Care guide: Leopard geckos

Leopard geckos – leos for short – make excellent pets for both beginners and experienced reptile keepers. They are gentle, easy to handle, and have beginner friendly habitats and care requirements compared to other reptiles.

Here’s everything you need to know before you bring your new leopard gecko pet home.

What to know about leopard geckos

• Experience Level: Beginner.
• Origin: Leopard geckos are native to the semi-arid environments of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Northwest India.
• Size: Leopard geckos grow up to 10 inches (25 cm) long.
• Lifespan: Leopard geckos live for 15-20 years, which is why owning a leo is a big commitment.
• Diet: Leopard geckos are insectivores, meaning they eat only insects.
• Activity: Leos are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk. During the heat of the day, they like to hide under rocks to avoid predators and high temperatures.
• Appearance: They’re usually yellow and white with spotted dots, hence their name.
• Anatomy: Unlike other geckos, they don’t have sticky toe pads so they can’t climb walls or glass. Leopard geckos store fat and nutrients in their tails as an emergency source of energy. They can also detach their tail when they’re caught by a predator – which is why you should never pick up a leopard gecko by its tail. Leopards also have outer ears, and unlike other geckos, they have eyelids!
• Shedding: Most leos will shed their skin every 4 to 8 weeks. Don’t be surprised if you see your pet eating its shed skin – it’s only trying to regain some of the nutrients it’s losing.
• Handling: Leos are okay with some contact, but handling your pet too much may stress it out. Like all reptiles, leos may carry infectious diseases, so it’s important to wash your hands before and after handling your lizard or its habitat.
• Social: While geckos are solitary animals, it’s possible to have more than one in the same terrarium as long as just one of them is male.

Preparing your leopard gecko’s home

Before you bring a leo home for the first time, you’ll need to create a healthy habitat with appropriate heating and lighting to ensure your lizard’s well-being. Here’s a checklist of the reptile supplies you’ll need to prepare a suitable environment.

• Terrarium: 20-gallon terrariums are ideal for one adult leopard gecko – you’ll need a larger space if you’re getting multiple geckos. Your gecko’s tank should be well-ventilated with a screened lid.
• Substrate: Line the floor of the terrarium with reptile carpet or ceramic tiles. Reptile carpet is an absorbent surface that’s soft on your Leo’s tummy and feet. Avoid loose substrates like sand, because leos can accidently eat the sand which can affect their intestines and cause them to get sick. Be sure to remove your lizard’s droppings at least once a week and thoroughly clean the substrate and bedding biweekly. Use reptile-safe habitat cleaners, sanitizers and deodorizers.
• Heating: Leos originate from semi-arid deserts, so they love a warm, dry environment. They also need a hiding place that’s moist – somewhere they can hang out when it’s time to shed their skin. You can replicate their natural environment by having both warm and cool areas of the tank. Put a heat lamp on one end of the habitat and measure the temperature at both the near and far ends. Maintain a temperature of 75-85°F on the cool side and 87-92°F on the warm side.
• Moisture: Humidity in the terrarium helps to keep your leopard’s skin nice and healthy. Humidity in your terrarium should range from 10% to 30% – you can measure it with a hygrometer. If you need to increase the humidity, use a reptile habitat fogger or mister.
• Lighting: Leopard geckos need 12 hours of visible light each day. Use a low-wattage UVA/UVB light source with a timer that will mimic day and night schedules. A UVB light can also help with calcium absorption.
• Hides: Like most lizards and chameleon reptiles, leopard geckos love to hide in different spaces. Give your pet at least three hiding places – one that’s cooler, one that’s warmer and a moist hide for shedding.
• Water dish: Place fresh water in a shallow dish.
• Food dish: Placing your pet’s food in a reptile food dish protects it from the bacteria that’s present in their substrate.
• Habitat decor: Rocks, branches and safe plants in the terrarium will give your gecko things to explore and allow it to climb close to the warmth of the heating lights or find a convenient hideaway. Moistened moss on the warm side is a great aid in shedding skin.

What to feed your leopard gecko

Leopard geckos are insectivores – they’re wild about bugs! Their favorite meals are live insects – succulent worms and “gut-loaded” crickets that help geckos stay healthy. Gut loading crickets involves feeding them nutrient-boosting foods so that the nutrients and vitamins are passed on to your leo when it eats the crickets. Be sure to consult with your veterinarian about your leo’s diet.

What to feed your gecko

• Crickets are your leo’s favorite dish!
• Mealworms are another common menu item.
• Dubia roaches are highly nutritious.
• Waxworms and super worms make great treats, but you should go lightly because they are high in fat.
• Adult leos should eat 4 to 5 times a week, while juveniles will need a daily meal.

Supplements

• Calcium supplement: To ensure your gecko has adequate calcium intake, dust a calcium supplement on the insects that you feed it 2 to 3 times a week.
• Multivitamin powder: Dust your Leo’s meal with a multivitamin once a week for juveniles and twice a month for adults.

Water

Leopard geckos drink water from large shallow dishes. They may soak in these same dishes to stay hydrated. It’s important to empty, clean and refill their water dish every day.

Keeping your leopard gecko healthy

Shortly after you get your Leo, it’s a good idea to have it checked by a reptile veterinarian. When you first bring your pet home, don’t handle it for the first three or four days – it needs to get used to its new home. While leopard geckos don’t necessarily mind being handled occasionally, too much handling will create stress.

Regularly check your Leo for signs of illness like:

• Eating or drinking less than usual.
• Weight loss.
• Hiding more than usual.
• Discolored skin.
• Noticeable problems with shedding.
• Swollen joints.
• Runny or abnormal droppings for more than two days.
• Lack of droppings for several days.
• Abnormalities with the mouth, nose or eyes.