Care Sheet for Geckos: LeopardAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 3.25 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 04/09/2006 |
Main Category: | Lizards |
Sub Category: | Geckos: Leopard |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Ophiophagus_Hannah |
Years Experience: | 5 to 10 Years |
Species: | Leopard Gecko |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | N/A |
Care Sheet Information: | Intro.
The Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis Macularis) is by far one of the easiest to care for and most widely owned and bred lizard in captivity today. Unlike some other lizards, leopard geckos do not need much space, they don’t need a UV source, and they can be kept in groups (one male only). Here is the care sheet I wrote and follow.
Enclosure Size.
Well my rule of thumb is 10 gallons per adult Leo. So a Breeding Trio only needs a 30 gal tank for one male and two females. Floor space is much more important than height. Babies can be kept in a shoe box rack system or other small secure enclosure.
Heating
Heating can be done several different ways. Some good choices are, Under Tank Heaters (UTH) , heat cable and heat tape, or a bulb faced to the bottom of the tank. You want the warm side of your tank to be around 87-88 degrees and the cool side about 75 degrees. You do not need a UV bulb of any kind for this species.
Hides
Well you need a basic setup of two hides. One humid hide and one dry hide. Plus you need one more dry hide per two more animals and double the hides of you have 5 or more Leos in one tank.
Feeding and Water.
Well as far as feeding goes your pretty free. As in there not much they can’t eat. Just stray from the fuzzy stuff and don’t even try the vegetables. You need calcium and vitamin dust in a little feeding dish in the tank at all times dust calcium every few days then twice a week with calcium WITH a multi vitamin and D3. Good feeders are crickets and mealworms. Never feed any living animal a lighting bug ( lite - up fly, lighting fly, light-up bug) these will kill your pet.
Water should be provided in the form of a 1/2 inch deep watering dish and a luke warm soak once every two weeks or so.
Substrate.
Never use a substrate that your Leo can eat. Even if your local pet store tells you it can. They have proven that sand, walnut shells, corn cob pieces, and other loose substrates can and will cause impaction if a leopard gecko is housed on it. Go with paper towels or Repti- carpet.
Lighting
Well being nocturnal these lizards do not need a UV source nor a very bright day bulb just enough to distinguish between day and night. If you choose to have a UV source then you do not need to supplement their diets with a Vita D3 powder, if you choose not to have one you need a Calcium powder with Vita d3.
Handling.
These little lizards can be handled many different ways, First off never for any reason hold/grab/pickup your Leo by the tail. If you do it can detach and you will have a tailless gecko for a while until it grows back and it will never be as pretty as the original.
Now to pick up a Leo you can slide your hand/finger under the abdomen and pick up. Let the Leo sit in your hand and put your other hand over the one the Leo is sitting in. After you and your Leo have become accustom to each other you can let him or her rome.
Breeding.
Well the most widely used and one of the easier ways to breed is the breeding trio or colony approach. First and foremost you will want to start with the best quality and color Leos you can buy. Do not breed related lizards together. Buy a male and if you feel the need you can even buy sisters because they wont breed together so why not. If you want to star buy a good trio or group of babies in the late summer. This will give them time to mature before the next breeding season. Keep the male on his own until they all reach 50+ grams. Give them time and put a good lay box in their enclosure and wait for eggs in the late spring. Incubate them according to the sex of the hatchlings you want 80 degrees for females and 90 for males.
Treats.
There are some good treats that are actually good staple foods like silkworms but there are some good treats that will lead to many health problems in the future if fed to much. Personally i use wax worms there small and fairly cheap but if fed too often they will make your Leo very fat. |
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