How to Care for Leopard Geckos

Once you have decided to buy a Leopard Gecko as a pet, you need to figure out what your new pet is going to live in. There are so many options you can choose from. These options range from a simple aquarium to a terrarium or even just a clear plastic tub. Choosing the right enclosure is important in the health of your Leopard Gecko. Making the wrong choice in your Leopard Gecko's enclosure is going to lead to undue stress and could even lead to death. Find out more about the importance of finding the right enclosure for your Leo to live in by reading The Best Enclosures for Your Gecko.

I would recommend starting with an aquarium. This way you can display you Leo for all to see! What size of aquarium is going to be the "perfect" size? You have two easier choices and then after that, things start to get real big! You have two standard aquarium sizes: a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium. Many people think a 10 gallon aquarium is going to be large enough because really how big are geckos anyway? This couldn't be further from the truth! Just like we do want to be crammed into a tiny 400 sq. foot apartment, your Leopard Gecko is going to want plenty of room to roam, hide, and eat. In this case, the 20 gallon aquarium is the more suitable choice because even if it is a little larger in the beginning, there is still plenty of room to add to it.

This is probably one of the toughest decisions when taking care of your Leopard Gecko. What is the best substrate for your Leopard Gecko? There are a variety of different options available to use. You have two basic choices: a loose substrate or a solid substrate. Sand is an example of a loose substrate and tile is an example of a solid substrate surface.

Obviously, there are pro's and con's with each type of substrate. If you read on many of the Leopard Gecko forums, the number one problem with a loose substrate like sand is that your gecko will ingest some of the sand and become impacted because it will be unable to digest the sand. Find out more about the myths of using a sand substrate at Acceptable Substrates for Your Leopard Gecko.

Here are a few examples of solid substrates that can be used in your geckos enclosure.

1. Unprinted Newspaper or Computer Paper: The ink is bad for your Leo and can cause they feet and stomach's to dry out unnaturally.

2. Paper Towel: Just like Bounty is the "Quicker Picker Upper". This makes for easy cleaning of the cage.

3. Reptile Carpet or Tight Woven Bath Towel: Both are similar in texture but be aware that very young Leopard Geckos will have trouble getting their mouths caught in the carpet and towel.

4. Slate or Tile: A more natural choice and one that is more like their natural environment.

Not that you have brought home your exotic little friend, he is probably going to be hungry. What exactly do Leopard Geckos eat? Well if you bought your Leo at a pet store, they have all kinds of scientifically designed food, kind of like fish food, to choose from. Well I don't know about you, but do you think that stuff is really appetizing? Not to me or your Leo.

Leopard Geckos love to eat insects and small worms. Here are some examples of different things your gecko would like to eat: Commercial House Crickets ,Mealworms, Waxworms, Locusts, Superworms, Silkworms, Black Field Crickets, Cockroaches. All of these are potential meals they might find in the wild.

One thing you will want to be concerned about is the size of the meal you are feeding your gecko. A rule of thumb is: Food should never be wider than 1/2 the width of your geckos head and never long the the length of your geckos head. Anything that is too larger lead to problems with digestion. If you really want to know the importance of crickets read The Cricket Rule of Thumb to learn how not to choke your gecko or under feed it which leads to malnutrition.

The natural habitat of a Leopard Gecko is a dry and arid environment. So it is very obvious that your gecko is going to need to have a spot in it's enclosure that is warm on one side and cooler on the other so it can regulate it's own body temperature. What is the best way to do this is by using an undertank heating system. This heating system would be placed underneath your geckos aquarium.

You want your temperature to vary in the cage from 80 degrees on one end all the way to about 92 degrees on the other end. This wide range in temperature will allow your gecko a chance to keep its body temperature right where it needs to be.

If you want to find out a unique way to keep your geckos cage temperature steady, read Top Secret Ways to Keep Your Leopard Gecko Warm.