A minimum size enclosure for one Leopard Gecko is a ten  gallon tank but the ideal size is 20 gallons. (add ten gallons per every added gecko) They are ground dwelling lizards and do not require a lot of climbing space but should still have a screen lid and items to crawl on top of. Although they are desert lizards they should not be kept on a sand substrate. Avoid play sand, “Calci-sand”, “Repti-sand”, or any other sand. Some packages will say “Digestible” on it but most pet stores just want to make a buck. If your animal eats sand it will harden with the fluid in their stomach and wont pass through the intestines causing impaction. This can be fatal if not caught early enough. Young geckos are more perceptible to this then adults are. Adults’ digestive system can handle larger items then juveniles or babies. Sand can be ok if you watch carefully AND feed in a separate enclosure. They can accidentally snap up sand if they go after a yummy cricket! Safe substrates include but are not limited to: Reptile carpet, Shelf liner, Tile, Linoleum flooring, paper towels, newspaper, or outdoor/indoor carpet (be sure to melt the edges down so the frays don’t come loose or harm your Leopard Gecko)

 

 

The humidity doesn’t need to be high. They live in a pretty dry environment. No misting is needed. You do need to provide at least one humid hide. Usually a hiding area where its dark and has moist paper towels or moist moss at the bottom to create humidity inside. Because they don’t have humidity you need to give them a small dish of water that is replaced fresh every day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leopard Gecko’s eggs can be incubated at different temperatures to determine the gender before they are hatched! If they are incubated between 78-82 degrees (Fahrenheit) it will produce mostly females, 83-86 degrees produce a mixture of both genders, males are incubated at temperatures of 87-90 degrees. You can get a female incubating at higher temperatures and breeders refer to this as a “hot female” who will never be able to produce fertile eggs. And some say they have a horrible attitude problem as well although this has yet to be confirmed. So if you are getting your gecko from a breeder be sure to ask what the gender is. If you get yours at a pet store the pet store most likely wont know the gender. But don’t worry at around 6 months old you should be able to tell if the gecko is a boy or girl. And it is really simple. Lift your little one up (don’t lay them on their back as this can stop their breathing and crush their lungs) If it is a boy then he will have little bumps near the vent in the shape of the letter “V” these bumps will be raised and darker in color. If she is a female then the bumps will be nearly impossible to see but still somewhat visible. Smooth and the same skin tone as the rest of her belly.

 

 

• You will need an enclosure (size is mentioned above)
• Plenty of fake plants (real plants hold humidity which isn’t good for your Leopard Gecko) and branches, logs and items to climb on.
• (optional read above) A UVB producing fluorescent light
• A heat light or ceramic heat emitter (this basking light should be outside so the pet does not get burnt)
• A digital Thermometer near the floor of the tank (the stick on plastic dials can be up to 20 degrees inaccurate )
• A shallow water dish and calcium dish
• Substrate (above)
• A nocturnal/red heat bulb if you are not using a ceramic heat emitter to maintain night time temperatures
• A under tank heater (U.T.H) because they need belly heat to digest food

 

There are many items that these geckos should not have in their enclosure. Heat Rocks and Heat Caves can severely burn your lizard’s stomach and feet and should be avoided for all lizards. Do not use any Sand, Gravel, Walnut Shells, Wood Chips or Repti-Bark substrates.  Do not feed mealworms, their hard exoskeleton can easily cause impaction they are also very low in nutrients and aren’t healthy.

 

Other Information:

 

These lizards are nocturnal and not too active during the day. They will sleep most of the day in their hide and come to life at night. Two males should never be housed together, they can and will fight to the death. Any new reptiles should be taken to the vet before bringing them home to ensure that he or she is fully healthy and if they aren’t they can get the treatment they need. They do tolerate being handled I wouldn’t say that they enjoy it but they will tolerate it. They are docile but some males can be aggressive. The adults tolerate it much more then the juveniles especially if they were used to being held when they were young.