The Ultimate Guide To Leopard Gecko Care
- Leopard Geckos Reptiles
Jade Messieh- 0
- 7 minutes read
What Do I Need To Take Care Of A Leopard Gecko?
Leopard gecko care is very easy. The supplies that you need to provide the best care for a leopard gecko are a terrarium, substrate, lighting, food, water, and humidity.
Terrarium
Leopard geckos can reach up to 10 inches in length. I would recommend a 20-30 gallon tank because that will give them a lot of room to explore. A bigger tank is especially better if you are housing more than one leopard gecko too. The terrarium needs to be well ventilated as well so they don’t get too hot from their heat lamp.
Substrate
Leopard geckos come from a desert environment. A great substrate to use for your leopard gecko is calcium sand. If you are starting off with leopard geckos that are still juveniles, then you should start with reptile carpet. A leopard gecko smaller than 6 inches could accidentally swallow some of their sand and cause some health issues like impaction.
Your gecko is going to have soft little feet. You need to make sure the substrate you use does not have chemicals, oils, or anything sharp in it. This could irritate their skin and cut them. Wood is not recommended. The reptile carpet and calcium sand are the better choices for leopard gecko substrates.
Lighting
Leopard geckos are nocturnal. However, they still need lighting to recreate the sun. The lighting that a leopard gecko needs is 5.0 UVB lighting. Since they are desert animals, they get about 12 hours of sunlight in the wild.
You will need a UVB bulb, a ceramic heat bulb, and a night light if you want to see what your leopard gecko does at night. The night light can be a red or blue ceramic heat bulb.
The UVB and heat light need to be placed directly over the basking spot. Dome covers will prevent the lights from touching the mesh top of the terrarium.
One trick that I use to make sure my reptiles get enough lighting is to hook their lights up to a timer. When you have a busy schedule, it can be hard to remember when to turn their lights on and off. The timer helps make lighting be low maintenance.
The heat lamp needs to be on constantly because if the temperature in the tank drops too low too fast, your leopard gecko will go into shock. Ceramic heat bulbs last a long time and are safe to use.
Tank temperatures need to range from 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit in their basking spot. At night, their tanks need to be around 72-75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Humidity
Even though leopard geckos are desert animals, they still need the proper humidity in their tank to help with shedding, good health, and proper digestion. The humidity levels need to be kept between 30%-40%.
You can provide humidity by having a warm side and a cool side of the tank. The warm side is where the UVB and heat bulb are located. The cool side can have a small den or hiding place on the other side of the tank. Leaving their water bowl full can help with humidity. There are hygrometers that you can get to manage the tank humidity.
Food/Water
Leopard geckos only eat insects. The insects you need to feed your leopard geckos are crickets, wax worms, and mealworms. Crickets and wax worms should be what they eat the most.
The insects need to be store bought. You cannot feed your leopard gecko insects from the wild because those will most likely carry parasites that can harm your gecko. Store bred insects are significantly safer to feed to your gecko.
The insects need to be gut loaded to provide extra nutrients for your gecko. Juvenile leopard geckos need to be fed every day. Adults that are done growing can be fed three times a week.
One more important thing to know about feeding a leopard gecko is that you need to dust their insects with calcium powder. The calcium powder helps prevent metabolic bone disease and promotes great health.
Leopard geckos just need a water bowl that they can drink out of. They will occasionally climb into their bowl and relax in the water. I recommend getting a water bowl that is maybe an inch deep.
Their water needs to be changed out often so they can always drink fresh water. It is possible that they can use the bathroom in their water bowl too. Always change the water a couple times a week.
Housing
After adding in the substrate, you can place little dens, rocks or logs around the terrarium. Leopard geckos love to hide and play. If you give them a lot of little objects to crawl on or hide in, they will be very happy.
The basking rock needs to be on the warm side of the terrarium. The hiding den or other objects to play on need to be put near the cooler side of the tank without the heat lamp. Their water bowl should be located closer to the warm side of the terrarium.
If you get more than one leopard gecko, there are housing rules that you need to follow to prevent an aggressive or dominance behaviors. You can have three leopard geckos in a tank if you have one male with two other females. Placing more than one male in a tank will cause aggression.
Wrapping Up
Leopard gecko care is very easy and they do not require very much maintenance. They make great pets because they have a very docile temperament. Three can be housed together at the same time because more than one is so much fun. They require very little supplies as well making them a very affordable pet to have.
