Leopard Gecko Care Info

Lifespan: 10-20 years

About Leo’s: That leopard gecko’s natural habitat is the rocky deserts of Northern India, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.  They are terrestrial lizards, which means they live on the ground. Leopard Geckos are very popular pets. They have soft, smooth scales throughout their body. Their name comes from the leopard-like spots they have all over their body. Due to their popularity, they come in many different colour variations (known as “morphs”). Fully grown leopard geckos will be 8-11 inches long.

Leopard Geckos have a few anatomical differences from the majority of other gecko species. They have eyelids with the ability to blink. They do not have special sticky foot pads, so they are unable to climb glass.

Behaviour and Handling: Leopard Geckos are crepuscular, which means that they are most active around dusk and dawn. They will, however, scurry around during the night and are often found basking in the sun during the daytime.

Leo’s are very docile reptiles that can grow to enjoy spending time with their humans. Well socialized Leo’s rarely bite. When handling your gecko, use slow and deliberate gentle movements. Fast, jerky, and rough movements can make them feel unsteady and unsafe. To pick them up, slide your open palm underneath them. Be sure to support their entire body as you pick them up. Leo’s can be very fast when they want to be, so if your gecko is new to handling, you may need to put a hand overtop of them to ensure they don’t run out of your hands and fall.

Leopard geckos should never be held or grabbed by their tails. They have an ability called tail autonomy, which means that they can self-amputate their tail if they feel threatened. This is a defense mechanism. The tail will continue to move and wiggle around when separated from the body- in nature this would be to distract the predator so the gecko can get away safely. Their tail will eventually regrow. Regrown tails tend to look a bit different from their original tail, in colour and texture. If your gecko does drop their tail, there are a few things you should do. Ensure that their enclosure stays clean to prevent the wound from getting infected. Signs of infection are swelling, green or yellow discharge, and redness of the area. Be sure to check your gecko’s healing tail at minimum once a day to monitor for anything concerning.

In general, leopard geckos should be housed by themselves. Cohabitating may be able to work in some circumstances, but the vast majority of enclosures are inappropriate for multiple leopard geckos to live together successfully. Two male leopard geckos should never be housed together under any circumstances, as they will fight until one of them is deceased. A male and a female gecko together will breed, and the female may experience a decline in health if the male wants to mate with her constantly. Female leopard geckos are more likely to live peacefully, but they can and will still fight over resources. In these situations, one female will bully the other away from food, water, and basking sites. The bullied gecko in these situations will often become emaciated and injured. If you are interested in cohabitating your geckos, you should have at minimum a 4ft x 2ft x 18” enclosure for two of them, with multiple water dishes, food stations, basking spots, and hides. You will also need to be prepared to separate them into solitary enclosures if they fight. We do not recommend cohabitating leopard geckos unless you are a very experienced reptile owner and have ample space to house them.

Leopard geckos can be very vocal. They make a series of different noises to communicate their feelings. Clicking noises are a form of communication. Barking usually means that they are hungry or need something. Chirping or squeaking is used to communicate unhappiness with their current situation. If they feel threatened, they may also scream. They will also use their body language to communicate- excited geckos may rapidly flick their tails back and forth; slow swishing tails are a defensive behaviour asking to be left alone.

Housing: Leopard geckos should be housed in glass or PVC terrariums with a screen lid. The absolute minimum enclosure size for one adult leopard gecko is 36” long x 18” wide x 18” tall. Baby and juvenile geckos can be housed in smaller enclosures, but the enclosures will need to increase in size as the gecko grows. Terrarium style enclosures with doors that swing open from the front panel are preferable over aquarium style enclosures that only open from the top. Your gecko will need lights and heat lamps that typically sit on the top of the screen lid, which can be a pain to move every time you need to get into the enclosure for cleaning, feeding, and socialization.

There are many options for substrate to use for your Leo. These can be categorized into loose substrate, packed substrate, and flat substrate. There are pros and cons to each type of substrate- ultimately, the best substrate to use is the one that works for you and your gecko. For loose substrate, a quartz based or dune sand can be used, provided it is chemical free/dye free/low dust. Loose substrate that should never be used is calcium sand, sand containing silica, ground walnut shells, wood chips/shavings, shredded paper, and coconut fiber or husk - all of these loose substrates carry the most risk of impaction.

• Pros of loose substrate: creates a more enriching environment where geckos can dig.
• Cons of loose substrate: possibility of ingesting substrate, which could lead to impaction if the gecko is not healthy. Dust can irritate lungs and eyes. More labor intensive to clean.

Packed substrates are clay and earth based mixes that dry down to a firm packed layer. Examples of commercially available products are Lugarti’s Natural Reptile Bedding and ZooMed Excavator Clay. You can also make your own DIY mix of packed substrate, with 40% organic topsoil, 40% sand, and 20% excavator clay.

• Pros of packed substrate: mimics the natural environment that leopard geckos are found in, a more enriching choice that allows geckos to dig, less risk of ingestion and impaction.
• Cons of packed substrate: if substrate is too damp when the gecko is introduced to it, the humidity could promote infection/illness. More labor intensive to clean.

Examples of flat substrate that are safe for Leos are paper towel and slate tiles, or larger flat rocks. Flat substrates that should never be used are shelf liners and linoleum (can be toxic or melt at the gecko’s preferred temperatures), reptile carpet (difficult to clean and keep bacterial buildup away, risk of toenails getting stuck in carpet).

• Pros of flat substrate: easy to clean.
• Cons of flat substrate: no enrichment value, must be cleaned more often, more difficult to control humidity levels.

A shallow water dish with fresh water should always be available for your gecko. The water dish should be big enough that they can fit their body inside it if they choose, but not deep enough that they will have trouble getting out of it.

Leo’s require multiple places to hide inside of their enclosure. At minimum, they need one hide on the warm side and one on the cool side of their enclosure, as well as a humid hide for shedding. To make a humid hide, fold full sized paper towels, dampen them, and place them in the hide. Change these paper towels at least once a day to prevent mold and bacterial growth. Sphagnum moss is not recommended for humid hides as it has a hush risk of impaction if ingested. Your gecko also will need a basking spot, which can double as the top of the hide on the hot side of the tank, or you can set up a separate basking zone.

Branches, large flat rocks, and plastic leaves (made specifically for reptile use) can provide enriching areas to climb and hide. Some Leo owners create bio-active enclosures for their geckos to live in. These enclosures are beautiful and very enriching for the gecko, but are a lot of work to set up and maintain, so they will not work for every family.

Your gecko’s enclosure should be spot cleaned daily to remove feces and uneaten food. A deep clean should be performed once a week, where everything is removed from the enclosure and washed with unscented antibacterial soap, rinsed well, and dried. Fresh substrate should be used after each clean.

Lighting/Temperature/Humidity: The climate within your gecko’s enclosure is extremely important for their health and wellbeing. The vast majority of illnesses that Leo’s experience are a direct result of their environment.

Leo’s are more active in the twilight hours, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t need light. Having a light cycle that mimics sunlight is important for maintaining their circadian rhythms and preventing disease. Leo’s should have 14 hours of light during the day in the summer, and 12 hours in the winter. Many owners use analog or wifi timers on their outlets to turn the lights on and off in the enclosure, so they can maintain a more consistent light schedule. This light should be a broad spectrum UVA/UVB straight fluorescent style bulb. We recommend the Arcadia Shade Dweller series. These bulbs will need to be replaced every 6-12 months (depending on the bulb you ultimately purchase). The bulb will still produce visible light, but the UVB output drastically reduces at that time. Compact coil-style UV bulbs should be avoided, as their UV output is not guaranteed.

The enclosure should have a warm side and a cooler side. Having two thermometers, one on each side of the enclosure, will help you monitor the temperature inside of the tank properly. On the warm side, the daytime ambient temperature should be 80-85 F with the basking spot around 90-95 F. The daytime ambient temperature of the cool side should be 75-80 F. At night, temperatures can drop to 65-75 degrees F, but should never drop lower than 60 F.

There are many options for heating your gecko’s enclosure. A great option for daytime heat is a halogen heat lamp. Halogen bulbs also produce infrared light, which is more like the heat that is produced by sunbeams. At night, ceramic heat emitters are useful to support the ambient air temperature because they do not produce visible light. Some companies sell blue or red bulbs that are intended for night time use- these should be avoided, as the visible light they produce can be damaging to your gecko’s eyes and confuse their circadian rhythms. Heat mats should be avoided wherever possible, as they pose a fire risk. Heat rocks should never be used, as their temperatures cannot be manually set and they pose a significant burn risk for Leopard geckos.

Humidity is one of the most important parameters for Leopard geckos. The most common problem that Leo’s present with at the veterinary hospital is shedding problems. The ambient humidity inside of the enclosure should be around 30-40%. This is consistent with the average household humidity. Inside of the humid hide, it should be 70-80%. A digital hygrometer with a probe will help you monitor the humidity inside of the enclosure. If the ambient humidity is too low, upgrading to a larger but still shallow water dish can help raise humidity. Gently misting the enclosure with water once or twice a day may also be necessary to maintain humidity.

Nutrition: Leopard geckos are insectivores, which means that their diet should consist of only insects. Many feeder insects are readily available to purchase at pet stores, such as crickets, mealworms, small superworms, and hornworms. Waxworms can be given as a treat, but should not be fed more than once a week. Try to rotate the type of insects that your gecko is eating, so that they have variety in their diet. All feeder insects should be live- leopard geckos are hunters, and often will refuse to eat killed prey. All feeder insects must be captive-bred. Wild caught insects should never be fed, as they can carry parasites or have ingested poisons that can harm your gecko. The size of the insects are important, as insects that are too small may not catch the gecko’s attention, and insects that are too large could cause an impaction. The size of the insect should be approximately half the size of your gecko’s head.

It is important to gut-load your feeder insects before giving them to your gecko. Gut-loading ensures that the insects your gecko is eating will be nutritious. To gut-load, feed the insects a gut-loading diet 24 hours before your Leo’s feeding. These diets can be purchased at many pet stores.

Leopard geckos are require supplements to stay healthy. They should receive a combination calcium and D3 supplement, and a multivitamin supplement. These supplements should be formulated for reptiles and in a powder format. The multivitamin must contain Vitamin A. To give the supplement, put a small amount of the powder in a bag with the insects you are about to feed. Gently shake the bag to coat the insects in the powder. This is called “dusting” the insects. Juvenile geckos should have their calcium and D3 three times a week, and their multivitamin once a week. Adult geckos who are done growing and are not used for breeding can have their calcium and D3 1-2 times per week, and their multivitamin once every week and a half to two weeks.

The amount that your gecko needs to eat will change as they age. Baby geckos should be fed once a day with 2-6 insects (depending on their appetite). Juvenile geckos should eat once a day, with however many insects they can eat in a 10-15 minute period. Adult geckos should eat once every other day with however many insects they can eat in a 10-15 minute period. Always remove uneaten insects from the enclosure, as they can bite your gecko and damage their delicate skin.

Fresh, clean water should always be available for your gecko.

Health Concerns: 

One of the most common health concerns for Leo’s is dysecdysis, or difficulty shedding. Normally leopard geckos will shed their entire bodies at once, pulling the shed off with their mouths, and they will eat their shed. If the conditions inside of their enclosure are not appropriate, their shed will not properly lift from their bodies and will become stuck to them. This stuck shed can constrict around tails and toes, causing pressure necrosis (death of the tissue), and the affected areas will require veterinary attention. Stuck shed can also collect underneath their eyelids, which can cause infection and damage to the eyes. Ensuring your gecko has a humid hide can help prevent stuck shed.

Metabolic Bone Disease (known scientifically as Nutritional Secondary Hyperparathyroidism) is a condition that affects the bones of reptiles, and is seen most commonly in Bearded Dragons and Leopard Geckos. This disease is caused by calcium and D3 deficiency in the diet and a lack of appropriate UBV light. Vitamin D3 is used by the gecko’s metabolism to allow the calcium in their diet to be absorbed and used. If there is no calcium supplementation or insufficient UVB, the dragon will not be able to metabolize calcium for normal bodily functions. This causes the body to take calcium from their bones. Over time the bones become brittle and weak, and will cause fractures and malformations. Their joints and muscles can become swollen and painful, and they are not able to move around properly. Prevention is the most important factor in this disease. Always ensure your gecko is receiving powder calcium and D3 supplementation, and their UV light is not expired.

Impaction was mentioned many times in this care sheet. “Impaction” means that something has become stuck in the gecko’s gastrointestinal tract. This could be food items that were too big, or foreign objects like moss (or other matter discussed earlier in this care guide). Geckos who are impacted will not eat or defecate. If you suspect your gecko may be impacted, they will need to be seen by an exotic veterinarian immediately.

Respiratory infections may develop if temperatures are too low, or humidity is too high inside the tank. Symptoms of respiratory infections include bubbly saliva, open mouthed breathing, clogged nostrils, lethargy, and loss of appetite. Respiratory infections require antibiotics prescribed by an exotic veterinarian to resolve.

Enigma syndrome is a neurologic genetic condition. When deciding on adopting a leopard gecko, it is important to research the breeder you are purchasing from. Certain types of geckos can be more prone to genetic conditions than others. Enigma syndrome is named after the Enigma morph. It is a non-curable condition. Symptoms of Enigma Syndrome include abnormal head positioning, like a head tilt or a “stargazing” position, where their head tilts up and backwards as if they are staring at the sky. They may experience seizure-like activity. They may have difficulty or an inability to catch their own live prey, so many geckos with this condition need to be assist-fed for their entire lives.

Rachel Hiebert, RVT