Care
Leopard Geckos
Housing
The minimum aquarium or tank for a Leopard Gecko is a ten gallon per gecko. Some wonderful rack systems are available as well as some great tanks. Leopard Geckos need three hides per gecko. One hide will be on the warm side, one on the cool side, and a humid hide. The humid hide can be made out of a plastic container with a hole big enough for the gecko to fit in. It should be filled with a damp substrate. Some humid hide substrates can be damp paper towels, eco-earth, or moss. The inside of the tank should have a substrate as well. This can be in the form of repticarpet (watch for toes being snagged), newspaper, or paper towels. NEVER use sand as this can cause impaction if a gecko ingests enough of it.
Lighting & heating
Leopard Geckos do not need lighting. Some people prefer to have a light on them and others do not. It is a personal choice. Some people use a light as an additional heat source.
Temperature in a Gecko tank is important. They need a gradual decline in temperatures across the tank or tub they are in. On the hot spot, it should be around 90-92 degrees and on the cool end it should be around 80-85. This gradual temperature range provides them a way to cool off or heat up depending on what they need at the time.
Some ways of providing heat are by heat pad, heat mat, lighting, heat cable or heat tape. The most common are the heat mats and heattape. We use Flexwatt heat tape at our facility.
Temperature in a Gecko tank is important. They need a gradual decline in temperatures across the tank or tub they are in. On the hot spot, it should be around 90-92 degrees and on the cool end it should be around 80-85. This gradual temperature range provides them a way to cool off or heat up depending on what they need at the time.
Some ways of providing heat are by heat pad, heat mat, lighting, heat cable or heat tape. The most common are the heat mats and heattape. We use Flexwatt heat tape at our facility.
Supplements
Geckos do need calcium!!!! This is important because Geckos that do not get calcium can have what is called Metabolic Bone Disease. This is extremely painful and can result in the death of the Gecko. Geckos need three supplements. Plain Calcium, Calcium with D3, and a multivitamin. Some popular brands are Repcal, Vionate, and Osteo-Form SA.
FOOD
A geckos best diet consists of a variety. By feeding them a variety of foods, more nutrients is absorbed. Food that the geckos can eat are mealworms, superworms, dubia roaches, waxworms (occasionally), small pinkies (breeding females- only occasionally), and crickets. The Geckos need live prey.
A geckos best diet consists of a variety. By feeding them a variety of foods, more nutrients is absorbed. Food that the geckos can eat are mealworms, superworms, dubia roaches, waxworms (occasionally), small pinkies (breeding females- only occasionally), and crickets. The Geckos need live prey.