Care Sheet for Geckos: LeopardAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 4.04 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 08/30/2006 |
Main Category: | Lizards |
Sub Category: | Geckos: Leopard |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | JDAVDJ |
Years Experience: | Under 1 Year |
Species: | Leopard Geckos |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | N/A |
Sexing and Characteristics: | Both live aprox. 20 yrs & adults average in size from 6-10”. Be sure all geckos are quarantined 2-3 months before introducing them to one another. Their tails are also equipped with a defense mechanism, it drops off (sometimes even with too much stress) so be sure to never hold one/catch one by its tail. It may take about a years to be able to tell the difference between the sexes.
Male: Larger stature/size all around. Base of tail is usually wider. Small bumps/bulges develop by the vent (kind of on the tail). They also have larger femoral pores which darken & appear in a “v” shape (hemipneal bulges). Never house 2 males in the same cage, they may/will fight to the death & never put 1 female in w/1 male, he may mate with her until she’s too stressed; she may die.
Female: Generally smaller stature/ in size, but can be stocky like a male. Missing bulges by the vent & the femoral pores are present, but empty.
The male & female sex is determined by the temperature the incubator was set at.
Males incubate: 87-90 degrees F
Females incubate: 79- 83 degrees F
Over aggressive female: 90-92 degrees F
Anything below 79 degrees F will be underdeveloped
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Mostly Active During: | Night |
Substrate and Water Needs: | Substrates: Never use sand. Edible sand with calcium is not recommended either. Also, don’t use bark; a lot of the odors emitted are toxic. All three of these things can cause impaction which will lead to death. Tiles, paper towel & newspaper are best. Repti-carpets have been successful, just be sure there are no frayed edges. I’ve also seen plaster used (like for model train scenery building... just be sure it’s non-toxic.
Water: should be changed every day & you do not need to "fix" the water like you do for a fish. |
Lighting and UVB: | No UVB lights required here. Nothing special is required here. They’re nocturnal, so they haven’t seen much of the sun anyhow. Red lights can be used at night for viewing because a Leo cannot see this shade, and will not come out to “play” if it’s not dark. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | Everyone recommends a digital thermometer; they seem to be more accurate. Keep the warm side of the tank 82-92 degrees F and the cool side of the tank should be kept about ten degrees cooler or so (73-77 degrees F). Night time temperatures can drop to the lower end of the 70’s. A lot of people use UTH or Under Tank Heaters along with ceramic heat lamps. One or the other in combination with the lights should do just fine. I would recommend getting you tank & setting it up 3 or so days before getting your Leo. This will give you enough time to see if you need more or less heating. The tanks humidity level should not exceed 40%. Respiratory, bacterial, and fungal infections can occur when this happens. If your humidity is too high & you can’t control it you may purchase a de-humidifier. One humid hide is required for each gecko to aide in shedding, and a bowl of water. |
Heating and Equipment: | To keep the temperatures level you can use: UTH (under tank heaters), ceramic heating lamp, over head lamps. You may also wish to get yourself a thermostat. This allows you to manually control the temp from outside the cage & will assist in keeping the cage at a steady temp. It’s recommended two hides & a humid hide for every Leo. The humid hide should be on the hot side of the tank, and should have 1” of moss/ a paper towel that sprayed down every day/every other day to keep it moist inside. |
Caging Provided: | 15 gallon tank for a single Leo is the best. Then add 10 gallons for every Leo (general & widely used rule of thumb). Be sure the cage is not too open, this can cause stress. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | Carnivorous (food items no longer & 1/2 the width of the Leo’s head)
Meal worms & crickets are widely used as a staple/ part of normal diet. They will eat other insects as well: Silk worms, Wax worms (TREATS 2/3 times a month; way too high in fat), Grasshoppers, King worms, Locusts, Pinkey mice (for breeding females/ adult Leos), flightless flies, common house flies, etc. We like to eat a variety of food, so they probably would prefer to as well. I wouldn’t recommend catching your “food” unless you live in the middle of no where; the insect could have eaten/passed through a pesticide/ a toxic chemical. Your insects should also be gut loaded before you feed them to you Leos. At pet stores they have food that is nutritional for the insect & in turn is better for the Leo. You should allow the insects to feed 24-48 hrs before feeding them to the Leos.
One web site I saw said that fire flies/lightning bugs should never be fed to any reptile; they may/can/will cause death to a herp.
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Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | A multi-vitamin & calcium supplement should be all you need. They should come in a powder form. “Dust” the food as follows: Babies should have their food “dusted” every feedings, where as adults can get away with every other day or so. Be careful to not under do it without over doing it. |
Maintenance: | Change water, remove dead bugs and poop every day. Replace the humid hides "innards" every 2 weeks or so along with the cage’s flooring. Every month or 6 week disinfect the entire thing & everything inside. Then be sure it is rinsed well. |
Some Words on this Species: | So far these are the lowest maintenance reptile I’ve found. They each seem to have their own personality and things one may like more an another. |
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