Intro

The leopard gecko is a stunning gecko to own, they are available in a number of colour variations known as morphs.
They are very easy to care for so brilliant for any beginners or someone who just takes a fancy to them!

They are full of character, each gecko has a personality of their own , we have found that ours are a very nosey bunch especially in the evenings.

Their size makes them ideal for someone who is limited by space however they wish to own an exotic animal.

Leopard geckos, latin name Eublepharis Macularius, are found in the wild of Pakistan, the wild forms are yellow with many black spots throughout the body which gives the name of Leopard gecko.

They are readily available at many reptile shops and many breeders privately, the variety of the morphs can be immense so there’s always a choice!

Sizing

Adults can be a range of sizes, we have a couple of small females and some medium females and a huge male, it also depends on if you’re buying a ‘normal’ sizing morph or a ‘giant’ or ‘super giant’.

I personally own normal sizing leopard geckos, giants and super giants have to have a background of gigantism within the breeding line to be able to be called a giant otherwise they are simply a large leopard gecko.

They size out from 7 inches to 11 from snout to tail tip.

Life span

A healthy leopard gecko can live up to 20 years if correctly kept and looked after.

Sexing the species

Sexing leopard geckos is generally an easy process. Male geckos have a line of pre anal pores and a significant bulge and females do not.





Care of the gecko

Spacing

It has been recommended to house one leopard gecko 2x1ft of floor spacing.

I personally keep the smaller geckos or one adult in a 50l RUB, I have an adult group in a 4x2x2 vivarium.

If you wish to keep a pair you must keep a pair of females as males will fight, you also have to be careful as some females simply won’t accept any others.

A pair of leopard geckos will suit a 3 foot vivarium.

Substrate

I personally keep my leopard geckos on lino tiles, I find these very easy to keep clean and completely eliminate the risk of impaction due to the gecko eating the substrate.

Impaction is a problem that occurs when a leopard gecko eats its substrate and it becomes stuck within their stomach and causes health problems.

I have also got 2 slate tiles in my vivarium to add a bit of variety to their area.

Lino tiles are readily available from DIY stores, I have the self adhesive ones and have stuck all of them down apart from the ones covering the heat mats which are placed above.

Another good substrate is kitchen roll, it is easy to keep clean and change however the only drawback to this is that the live foods hide under it!

I do not recommend sand as a substrate, i have personally dealt with leopard geckos who have ingested the particles and have taken a long time to pass them and therefore personally i do not think the risks are worth it.

Some people also use wood chips however the impaction risk is also with this as well, and risk of the gecko hurting itself on any sharp pieces of chips.

Moist hide

I provide my leopard geckos with several moist hides within their vivarium.

They seem to enjoy being in these and are particularly helpful when the gecko goes into shed as this allows them to keep their scales moist and allows an easier shedding process and less likely to have retained shed.

I have 5 moist hides within my large vivarium, 2 of which are moss, 2 of which are a mixture of eco earth and Perlite and one of just vermiculite, mainly due to the fact mine are breeding i like to give a choice however they do seem to prefer the ones with sphagnum moss.

I use a cheap lunchbox from a supermarket, roughly 99p and solder out a section in the lid for them to access the tub, if filling with moss then i have found that it is significantly cheaper at garden centres rather than pet shops.

Whenever getting moss it is always a good idea to zap it for any bugs, i microwave mine for roughly 10 mins however freezing is also another option or boiling in water, this takes out any nasty’s which may make your gecko ill.

Once the moss is sterilised place in the tub and keep it moist, not soaking, i use a garden sprayer to revitalise it once a week and once a month replace with fresh moss.

I like to have one moist hide on the hot end and one on the cool end, the one on the hotter end will dry out a lot more so personally i respray daily however they seem to enjoy the humidity.

Hides

Always provide at least 2 hides for your leopard gecko, one on the hot side of the vivarium and one on the cool side, this will allow for the gecko to move about and still feel safe and secure.

Water

I provide mine with a medium water bowl due to the fact i have several living within the vivarium, i have seen them often drinking from it so allow access to water 24/7

Calcium

I provide a calcium dish within all my enclosures with pure calcium powder this way the leopard geckos can help themselves if they need any, i use milk bottle tops as i find theyre a perfect size.

a picture of my setup



Cleaning

I spot clean my leopard gecko enclosures daily, removing any bits of poop or mess! They are generally very clean animals and when adult will choose an area to use the toilet so is a pretty easy task to keep clean.

Once a week i remove everything and clean it all down, as its lino it just needs a wipe down and voila is done!


Temperature

As leopard geckos absorb heat through their stomachs we use a heatmat on a thermostat at one end of the vivarium.

I also have a digital thermometer linked up to enable accurate setting of the thermostat as sometimes they can be a little out!

Lighting

I have a low 2%UVB bulb in with my leos at the moment due to the fact they are egg laying and have heard about the benifits of the UV light.

However as these geckos are nocturnal there isnt any real need for lighting within the vivarium, but you can add a bulb in for viewing.

I recommend a energy saving bulb as these give off very little heat and therefore keep the current heating gradient and do not overheat the vivarium.


Feeding
Young leopard geckos require feeding daily, adults every 2-3 days.

We use a staple food of mealworms with crickets and waxworms as a treat.

I have a mealworm dish in my vivarium to allow access to food 24/7.

All live foods need to be gut loaded and dusted with calcium or nutrobal to give the geckos their additional vitimins and minerals required in their diet.

Handling

Hatchling geckos can be a bit jumpy and nervous so time and patience is required to allow the gecko to gain trust of you and will soon calm down.

They are generally a good gecko species for handling, and perfect for children too as when adult can be very calm however there are a few exceptions- mine is rosie, she likes to bite! Do not let this put you off though!

Types of leopard gecko

As stated before there are many colour varietys known as morphs within the leopard gecko world.

I personally keep Hi yellows, normals, hypos and super hypos.

Normal leopard gecko
This is a yellow base with many many black spots on its body

Hi Yellow
This is a type of normal leopard gecko and this is one where there are less spots than the normal.

Hypo
This type has very few spots, only a few on its body and is a very pretty type

Super hypo.
This morph is one where there are no spots within the geckos body.

Blizzard
This is a pure white morph which tends to have a yellowy tinge when older

Murphys Patternless
This leo tends to be a plain yellow when older, however when younger has a slight pattern to it.

Patternless Albino
This morph has a pinky tinge to the tail and is yellow throughout the body

There are many others, hundreds in fact, above is just a small selection, and the ones I personally own.

Nice thanks! I thought impaction was when things got stuck in their intestines not their stomachs? I don't know if it makes a difference, just curious. And what about lighting, maybe I overskimmed I know its not necessary by a long shot, but what are the benefits if you get one? What changes?

well i said stomach as its still the tummy area! im not a vet so dont know specifics

I have a very low UV in with mine at the moment 2% for a couple of hours a night due to the fact mine are laying eggs at the moment and i think the UVB will help with a bit more vitimin d3 production which aids in the calcium absorbtion.

Thats my personal preference.

The only issue with some lighting though is a lot of bulbs give off too much heat so you risk over heating the poor wee critters, energy saving bulbs are a god send though as hardly give off any heat!

nice care guide!!

thanks great care sheet!
do they get lonely or somthing if they are left to live on their own?

nope theyre fine if kept on their own! or you can keep a pair of females together but this can be a bit risky as sometimes they wont take one another

brilliant! i am definately going to get one, there is one in bites and strikes which is the cutest thing u can ever see! he/she's little carrot tail!