geckos arrived safe on Wednesday, couriered safely from Hamm by from Hamm.

I am so grateful to for entrusting me with his remaining Glow Madnesses, and to for caring for them so well in the lead up to Hamm 🥰

I will share more on the Glow Madness line and it's future at LGL as these little ones settle in.

30/08/2024

Thrilled to announce we have earned our 5 star animal activities license.

The AAL is often misunderstood and there is a lot of false information about who needs one. If you have any suspicions that you may require one, it's really important that you reach out to DEFRA or your council's licensing department. The Southwark Licensing and inspection team are incredibly knowledgeable, well versed in reptiles and friendly. ❤️

24/07/2024

Sad to announce our sweet little Western Banded Gecko, Margot, passed away last night.

I'm not sure how old she was, but she had been starting to show some signs of slowing down and over the past few months needed a fair amount of assistance with sheds and feeding from me.

I had the privilege of caring for this elusive little gecko for almost 2.5 years, and she'll definitely be missed! ❤️

07/07/2024

Some of the babies we have growing out!

NFS

03/07/2024

Father and Son 🥹

Glowworm really did just copy paste huh