Eublepharis macularius - The Leopard Gecko
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Introduction
This is a brief explanation of how I personally keep leopard geckos. It should not be the only resource you rely on when researching them! It’s just an overview of the basic husbandry requirements that I employ. Leopard geckos are my "go to" beginner reptile. They're small, but large enough to handle comfortably, have very basic care requirements, and come in so many fun color morphs! The vast majority of leopard geckos are great pets, and tolerate handling exceptionally well. They make excellent pets for reptile enthusiasts of all ages, and are a great first reptile for children and teens. Leopard Gecko Distribution and Natural Habitats:
Leopard geckos are native to a fairly large range in the Middle East, including Southern Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northwestern India, Iraq, and Iran. The habitats they reside in range from arid grasslands, to scrubs, to semi-deserts. Leopard geckos are crepuscular, meaning they are most active in early morning and dusk. Their diet consists primarily of insects, though they likely feed opportunistically on small vertebrates (rodents, lizards) in the wild. |
An adult male RADAR leopard gecko
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Captive Husbandry
An adult male rescue leopard gecko
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The Basics:
Temperature: 70-95F Cage Size Minimum (for adult leos): 20g "long" aquarium Humidity: 20-50% Diet: Insects |
Husbandry Details
Temperature and Heating
It’s ideal to create a temperature gradient to allow the gecko to choose the temperature it needs at a given moment. The surface temperature on the "hot side" of the enclosure should be in the 90-95F range. The temperature of the "cool" side of the cage should be in the 70-78F range. There are several different heating options for leopard gecko enclosures:
IMPORTANT NOTE: ALL heating elements should be controlled with a proper thermostat or dimmer.
UTH (under tank heaters) provide belly heat, UTH work well with nearly all cage types. UTH are usually either heat pads (designed for use with reptiles) or heat tape (which is not designed for use with reptiles but is widely used in herpetoculture).
If you want to use an overhead heating element, I recommend using an RHP (radiant heat emitter) or a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) over heat bulbs for leopard geckos. RHPs and CHEs do not emit light so they can be kept on during the night - most reptiles have fairly complex color vision and can see the red light emitted by “night time” heat lamps. Heat lamps / halogen bulbs can be used as heating for leopard geckos as long as they are not a light sensitive morph (albinos) and the night time temperatures remain above 80F. What heating option you choose will largely be based on the type of enclosure setup you are using.
It’s ideal to create a temperature gradient to allow the gecko to choose the temperature it needs at a given moment. The surface temperature on the "hot side" of the enclosure should be in the 90-95F range. The temperature of the "cool" side of the cage should be in the 70-78F range. There are several different heating options for leopard gecko enclosures:
IMPORTANT NOTE: ALL heating elements should be controlled with a proper thermostat or dimmer.
UTH (under tank heaters) provide belly heat, UTH work well with nearly all cage types. UTH are usually either heat pads (designed for use with reptiles) or heat tape (which is not designed for use with reptiles but is widely used in herpetoculture).
If you want to use an overhead heating element, I recommend using an RHP (radiant heat emitter) or a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) over heat bulbs for leopard geckos. RHPs and CHEs do not emit light so they can be kept on during the night - most reptiles have fairly complex color vision and can see the red light emitted by “night time” heat lamps. Heat lamps / halogen bulbs can be used as heating for leopard geckos as long as they are not a light sensitive morph (albinos) and the night time temperatures remain above 80F. What heating option you choose will largely be based on the type of enclosure setup you are using.
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Cage Size
I start hatchlings in 6qt tubs. I typically move the babies up into 16qt tubs once they are over 20-25g. I don't ship leopard geckos until they are at least 15g so my hatchlings are robust enough to be placed in either a 10g (or similar sized vivarium, tub, etc) or the adult enclosure immediately. The minimum enclosure size for an adult leopard gecko is a 20g long aquarium which measures 30"x12"x12" (or a similarly sized vivarium, tub, etc). The exo-terra medium/low and medium/wide work very well for leos. With leopard geckos, you can always go bigger! A 40g breeder tank is an excellent size for them as well if you'd like something larger than the standard 20g. |
A hatchling RADAR leopard gecko
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Can I keep more than one leopard gecko in the same setup?
This is a question I get pretty frequently.
The short answer is NO, I don't advise keeping multiple leopard geckos in the same enclosure.
There really aren't any benefits to the geckos themselves, only the keeper (since they only have to purchase one cage).
The main reasons to NOT keep them together are that the vast majority of cohabbing attempts with leopard geckos will end in fights and injuries. Two males in the same enclosure will fight and can kill each other. A male with a female or several females will harass them to breed, which often ends in fights and stressed, skinny females. You also have the issue of not being able to reliably track the individual health of your animals since it's much more difficult to discern which stool belongs to which gecko, etc.
In my opinion, the risks involved with cohabbing leopard geckos outweighs the convenience of having fewer cages.
This is a question I get pretty frequently.
The short answer is NO, I don't advise keeping multiple leopard geckos in the same enclosure.
There really aren't any benefits to the geckos themselves, only the keeper (since they only have to purchase one cage).
The main reasons to NOT keep them together are that the vast majority of cohabbing attempts with leopard geckos will end in fights and injuries. Two males in the same enclosure will fight and can kill each other. A male with a female or several females will harass them to breed, which often ends in fights and stressed, skinny females. You also have the issue of not being able to reliably track the individual health of your animals since it's much more difficult to discern which stool belongs to which gecko, etc.
In my opinion, the risks involved with cohabbing leopard geckos outweighs the convenience of having fewer cages.
Lighting / UVB
UVB lighting is not necessary for leopard geckos as long as they are supplemented with calcium+D3 and vitamins properly. It can be beneficial and provides good environmental enrichment to use low-medium level UVB with non-albino morphs. Albino leopard geckos (all three strains) are light sensitive. They should not be kept with direct UVB light because it can damage their eyes. For my pet leopard geckos that I keep in tanks, I use the 6% Arcadia brand T5 UVB bulb that I have on from 9AM-7PM. When using UVB with leopard geckos, it's important to give them choices about their exposure to UVB. Always provide plenty of hides and fake (or real) foliage to diffuse and block the light in areas of the cage so they can self-regulate when they bask and when they need to retreat from the light.
UVB lighting is not necessary for leopard geckos as long as they are supplemented with calcium+D3 and vitamins properly. It can be beneficial and provides good environmental enrichment to use low-medium level UVB with non-albino morphs. Albino leopard geckos (all three strains) are light sensitive. They should not be kept with direct UVB light because it can damage their eyes. For my pet leopard geckos that I keep in tanks, I use the 6% Arcadia brand T5 UVB bulb that I have on from 9AM-7PM. When using UVB with leopard geckos, it's important to give them choices about their exposure to UVB. Always provide plenty of hides and fake (or real) foliage to diffuse and block the light in areas of the cage so they can self-regulate when they bask and when they need to retreat from the light.
Humidity
Leopard geckos are pretty tolerant of a wider range of humidity levels as long as good ventilation is in place. I do recommend having a humid hide in your leopard gecko enclosure. This can be as simple as a plastic food storage container with a hole cut out of the lid filled halfway with damp substrate (damp paper towel, sphagnum moss, or coco fiber). Providing a humid hide at all times lowers the chance that your leopard gecko will have stuck shed around the toes, which is a common issue with them and can be very frustrating to correct.
Leopard geckos are pretty tolerant of a wider range of humidity levels as long as good ventilation is in place. I do recommend having a humid hide in your leopard gecko enclosure. This can be as simple as a plastic food storage container with a hole cut out of the lid filled halfway with damp substrate (damp paper towel, sphagnum moss, or coco fiber). Providing a humid hide at all times lowers the chance that your leopard gecko will have stuck shed around the toes, which is a common issue with them and can be very frustrating to correct.
Substrate
An adult female Firebold leopard gecko
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What substrate to keep your leopard gecko on is probably the biggest point of contention in the leopard gecko hobby. The debate boils down to "loose substrate vs solid surface". I tend to be pretty moderate on this issue. A little loose substrate is not going to cause a healthy leopard gecko to get impacted and die when kept at proper temperatures (contrary to popular belief). I will say though, some leopard geckos cannot be trusted on loose substrate. I have a few that will eat dirt by the mouthful. So I really recommend you monitor your animal closely and make a substrate choice that works best for the individual. |
There are several common substrate options that I think are poor choices for use with leopard geckos, some that I would recommend with some supervision, and some that are pretty fool-proof and very easy to use.
I'll break them down into categories:
I'll break them down into categories:
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DO NOT USE:
NOT APPROPRIATE WHEN USED SINGLY:
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USE WITH CAUTION:
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There are pros and cons to each substrate choice, again, do what works best for you and your gecko. I use a naturalistic / bioactive mix for my pet geckos and use a combination of paper towel and ceramic / slate tile for my breeders. All of the hatchlings are kept on paper towel.
Cage Decor
The cage should be furnished with several hides, at least one in the warm side, cool side, and one humid hide. Rocks and branches for climbing should be provided, although be sure they are very secure and can't roll. Cork rounds and flats are great options for leopard geckos. The cage decor can be as simplistic or naturalistic as you like! As long as the gecko has the ability to display its natural behaviors, it doesn’t really matter what the cage aesthetic is like. A small sized water bowl should be provided at all times.
The cage should be furnished with several hides, at least one in the warm side, cool side, and one humid hide. Rocks and branches for climbing should be provided, although be sure they are very secure and can't roll. Cork rounds and flats are great options for leopard geckos. The cage decor can be as simplistic or naturalistic as you like! As long as the gecko has the ability to display its natural behaviors, it doesn’t really matter what the cage aesthetic is like. A small sized water bowl should be provided at all times.
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Feeding and Supplementation
Leopard geckos feed on insects. I recommend feeding them a variety of prey species. Hatchlings (<30g) should be fed daily. Sub-adults (>30g) should be fed every other day. Adults can be fed every other day to every 3 days depending on their body condition and how they maintain their weights.
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Staple Feeder Insects:
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"Treat" Feeder Insects (feed sparingly):
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Vitamins and Supplements
It's important to dust your gecko's food with calcium + D3 and other vitamins in order to keep them healthy. I use several brands and rotate them. I dust every other feeding and also leave a small amount of calcium in my breeding female's enclosures.
It's important to dust your gecko's food with calcium + D3 and other vitamins in order to keep them healthy. I use several brands and rotate them. I dust every other feeding and also leave a small amount of calcium in my breeding female's enclosures.
Brands of Vitamins and Supplements I use and recommend:
- Repashy Calcium Plus (all in one, very easy to use)
- Zoo Med Repti-Calcium with D3
- Herptivite (multivitamin)