Care Sheet for Geckos: LeopardAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 3.00 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 11/27/2004 |
Main Category: | Lizards |
Sub Category: | Geckos: Leopard |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Jillybean |
Years Experience: | 1 to 2 Years |
Species: | Leopard Gecko |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | Any and all species of leopard geckos. |
Sexing and Characteristics: | Male leopard geckos have bulges located behind the vent, below the tail. They also have pre-anal pores in a V-shape above the vent.
Females normally lack both the bulges and the pores, although they can have a slight bulge beneath the tail. |
Mostly Active During: | Night |
Substrate and Water Needs: | Substrate-You can use paper towels, newspaper, reptile carpet, or sand. However sand is HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED. When ingested, sand can become lodged in your gecko’s intestinal track and cause impaction, which can be very severe in some cases and even result in the death of your leo if not properly treated. Impaction is a condition geckos can have if they ingest their substrate, which then proves to be indigestible and builds up in their intestine. Signs of impaction: Not eating/defecating regularly.
Water-You will need a shallow water dish for your gecko, and will need to change the water at least once a week to prevent bacteria from growing. |
Lighting and UVB: | You can use a Moon glo bulb by Exo Terra-that’s what I use-to view your gecko during night time when they are most active or a UV bulb, though neither are necessary. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | Your temperatures need to be from 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit on the warm side, and 75-80 degrees on the cool side. Humidity levels in the tank should be anywhere from 77% to 85%.
To reach proper humidity levels and assist your gecko in it’s shed, you will need a humid hide. To make one, you can use a simple Tupperware container, or even an I-can’t-believe-it’s not butter tub. : )
Cut a hole a little bigger than your leo’s head in the container, and smooth out the edges with a file. Fill the container with peat moss or bed-a-beast to ensure the humidity. Put your container on the warm side of the tank, and be sure to spray it a little every other day, or even every day to keep it nice and moist. |
Heating and Equipment: | Tank-You need ten gallons per gecko, so no more than one gecko to a ten gallon tank.
Heating-I recommend the use of a UTH, or an Under Tank Heater. They work well at keeping your gecko warm and happy, and help with digestion as well. You could also use a heat lamp.
Furniture-There should be at least one hide on the warm side, and one hide on the cool side, along with a humid hide. The more hides, the better, thought be sure to leave a spot open for your gecko to poop. |
Caging Provided: | The rule of thumb: Ten gallons to a gecko. NEVER HOUSE MALES TOGETHER as they will become territorial and fight. Be careful when housing females together, as they can be aggressive as well.
If you want to house two geckos together, you will first need to quarantine them both, which means putting them in separate tanks. The quarantine should last for at least sixty days, to make sure that both geckos are healthy.
To be positive of your gecko’s health, you will need to take it to the vet for a stool sample check for parasites and a visual exam to ensure your gecko’s overall health.
When you plan on putting your geckos together, introduce them in a tank neither of them have seen before, or one they do not live in. (I.e.-Feeder tank) Watch them closely, make sure neither of them are aggressive. While they meet each other, re-arrange the tank you will be putting them in. Make sure the hides are in different locations then before so that if you had one living in that tank, it will not recognize its old home and become territorial. Put your geckos in their new tank and watch them explore, while keeping a close eye on them for the next few days. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | These geckos are strictly insectivores, and will eat crickets, mealworms, silkworms, lobster roaches, superworms, and waxworms.
Crickets are a good staple diet, though they are less nutritious than, say, mealworms.
Mealworms are more nutritious, but harder to digest than crickets because of the chitin in their shells.
Silkworms are high in nutrition, and very easy to digest, but extremely hard to find.
Lobster roaches are also very nutritious and easy to digest, and can be bought from a feeder breeder. (No rhyme intended, lol)
Superworms are good for your animal and help vary their diet, but are best fed to only adult geckos as they are very large.
Waxworms are very fatty and easy to digest, but can be addictive. Be careful when feeding these to your gecko, they can be very unhealthy...
Some breeders will also feed pinky mice to gravid (pregnant) adult females. I don’t like this idea at all, and wouldn’t go anywhere near pinky mice with my leos if i was you--geckos can have a hard time digesting mealworms, let alone the bones in pinky mice. Pinky mice are also very fattening and filling, so if you EVER plan on feeding these to your gecko be extremely careful. ONLY feed pinkies if your gecko is over a year old, IF at ANY time at all.
Your gecko will eat until it is full, so do not worry about overfeeding it. If your gecko seems to be a bottomless pit and eats non-stop, feed it only as much as it will eat in ten minutes. Be careful about leaving crickets in the cage, and do not leave them in for more than thirty minutes without food--they can nibble on and irritate your gecko. If you do plan on leaving crickets in the cage, put a carrot in there and a rock in the middle of you water dish so the crickets will be able to get out when they try to get a drink and won’t drown.
I myself feed crickets, mealworms, and waxworms as the occasional treat. I feed both my geckos at separate times, in a small feeder tank. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | You will need to dust your crickets with calcium every day, and offer a calcium dish in your tank. Dust the crickets with calcium and D3 every OTHER day for juveniles and once a week for adults, and DO NOT offer a dish of D3 and calcium-leopard geckos can overdose on D3 and it can be fatal.
You can also dust your crickets or gecko diet with extra vitamins and minerals that you find in pet shops, though you will need to research them and make sure they are gecko-appropriate. Minerals can be very pricey, just a warning. |
Maintenance: | You gecko will choose one spot to poop in, and all you must do is clean that spot at least once a week. These are very cleanly animals, and are very easy to maintain. |
Some Words on this Species: | This is a really great gecko, and they are fun to own!! I’m really interested in knowing all I can about the little guys, and if you need anything else you are welcome to come to the leopard gecko forum at this website--everyone is very friendly and willing to give out any kind of help when needed. Good luck with your little one, they are truly awesome creatures! |
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