If you're thinking of keeping a leopard gecko as a pet, you'll want to make sure you have a good habitat set up before you bring your new pet home. A change of scenery is likely to be stressful enough for a lizard without having to live in a cold, cramped box while its home is put together! Here are a few pointers on creating a comfortable environment for a new leopard gecko.
The first thing you'll want to think about is where your leopard gecko will live. A single adult gecko should be comfortable in a 10-gallon aquarium tank with a mesh lid; if you're interested in keeping more than one gecko, the enclosure will have to be larger. (Leopard geckos will readily do what comes naturally if you house males and females together, and two males kept together will fight - so be sure of the sexes of your lizards if you're going to have more than one!) As for what to put in it, sand is the obvious choice to create a desert environment, and there are several brands of calcium-enriched sand specially designed for use in lizard cages. Other alternatives include shredded newspapers or paper towels, although these do not look as attractive. Sand will occasionally get eaten by the gecko, and young ones sometimes have trouble passing the large grains. If you are starting with a baby gecko, sand is not the best choice - use paper towels instead.
Leopard geckos, as desert lizards, require a desert environment - and primarily this means heat. An undertank heater combined with an overhead light during the day will keep your leopard gecko nice and toasty. The undertank heater, which should be attached to one side of the bottom of the tank, provides a consistent supply of heat and also what is called a heat gradient - since it is placed on only one side, the lizard can then choose the hotter or cooler side of the cage to rest in. The overhead light, which can be placed on a timer so that it simulates the sun during the day and is out at night, can be an incandescent light bulb with a reflector, or a special ceramic heater meant for reptile enclosures.
The first thing you'll want to think about is where your leopard gecko will live. A single adult gecko should be comfortable in a 10-gallon aquarium tank with a mesh lid; if you're interested in keeping more than one gecko, the enclosure will have to be larger. (Leopard geckos will readily do what comes naturally if you house males and females together, and two males kept together will fight - so be sure of the sexes of your lizards if you're going to have more than one!) As for what to put in it, sand is the obvious choice to create a desert environment, and there are several brands of calcium-enriched sand specially designed for use in lizard cages. Other alternatives include shredded newspapers or paper towels, although these do not look as attractive. Sand will occasionally get eaten by the gecko, and young ones sometimes have trouble passing the large grains. If you are starting with a baby gecko, sand is not the best choice - use paper towels instead.
Leopard geckos, as desert lizards, require a desert environment - and primarily this means heat. An undertank heater combined with an overhead light during the day will keep your leopard gecko nice and toasty. The undertank heater, which should be attached to one side of the bottom of the tank, provides a consistent supply of heat and also what is called a heat gradient - since it is placed on only one side, the lizard can then choose the hotter or cooler side of the cage to rest in. The overhead light, which can be placed on a timer so that it simulates the sun during the day and is out at night, can be an incandescent light bulb with a reflector, or a special ceramic heater meant for reptile enclosures.
- A single gecko will be comfortable in a 10-gallon aquarium tank.
- Leopard geckos like to hide during the day, so provide at least two concealed spots.
- Sand is a good substrate for adult leopard geckos, but babies do better on paper.
Comments
Jesi
(Guest)
(Guest)
01/15/2010
I also disagree with the use of sand. Tiles or hard packed clay is a better choice and still looks natural.
Lori, I had the same problem with some of my babies. What I found, after a TON of research, was that eye problems can be the result of a lack of Vitamin A. A while ago an article was published that (falsely) claimed that vitamin A was bad for leos. As a result, vitamin A was taken out of all of the repti-dusts.
So, I got an eyedropper and found some baby food that had 150% vitamin A (chicken and sweet potato was probably the best) and fed it to my geckos. I would give them a couple squirts every other day. It totally worked! After a couple of weeks they were able to open their eyes and the gunk and skin on them completely went away! Baby food is extremely cheap and lasts a couple of days. Good luck!!
Lori
(Guest)
(Guest)
10/19/2009
I am caring for a leopard gecko that is 5 years old and for about 5 months now he has this problem of growing a thick layer of skin in his eyes when he sheds. I've taken him to the vet and he gave eye drops, showed me how to remove skin from his eye ( with a Qtip and saline- Ouch!) recommended removing sand and using reptile carpet instead and misting some moss for moisture in his tank. He started doing well until the next time he shed- His skin had stuck to his eyeballs so I had to moisten his skin to remove it. Since then, he keeps both eyes closed all the time, I have to hand feed him otherwise he wont eat. I feel terrible for him, I don't know if he's lost his sight or if there's anything I can do for him. I can't continue to take to the vet because I'm currently unemployed and financially unable. Is skin in the eyes a common problem for leopard geckos? I have had iguanas and bearded dragons, never had this problem, Any suggestions?
debby
(Guest)
(Guest)
08/26/2009
this didnt help me much tomany little kids and there garbage whats the best food to feed my baby gecko and i have all redy bought over 6 hundred dollars of stuff will it end now i have to buy huts and fancy dishes HELP
Nicky
(Guest)
(Guest)
08/09/2009
We got a leopard gecko a few months ago and it's the coolest pet. He's fun to watch, easy to hold because he's calm, easy to care for, not to mention they are extremely cute.
Ling
(Guest)
(Guest)
07/09/2009
you right
Leo the Gecko
(Guest)
(Guest)
07/09/2009
The Calci sand is BAD 4 them, they love rocks, though! I research them. I am going to breed them!
Fast Fred
(Guest)
(Guest)
05/31/2009
I disagree with your recommendation of substrate: a leopard gecko's natural habitat in its native Pakistan is an arid, rocky desert. Slate stone or granite chips, with sand packed between the edges is more appropriate. Home Depot or Lowes for both rock and sand. http://hubpages.com/hub/Natural-Habitat-of-the-Leopard-Gecko
leopardgeckoexpert
(Guest)
(Guest)
05/23/2009
Great post! Agreed. The habitat for the leopard gecko also needs to be heated in a very specific way to keep the geckos happy. The temperature should have one end of the aquarium tank be between 86 and 88 degrees.
ddog
(Guest)
(Guest)
03/29/2009
I have a big aqureume for my leperd gecko and a heating pad on one sid and it is cold on the uther side. with a pipe that goes from one side to the uther.but my temputcher at 70 and it is suposed to be 88-90 it is 3 years old..
jhak
(Guest)
(Guest)
02/22/2009
I use reptile carpet........sand substrate is really bad for leopard gecko, u could probably use sand but the only sand i would use if i had no choice but 2 use it is either reptile sand or sifted play sand.
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