Basic Leopard Gecko Care
Housing:
We house juvenile and adult Leos separately. They do not require “buddies” and live quite well alone. You may choose to house females together. You will need to watch for aggressive behavior, but otherwise they will be fine. You cannot house males together. They will fight, and either injure or kill each other. Only if you are ready to breed your animals should you house a male with females.Larger scale housing would be a rack system, but this care sheet will focus on the typical pet set-up. Ideally a 10 gallon aquarium type tank with a screen lid is needed for each gecko. Many people prefer to use a 20 gallon or 20 long if housing animals together. The basics needed for a comfortable environment are
- A non-particulate substrate (newspaper, paper towels, tile, reptile carpet) that cannot be ingested.
- Additional heat on one side of the home to aid in digestion. (under tank heater, heat cable, or flex-watt tape) Our geckos have a warm side kept at 95 degrees F.
- At least 2 hides-one for the warm side and one for the cool side.
- A constant water source
Additional considerations include:
- Moist hide to aid in shedding. One of the hides may be moistened when the gecko is going into shed, or a third hide may be added, and kept moistened at all times. This is personal preference.
- A dish of calcium without D3Artificial plants and climbing structures-just make sure there are no sharp edges
Hides:
There are many commercial hides available at pet stores and online. One observation we have made is that many leopard geckos will choose a hide as a bathroom. We have found that hides made of porous materials (coconut shells, logs, etc…) tend to collect odors and are not as easy to sterilize as non-porous materials (plastic, foam, painted and sealed ceramics, etc…). Your hides do not need to be fancy. We use Gladware containers with the center cut out of the lid. We use paper towels as substrate in the hides.
Heating:
As mentioned above leopard geckos require belly heat to aid in digestion. There are heating pads known as under tank heaters (UTH) that can be purchased at your local pet store or online. Other choices are heat cable or flex-watt tape. The best method to keep a constant temperature is to purchase a thermostat for your heating device. Do NOT use a heat rock. These tend to give too much direct heat, and can burn the delicate skin on the belly and extremities of the gecko.
Basking lamps or UVA/UVB lights are not needed as leopard geckos are nocturnal animals. Some albino morphs are also light sensitive.
Dietary Considerations:
Leopard Geckos are insectivores. They do not require fruits and veggies. It is good to provide a proper diet to the insects that you feed to them. It is best to “gutload” the insects at least 24 hours prior to feeding them to your gecko. This ensures that they are getting better nutrition. We use ProGutload from ProGeckos for all of our feeders. You can use potato, carrot, squash or commercial water crystals for a water source. There are commercial “cricket keepers” available or you can create your own container for whichever feeder you choose to use.
If unsure how to keep your feeders, feel free to contact us for more information.
Geckos get much of their water from the insects they eat, but do require additional water, so a fresh water source is needed. Water can be kept in a shallow dish, and changed daily.
Supplementation:
It is good to supplement your gecko’s diet. This is easily done by using vitamin and calcium powders to dust the insects immediately before feeding. Also, a dish of calcium without D3 may be kept in the home at all times, and the gecko will lap it up as needed. We use Rep-Cal calcium with D3 for dusting, and Rep-Cal calcium without D3 in the enclosure. We also use Herptivite to dust the feeders. Dusting is accomplished by placing a small amount of the powder in a container with a lid. Put the insects in it, and shake it up. Calcium is very important to the proper bone development of a gecko, as well as egg development for breeding females.
Handling:
Your new gecko may take some time to get acquainted with its new surroundings. During this time you may want to keep handling down to a minimum. Remember, leopard geckos can drop their tails as a way to escape a threat. NEVER grab your gecko by the tail.
Any further questions please feel free to contact us.
Phone: 330.814.8159 or 330.205.7163
Email at: info@retributionreptiles.com