Leopard Geckos

 Introduction

            Leopard geckos hail from the countries of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan and are ground-dwelling geckos. This means that they lack the ability that a lot of geckos have to scale vertical surfaces. These geckos are...

very easy to care for and have been in the pet trade for years. You can find many different morphs available for them. With all these different morphs, prices range from as little as $15 all the way up to $300 and possibly even more. These lizards are very hardy and have been known to live for 18 years.

Choosing a Specimen

            You will not have to worry about purchasing a wild leopard gecko because almost all of these geckos available today have been captive bred. Make sure that the gecko you choose is alert and doesn’t have sunken or swollen eyes. These lizards are fairly bulky lizards and shouldn’t appear skinny. Make sure not to choose a specimen that you can see any bones under the skin or the tail is extremely skinny. The gecko should appear alert and should be quick to open its eyes when disturbed. The cage should look clean with a bowl of clean water in it.

 Housing

            Leopard geckos are very easy to house. One can easily be housed in a 10-gallon aquarium. Be sure to include a hide box. Since these animals are nocturnal you will most likely see them active at night and they will need someplace during the day to feel safe and sleep. Any other furniture added is mainly optional.

 Heating and Lighting

            Special UVB lighting is not required for these geckos since they are nocturnal, however, they still nee some sort of lighting to help set up the proper photoperiod. You should set up a basking light in the cage so there can be a temperature gradient. The hot end should be around 90 where the lower end should be around 80. Be sure to place the basking light on the opposite side of the hidebox. The light should be on around 10-12 hours a day. An under the tank heat pad can also be sued to help heat the cage. If you wish to view your gecko at night, be sure to buy a specially made night viewing bulb to be sure u do not disturb your animal’s natural activities.

 Water and Humidity

            Even though leopard geckos are desert creatures, you still need to provide water to them, preferably de-chlorinated. This should be offered daily. Humidity should be around 40-50%.

 Food

            Leopard geckos will eat a diet of mainly crickets. These should be offered 2-3x per week. Be sure to dust your crickets with a vitamin/mineral and calcium powder. Mealworms and Waxworms can be offered as a treat every one in a while but shouldn’t make up the bulk of their diet. If using sand as a substrate you might want to consider using a separate cage to feed your gecko in. This is because the ingestion of sand can cause intestinal impaction, which can be fatal.

 Substrate

            Substrate can be as easy as old newspapers. This is an easy solution because whenever they are soiled, you can just throw it away and get a new sheet. Sand is another substrate you can use. Either calcium sand or regular playsand is fine. I have heard that sometimes juveniles tend to eat the calcium sand for no reason, which can cause intestinal impaction. So be sure to keep juveniles on newspaper until they are at least adults. Cage carpet in another solution but I have heard that this is not a good substrate because the gecko’s nails get cause in the weaving and can tear out.

 Supplies

• 10-gallon aquarium
• Heat Lamp
• 2x Thermometers
• 1x Hygrometers
• Sand
• Calcium powder
• Vitamin Powder
• Water Dish
• Hide Box