The following post is from my website at https://www.petcaresheet.com.

Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)

The leopard gecko is one of the most commonly kept pet lizard today. It has been bred in captivity for over 30 years and there are many different colour variations available. The various colours are often called “morphs”. Despite its name, the leopard gecko does not have sticky pads that geckos are most known for. They are ground dwelling lizards native to Pakistan and India.

Leopard geckos are calm and inquisitive lizards that can be handled making them suitable for children. If you are thinking about getting a pet lizard, this is definitely a species you should consider.

Buying a leopard gecko

When buying a leopard gecko there are a number of factors you will want to consider before buying it. Firstly, how much can you afford to spend on getting your new pet? Don’t forget you will have to buy all the equipment for keeping it as well as paying for the gecko itself and food in the future.

Secondly, where will you get your pet leopard gecko from? You can easily find geckos in a pet store. However, you might also consider purchasing a gecko from a private breeder. They can be found at reptile forums or on their own website. You could even try searching for your nearest reptile trade show and buy you leopard gecko there.

Thirdly, captive bred leopard geckos can be found in many different morph variations. They can vary greatly in price from $20 for a wild type or “normal” to rarer morphs worth $100s or even $1000s. There is a big collector’s market for rare morphs of both leopard geckos and other reptiles.

How big do Leopard Geckos get?

Leopard geckos are a manageable size making them ideal as pet lizard. Hatchlings are 3-4 inches long. Adult females are usually 7-8 inches while males are 8-10 inches. There is even a giant morph and super giant morph. They can grow to almost 12 inches in length.

How Long do Leopard Geckos Live?

A typical lifespan for a well-cared for leopard gecko is 6-10 years but it is not unusual for some males to live for longer than 10 year. Compared to other captive reptile species, leopard geckos are long-lived. That’s a bonus of having a leopard gecko.

Housing a Leopard Gecko

An ideal size for a leopard gecko habitat is a 10-20 gallon tank. . You will be able to house 1-2 leopard geckos in a cage this size. Don’t buy a terrarium that is too big. This may cause your leopard gecko to lose its way to its heat mat and hides.

You can also get wooden terrariums with glass sliding doors. These are good for colder homes as they help to retain the heat in the vivarium.

Another option for housing a leopard gecko is using a storage box or RUB as a tank. This will greatly reduce the visibility. This caging method is normally used by reptile breeders or hobbyists with many leopard geckos. If you plan on only having a few leopard geckos you might prefer a more natural habitat set up.

The height of the cage should be at least 1 foot tall and should have a screen top to enable good air circulation.

Your leopard gecko’s tank should have several hide spots for your leopard geckos. There should be hides in the hot end of the tank and in the cool end of the tank to give your pet somewhere to go when it feels too hot or too cold.

In order to shed properly, leopard geckos need a moist hide to help moisten and hydrate the older skin making it easier to peel off. Leopard geckos don’t waste their shed skin. They will eat it, it is thought that this is for getting any nutrients from the shed or to prevent leaving a scent trail for predators.

Filling the moist hide with damp moss or vermiculite will help your leopard gecko shed. If you ever plan on breeding leopard geckos, the will also act as a nest box for egg laying females.

For decor, I like to add cork bark and live or artifical plants. .

Leopard Gecko Lighting and Temperature

The best and easiest way to give your leopard gecko a basking spot so it can heat itself is by using a heat mat. They can be found at any pet store or online. You should avoid getting a heat rock for your pet’s habitat. Heat rocks can become too hot and burn your leopard gecko so it is best to not risk your gecko’s health.

The heat mat should be connected to a thermostat to control the temperature of the vivarium.

To help light up your leopard gecko tank you can place a low-wattage light above the cage. The light can be left on for 12 hours a day. It is important to make sure is low-wattage and is not a heat lamp intended for heating reptile cages. A heat lamp and a heat mat will cook you gecko. Leopard geckos are nocturnal so you do not need a special UVB light for them to bask under.

An ideal temperature for keeping leopard geckos is 88 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit at all times. The ambient air temperature of the room you have the leopard gecko tank in should be above 73 degrees.

Best Substrate for Leopard geckos

I think newspaper is the best substrate for leopard geckos as it is cheap and readily available. You can also use pea gravel, artificial turf, reptile carpet, flat stones or you can even have no substrate.

Sand should be avoided for leopard geckos. They might eat the sand leading to intestinal impaction as the sand get builds up and blocks their digestive system. Leopard geckos are clean and only go to the toilet in one area of their cage. This makes cleaning easier by doing regular spot checks of their terrarium.

Never use any substrates or plants that may have been fertilised or has pesticides used on them.

Feeding Leopard Geckos

Leopard geckos are insectivores and must eat live insects. They will not eat plants, fruit or vegetables. The best live foods for feeding leopard geckos are mealworms and crickets. I like to feed my leopard geckos crickets but I make sure they always have a shallow dish of mealworms available at all times.

If you want to treat your leopard gecko you can feed it waxworms or superworms once a week. If you overfeed waxwormsto leopard geckos they can become addicted to them and may start to refuse other live foods. Pinky mice should only be fed to leopard geckos that are too thin and need to restore fat levels or to egg laying females so they can build up weight. Pinky mice are fatty for leopard geckos.

To give your leopard gecko the most nutritious meal possible, your live insects through a process called “gut loading” 12 hours before you are going to feed your gecko.

Gut loading simply means feeding the insects before you feed them to your pet. This ensure that the insects will be very nutritious. Doing this is very important to the health of your leopard gecko. To gut load your live feeder insects you should feed them pieces of potato. I also like to use crushed cat or dog biscuits as food.

You should dust the food you feed your leopard geckos in order to provide them with important mineral and vitamins as well as calcium. To dust your insects, put them in a plastic bag or a jar and add some powder. Next, gently shake the bag to coat the insects with vitamins. Carefully add the insects to your leopard gecko tank and avoid shaking dust onto your pet. I also like to place a jam jar lid of calcium and vitamins in the vivarium at all times. This way, the gecko can also lick up the powder when it needs minerals.

How Much Should I Feed my Leopard Gecko?

Offer your leopard gecko food that is the same length as the space between the gecko’s eyes. This is a good measurement for the size of food to feed your pet gecko. As for how much you should feed your pet, for every inch your leopard gecko is you should feed two appropriately sized insects. You should feed your gecko every other day, so in a week 3-4 times.

Leopard Gecko Water

A shallow dish with fresh water must be available at all times. This will keep your gecko well hydrated. The dish she be stable and heavy enough that the gecko cannot spill it. The cage substrate should be kept dry. If any spillages do occur clean them up as soon as possible. Make sure that young leopard geckos can get out of the water dish or they may become trapped and drown. Do not add vitamins to the water as it forces the gecko to consume vitamins each time it drinks.

How to Handle a Leopard Gecko

Leopard geckos can be handled and will tolerate being handled. That being said, they should not be handled on a regular basis. This may stress out the gecko and which could make it stop eating. Avoid handling after the gecko has eaten. Handling after eating may cause your leopard gecko to regurgitate its food. Young leopard are fragile and should only be handled when necessary. A gecko that is six inches in length is large enough to handle.

When handling you should sit on the floor. Do not handle your leopard gecko while standing. A fall from such a height could seriously injury and even kill your leopard gecko. While sitting down, let your leopard gecko crawl through loose fingers or walk from one hand to the other. Never hold or grab your leopard gecko’s tail. Doing so may cause it to drop its tail: the tail will come off and over time, your gecko will regrow another tail.

To tame your leopard gecko handle it 10-15 minutes daily until it gets used to you. By using this taming process you can easily tame your leopard gecko in as little as five to seven days. Another way to tame a leopard gecko is to hand feed a leopard gecko. Simply hold a feed insect with your thumb and index finger and hold it near the gecko’s nose. Your leopard gecko will probably eat from your fingers. Hand feeding is fun and you can do it even if you are not trying to tame your gecko.