Care for a Leopard Gecko

If you've decided to purchase a leopard gecko as a new pet, there are a few things you need to know before buying and caring for your reptilian friend. Even "complete kits" can usually use improvement, since inappropriate use of sand or bright lighting is common in general-purpose pet stores. Leopard geckos may have a reputation as easy pets, but be aware that they live for many years and require a carefully controlled environment and diet.

Steps

Setting Up a Living Area

  1. Buy a {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} tank with a screen lid. Purchase a glass or plastic container from a pet store to house your leopard gecko, including a securely fastened screen lid. A secure lid is important, especially if you have a cat. You may find these sold as aquariums, vivariums, or terrariums. If you already have a home for your gecko, skim through this section to make sure it meets your pet's requirements. The tank should be wider than it is tall, as leopard geckos are terrestrial.
    • You can also buy a tank with a sliding door at the front instead of a screen lid. This tank would make it easier to tame your gecko.
    • A {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} tank will hold one to two leopard geckos. It is best to house geckos separately in {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} tanks as these reptiles get extremely stressed and fight if housed together. Even a breeding pair should be separated after mating.[1]
  2. Line the container using solid material, not particulates. Cover the bottom of the container with a layer of special "reptile tile," flat stone tiles, or astroturf. Reptile carpet is an option as well, but your gecko's claws and teeth may get caught in it, and crickets can get under the substrate. You may use paper towels or newspaper instead, but be prepared to replace them regularly as they get dirty or break apart. Crickets can get under this as well. Never use sand, wood shavings, or other materials that create dust and particles, as these can cause serious health problems if the gecko eats it.[1][2]
    • If using stone or another heavy substrate, consider putting a couple layers of paper towel or a handful of dry Eco Earth between the floor and the stone to reduce the chance of breakage and chipping. Sand is another option, but make sure it is not in reach of the gecko.
    • Never use cedar wood chips or other resinous wood, since these may be toxic to leopard geckos. They also have been known to pierce the gecko's gullet.
  3. Heat the tank. Use a heating pad/mat specifically for reptile tanks, or "under tank heater," to heat the tank to 74–80ºF (23.3–26.7ºC). Use thermometers on each side of the cage to keep track of the temperature. During the night, the temperature should drop no lower than 70ºF (21ºC).[3]
  4. Make an even warmer basking spot. Use a low-wattage moonlight lamp to bring one side of the tank to 85–90ºF (29.4–32.2ºC). Leopard geckos need this hot spot to digest their food properly, and to be able to adjust their temperature by moving between warmer and cooler areas of the tank.[1]
    • Don't use a white-light heating lamp, since this will disturb the gecko's sleep schedule. Geckos see in full colour at night, so infrared lamps are also ill-advised.
    • Don't let the temperature get above 94ºF (34.4ºC).
  5. Provide a day/night light cycle. Leopard geckos are crepuscular, meaning they are most active during dawn and dusk, but they are still adapted to live in areas with 14 hours of sunlight a day, or 12 hours during the winter. The easiest way to provide this is through a light above the cage with an automatic timer, available at pet stores, but you can manually turn the light on and off as well. Unlike many reptiles, leopard geckos prefer an ordinary light bulb over a special UV light source, as they do not require UV light.
    • Use a low-wattage or energy-efficient light bulb to avoid overheating the area.
    • You do not need a special light for the gecko's tank if the room it is in has a regulated day/night cycle.
  6. Add two shelters at the lowest to your cage. Purchase rock caves, logs, or any other reptile shelter from a pet store, large enough for the lizard to hide beneath. Alternatively, make these shelters yourself from smooth-sanded PVC piping or other materials, but avoid objects that have been outside, and objects with sharp edges. Place the shelters in three different places, to meet the leopard gecko's needs:[2]
    • Place one shelter on the cooler side of the tank, and keep moist paper towels or sphagnum moss underneath it. This is called the "humid hide," and the floor will need to be moistened regularly to allow the gecko to shed easily. (Keeping this on the hot side is not recommended due to the faster rate of evaporation.)[2])
    • Place a second shelter on the warmer side of the tank, and keep it dry.
    • Optionally, you can add a dry shelter on the cooler side of the tank as well.
  7. Obtain your leopard gecko from a trustworthy source. Find your leopard gecko at a certified breeder if possible, or at a pet store with healthy, well-cared for animals. Select an animal with bright, clean eyes and a fat tail. Missing toes and crusty material around the mouth are signs of illness or retained shed. Do not purchase an unhealthy leopard gecko if you are not prepared to rehabilitate it.
    • If you own a gecko that looks sick, do not allow it to breed. It may produce unhealthy offspring.

Feeding and Regular Care

  1. Provide a shallow water dish. A wide, shallow water bowl is best, to allow the gecko to drink and bathe without a significant risk of drowning. Keep this on the cooler side of the tank. Refill it every day and clean it whenever necessary, typically every other day.
  2. Keep a separate container of live insects. Live crickets and mealworms are the most common food source for leopard gecko pets, but you may use live dubia roaches instead, purchased from pet stores.[4] Butter worms and wax worms are options, but due to their high fat content, you may want to use them as an occasional supplement for variety, rather than a main meal. Wax worms can be addictive to geckos and overfeeding may lead to your gecko refusing other food. Because leopard geckos will rarely eat dead insects, you'll need a plastic container with holes punched in the lid in order to keep the insects alive. You can buy these as needed from pet stores, or maintain a larger container with enough insects to breed.
    • If using crickets, put egg cartons in the container.
    • To make safe and appealing food, the insects should be slightly smaller than the space between the gecko's eyes.
    • If keeping mealworms short-term, store them in the refrigerator. If you are breeding them, keep them at room temperature so some of them morph into beetles.
  3. Add vitamins to the insects. Purchase powdered "calcium without D3" and vitamin with D3 powder for reptiles, often called "dusting powder." Before feeding insects to the gecko, place them in a plastic bag with this powder, and shake the bag until the insects are completely coated with the white powder. Feed these to the geckos immediately, as described below.
    • Typically, you would use vitamin powder every other feeding and calcium powder every three feedings. This can vary based on your gecko's age and diet, so you may want to ask an expert for advice.
  4. Add more nutrients to the insects. Another excellent way to add nutrients to the gecko's diet is to "gut load" the insects. Use a special formula for this purpose, or simply provide your container of insects with fruit, oats, and/or vegetables for 12–24 hours before feeding them to the gecko. Carrot and apple works well. A very important thing is to never mix vitamin and calcium just to make it easier for your as this can actually kill your gecko.[4][5] If you decide to try this, do this in addition to using the dusting powder described above, not as a replacement.
  5. Feed the gecko every one or two days. Leopard geckos under four months old need daily feeding, but feed older geckos every other to third day instead.[5] Generally speaking, each gecko should be fed enough food to eat in 10–15 minutes, or roughly 7-10 crickets.[4] Remove all insects from the cage after 15–20 minutes, since they may attack and damage the leopard gecko's skin or eat the gecko's feces.
    • If your gecko is a slow eater, or appears obese, check the section on health problems for advice.
  6. Clean the tank regularly. Remove feces, dead insects, and other debris from your leopard gecko's tank daily, to reduce the risk of disease and attracting harmful insects. About once a week, wash the entire enclosure with warm water and safe reptile disinfectant, rinsing the disinfectant away before the leopard gecko is returned to its tank. Change the substrate when it begins to have a noticeable odor, usually once every six months.
    • If you are using tiles or a similar, non-disposable substrate, just remove them from the tank temporarily and clean the floor beneath then when you notice a smell.

Keeping a Leopard Gecko Safe and Healthy

  1. Learn how to handle a leopard gecko safely. Wash your hands in warm, soapy water before handling a reptile, to avoid spreading disease to you or the animal. Herd the leopard gecko into your hand, or gently pick it up by the body, cradling it in your hand to provide enough support.[5] Never pick up the animal by the tail, since it can detach its tail in reaction to predators.
    • If the tail does detach, dispose of it, and clean the tank daily to prevent infection at the tail stub until it heals and starts to grow a new tail.
    • Do not smoke in the same room as your gecko, and especially not while holding it.[6]
  2. Understand skin shedding. Leopard geckos shed their skin about once a month, although the exact timing varies with age. The skin will turn grey or white a day or two before the shedding begins. As long as the old skin is successfully removed, usually eaten by the gecko, this is a harmless process and nothing to be concerned about.
    • If the skin gets caught around the toes, gently rub it off with a damp Q-tip. Your gecko probably won't like this, but if left on, the gecko could lose a toe.
    • If the old skin clings to other areas of the gecko, it's generally best to leave it on unless it's near the eyes, as this could cause eye problems. Mist the sides of the tank to keep the air moist, but don't mist the gecko itself.
  3. Check for signs of dehydration. If you keep the "humid hide" shelter moist, as described in the set up section, adult leopard geckos are usually able to regulate their own skin moisture. However, if the gecko develops sunken eyes, constipation, or slow shedding (old, white skin clinging to the new), it may have a serious health problem. You could consider gently misting the gecko's skin once every day or two, but be aware that too much moisture can cause dangerous skin problems.[7][8] It may be safer to take the gecko to a veterinarian.
    • Leopard geckos under a month old may "scream" when misted, but this is not a sign of harm.[5]
  4. Protect the gecko from over-humid conditions. On the other side of the spectrum, if the air is very humid in the area the gecko is kept, consider purchasing a hygrometer to track humidity in the tank. If it rises above 40%, point a fan over the tank or replace the water dish with a smaller one.[2]
  5. Reduce food for an obese gecko. Leopard geckos store fat in their tails, so they should have a wide, fat appearance. However, if the gecko's tail is wider than the body, and/or if fat deposits have built up around the limbs, reduce the amount of food per feeding.[8]
  6. Take your animal to a veterinarian for other problems. Seek urgent veterinary attention if the lizard is not responding to your touch or to food, or if you notice twitching, weight loss in the tail, bleeding, or other serious health problems. Consult a veterinarian within 24 hours if you notice diarrhea, constipation, crusty material building up, or a dark, discolored toe or tail tip.[6] Behavioral changes in eating preferences or sleeping schedule can occur naturally with age, but talking to a veterinarian or reptile expert about them is still recommended.

Tips

  • A well-cared-for leopard gecko often lives for 15 to 20 years, and can live up to 30.[9] Make absolutely sure you can handle the pet for that amount of time.
  • Plants are not necessary for a leopard gecko tank, but can serve as decoration and shelter. Always research a plant online or ask a reptile expert before adding a new plant to a tank, since some plants are toxic to leopard geckos or simply get plastic plants.
  • Leopard geckos are crepuscular; this means they are most active during twilight (i.e, dusk and dawn). They are not nocturnal like many other geckos. [10]
  • As described above, sand is dangerous, especially for hatchlings! If you have an adult gecko that came with sand in the tank, you can reduce the risk of injury by removing the sand and getting a better substrate as soon as you can.
  • Only feed wax worms and/or meal worms 2-3 times a week, if you feed it more often than this the food will not digest properly.
  • Leopard geckos are easy-to-care for animals but should be kept by handlers over seven years of age. Before owning any reptile, they should do research about the pet's needs and handling.
  • Add some cool rocks in the terrarium for him or her to climb on. It can boost their energy and it exercises their body.

Warnings

  • Lizards can carry Salmonella. Always wash your hands before and after handling your lizard or touching anything they come in contact with.
  • Remove uneaten insects out of the tank, as they can attack your lizard.
  • Loud noises can be stressful to lizards.
  • Never use white lights for the lizards, as they can damage their eyesight.
  • Never use hot rocks or rock heaters to warm the cage. The gecko may attempt to bask on these and burn themselves.
  • Housing leos together can be dangerous for them so don't.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=2203
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 http://www.thebeardeddragon.org/leopard-gecko/leopard-gecko-habitat.php
  3. ↑ http://www.thebeardeddragon.org/leopard-gecko/leopard-gecko-habitat.php#temperature
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 http://www.thebeardeddragon.org/leopard-gecko/leopard-gecko-diet.php
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 http://www.lihs.org/files/caresheets/E_macularius.htm
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 http://www.wbeph.com/reptiles/keeping-leopard-geckoes-in-phoenix-arizona/
  7. ↑ http://www.reptileexpert.co.uk/BlisterDisease.html
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 http://books.google.com/books?id=J4ML3UbT3koC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
  9. ↑ http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?c=6016&articleid=2503
  10. ↑ http://www.highscalereptiles.com/leopard-geckos.html
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