Care Sheet for Geckos: LeopardAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 1.50 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 09/01/2006 |
Main Category: | Lizards |
Sub Category: | Geckos: Leopard |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Jamie S. |
Years Experience: | Under 1 Year |
Species: | Leopard Gecko-Eublepharis macularius |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | slight amounts of beardie info. |
Sexing and Characteristics: | It is hard if not impossible to sex a Leopard gecko under 6 months of age. A leopard gecko over 6 months of age can be sexed by the following two methods:
Males have two hemipenil bulges at the base of their tail. They also have an upside down v on their stomachs. These are hemipenil pores and are used for scent marking.
Females may have hemipenil bulges(Mine does), but they will not have the hemipenil pores.
Some females are called "hot" this means they were temperature sexed as males and will not breed, but they will fight with the males. I don’t think this happens to all females temp sexed as males but I can’t be sure. |
Mostly Active During: | Night |
Substrate and Water Needs: | There should always be water in the cage. It should be changed every day.
SAND AND ANY OTHER LOOSE SUBSTRATE IS A NO! NO SAND IS DIGESTIBLE, BY ANY ANIMAL! The best substrates in my opinion are repti-carpet, paper towels, and un-used newspaper. |
Lighting and UVB: | UVB is unneeded. Use an infrared light, for night-time lighting. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | Humidity should be kept at 50% max. 20-30% is much better.
Daytime temps should be: 90, hot-82, cold
Nighttime temps should be: 84, hot-78, cold*
This can be obtained with a under the tank heater (uth)- Best choice
Or a heat lamp**-good choice
Leopard geckos need heat on there stomachs rather than on there backs like bearded dragons.
*Cold temps can drop to 65 on the cool side with no harm done
**For the heat lamp you do not need a fancy bulb such as a basking bulb, You can use a daytime/nighttime cycle. Where you can use a ceramic heat emitter during the day and and infrared light at night time. |
Heating and Equipment: | I already covered heating in the post above. You will also need a some sort of temperature device. I recommend a temp gun. A thermometer with a probe is good too. Tape thermometers are not good at all they take the ambient temp and also may be anywhere from 1-20 degrees off. |
Caging Provided: | I use a twenty gallon long reptarium. A ten gallon Viv is OK. You should never go over a forty gallon breeder for one Leo.
I would also not house Leos together unless you have a 40+ Viv. Males shouldn’t be housed together.
Giants and supers must be kept in a twenty long minimum. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | Babies and small juvies should be fed daily and as many as they can eat in 10-15 minutes.
Larger Leos over 6 inches can be fed every other day. As much as they can eat in 10-15 minutes.
Good staples:
supers
silkies
crickets
mealies
good treats:
waxies (2 per weeks)
Bad:
Giant mealies(given hormones effect not yet known)
butters (same as giants) |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | This is a good chart:
Pure calcium no d3/phosphorous- 5 times a week
Vitamins-1 per week
Calcium w/d3 no phosphorous- 1 time every 2 weeks. |
Maintenance: | Change the substrate every two weeks.
Wipe down everything weekly
Change water daily |
Some Words on this Species: | I am going to use this space to make a shopping list and what everything cost me:
Viv-$40 (on sale) (contained heat lamp, cricket food, infrared bulb, And turtle food(not needed))
uth-$20
carpet-$7
Leopard gecko-$25
housing- $26
Dishes-$1 (on sale)
Descries-$20
Crickets cost me about a dollar weekly( buy 1000 crickets per week)
Total cost-$150
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Great pet for kids.
They can drop their tails though so watch don’t touch the tail. |
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