Size
Leopard geckos get around 7 to 9 inches long when full grown. Hatchlings are 2 to 3 inches long while Juveniles are 4 to 6 inches long.
Housing
The size of aquarium (vivarium) you get depends on how many Leopard geckos you want. One juvenile leopard gecko can be housed in a 10 gallon aquarium, while one adult can be housed in a 20 gallon aquarium. One to two Leopard geckos can be housed in a 25 gallon. Two to three Leopard geckos can be housed in a 20 gallon long. I recommend staying under 40 gal., because leopard geckos housed any larger than that often stray away from their heat source.
Another thing to remember is to never house males together. They will fight and there have been reports of males killing themselves. You can house females together though, but you have to keep the amount under 5 (unless you’re breeding) because any larger than that it can be hard for you to make sure everyone is getting their fair share. Remember that leopard geckos are solitary and prefer being housed alone.
Heating
The most common mistake people make is using a heat emitter or heat bulb for the leopard gecko’s heat source. You need to provide a heat source from under, not above. You will need a heat pad (also known as an Under Tank Heater), nothing more, and nothing less. To view your pet at night, you can purchase a light bulb that produces little light yet enough for you to see your pet. When you are done viewing, turn off the light. You need to make sure the light bulb is made for reptiles too. Please avoid heat rocks as these have been known to get too hot and burn reptiles.
Temperatures
When the heat pad is placed on one side of the enclosure, it will create a warm and cool side. You will need to place one thermometer on each side. The warm side should be 88-93° F. The cool side should be 73-77° F.
Feeding
The most commonly fed insects are crickets, mealworms, and waxworms. Other foods that are okay to feed include roach nymphs/babies, superworms, and pinkies. If you plan on feeding anything that was not listed, it is best to ask your reptile vet if it is okay first. The feeding amount depends on how much your gecko will eat in 10-15 minutes. After you’ve found out the amount it’ll eat, you will need to feed that amount every day. Read below to find out about each food I listed and how often you can feed it.
• Crickets; these are healthy and can be fed as a staple food.
• Mealworms; these are healthy and can be fed as a staple food.
• Waxworms; these are high in fat and should not be fed very often. Max is once or twice a month.
• Roach nymphs/baby roaches, not recommended for babies; should be fed to only adults. They’re healthy and can be fed often.
• Superworms; not recommended for babies due to their size; should be fed only to adults. They’re healthy and can be fed often, but not as a staple food.
- Pinkies; not recommend for babies at all due to their size; should be fed only to adults. They're really high in fat and should not be fed often, just once a month as a treat if you wish.
Remember that the food item should not be any larger than the space between the gecko’s eyes or the gecko can choke on it or will simply refuse to eat it. Fresh, clean water should always be available and changed daily.
Supplements
You will need to coat the insects’ in a calcium powder and a multivitamin. Dust the insects in calcium powder with D3 two times a week. Dust the insects in calcium powder without D3 four times a week. Dust the insects in the multivitamin once a week. You will need two types of calcium powder; calcium powder with D3 and without D3. Any multivitamin for geckos is fine to use. Are you wondering how to coat the insects in the powder? It’s simple. Get a sandwich bag and put some insects inside it. Pour some of the powder into the bag, close it, and shake it until the insects are coated in the powder.
Gut-loading
You will need to gut-load the insects before you feed them to the gecko. Fruits, such as apples, pears, and carrots are fine to use. Quaker oats (regular) is perfect to use as a worm’s bedding.
Substrate
The substrate is the flooring of your gecko’s cage. Avoid bark, cedar, pine, soil, sand, calcium sand, vita-sand, and any other loose substrates. Sand has been known to cause impaction, the blockage of the intestines, which is painful and fatal if not treated by a reptile veterinarian. Paper towels, newspaper, reptile carpet, and ceramic/slate tile are safe to use.
What You Will Need
• An appropriately sized aquarium (vivarium) with a screen lid
• One heat pad
• Two thermometers
• A mister (to mist the moist hide)
• Reptile carpet, paper towels, etc.
• Two normal hides
• A moist hide
• Light bulb with fixture (optional)
• Hydrometer (optional)
A food dish is optional but a water dish is needed.
Cleaning
You have to change the substrate once a week. If you're going to use ceramic or slate tile, just wipe it down with a damp paper towel. Mist the moist hide with warm water daily. Change the moist hide's substrate (paper towels or sphagnum moss) once or twice a week. Spot clean daily. Once you find the area your gecko uses the bathroom at, put a paper towel/napkin there so you can just pick it up daily. Wash everything with soap once a month (the hides, moist hide, tank, and any decor.) If you use ceramic or slate tile, just wipe it down with soap. Be careful not to get any water in the cracks of the tile. Wash the hides with warm soap. I recommend just wiping the moist hide with a damp paper towel, then dry it, and mist warm water on it again because it's pretty hard getting all the soap off, from my experience.
Good luck!
------
This was sent to me by my local reptile shop. Is this how to care for a Leopard gecko? This will be my first one and I would like to make sure. I have also done a load of research and this seems to be correct.
Leopard geckos get around 7 to 9 inches long when full grown. Hatchlings are 2 to 3 inches long while Juveniles are 4 to 6 inches long.
Housing
The size of aquarium (vivarium) you get depends on how many Leopard geckos you want. One juvenile leopard gecko can be housed in a 10 gallon aquarium, while one adult can be housed in a 20 gallon aquarium. One to two Leopard geckos can be housed in a 25 gallon. Two to three Leopard geckos can be housed in a 20 gallon long. I recommend staying under 40 gal., because leopard geckos housed any larger than that often stray away from their heat source.
Another thing to remember is to never house males together. They will fight and there have been reports of males killing themselves. You can house females together though, but you have to keep the amount under 5 (unless you’re breeding) because any larger than that it can be hard for you to make sure everyone is getting their fair share. Remember that leopard geckos are solitary and prefer being housed alone.
Heating
The most common mistake people make is using a heat emitter or heat bulb for the leopard gecko’s heat source. You need to provide a heat source from under, not above. You will need a heat pad (also known as an Under Tank Heater), nothing more, and nothing less. To view your pet at night, you can purchase a light bulb that produces little light yet enough for you to see your pet. When you are done viewing, turn off the light. You need to make sure the light bulb is made for reptiles too. Please avoid heat rocks as these have been known to get too hot and burn reptiles.
Temperatures
When the heat pad is placed on one side of the enclosure, it will create a warm and cool side. You will need to place one thermometer on each side. The warm side should be 88-93° F. The cool side should be 73-77° F.
Feeding
The most commonly fed insects are crickets, mealworms, and waxworms. Other foods that are okay to feed include roach nymphs/babies, superworms, and pinkies. If you plan on feeding anything that was not listed, it is best to ask your reptile vet if it is okay first. The feeding amount depends on how much your gecko will eat in 10-15 minutes. After you’ve found out the amount it’ll eat, you will need to feed that amount every day. Read below to find out about each food I listed and how often you can feed it.
• Crickets; these are healthy and can be fed as a staple food.
• Mealworms; these are healthy and can be fed as a staple food.
• Waxworms; these are high in fat and should not be fed very often. Max is once or twice a month.
• Roach nymphs/baby roaches, not recommended for babies; should be fed to only adults. They’re healthy and can be fed often.
• Superworms; not recommended for babies due to their size; should be fed only to adults. They’re healthy and can be fed often, but not as a staple food.
- Pinkies; not recommend for babies at all due to their size; should be fed only to adults. They're really high in fat and should not be fed often, just once a month as a treat if you wish.
Remember that the food item should not be any larger than the space between the gecko’s eyes or the gecko can choke on it or will simply refuse to eat it. Fresh, clean water should always be available and changed daily.
Supplements
You will need to coat the insects’ in a calcium powder and a multivitamin. Dust the insects in calcium powder with D3 two times a week. Dust the insects in calcium powder without D3 four times a week. Dust the insects in the multivitamin once a week. You will need two types of calcium powder; calcium powder with D3 and without D3. Any multivitamin for geckos is fine to use. Are you wondering how to coat the insects in the powder? It’s simple. Get a sandwich bag and put some insects inside it. Pour some of the powder into the bag, close it, and shake it until the insects are coated in the powder.
Gut-loading
You will need to gut-load the insects before you feed them to the gecko. Fruits, such as apples, pears, and carrots are fine to use. Quaker oats (regular) is perfect to use as a worm’s bedding.
Substrate
The substrate is the flooring of your gecko’s cage. Avoid bark, cedar, pine, soil, sand, calcium sand, vita-sand, and any other loose substrates. Sand has been known to cause impaction, the blockage of the intestines, which is painful and fatal if not treated by a reptile veterinarian. Paper towels, newspaper, reptile carpet, and ceramic/slate tile are safe to use.
What You Will Need
• An appropriately sized aquarium (vivarium) with a screen lid
• One heat pad
• Two thermometers
• A mister (to mist the moist hide)
• Reptile carpet, paper towels, etc.
• Two normal hides
• A moist hide
• Light bulb with fixture (optional)
• Hydrometer (optional)
A food dish is optional but a water dish is needed.
Cleaning
You have to change the substrate once a week. If you're going to use ceramic or slate tile, just wipe it down with a damp paper towel. Mist the moist hide with warm water daily. Change the moist hide's substrate (paper towels or sphagnum moss) once or twice a week. Spot clean daily. Once you find the area your gecko uses the bathroom at, put a paper towel/napkin there so you can just pick it up daily. Wash everything with soap once a month (the hides, moist hide, tank, and any decor.) If you use ceramic or slate tile, just wipe it down with soap. Be careful not to get any water in the cracks of the tile. Wash the hides with warm soap. I recommend just wiping the moist hide with a damp paper towel, then dry it, and mist warm water on it again because it's pretty hard getting all the soap off, from my experience.
Good luck!
------
This was sent to me by my local reptile shop. Is this how to care for a Leopard gecko? This will be my first one and I would like to make sure. I have also done a load of research and this seems to be correct.
