Care Sheet for Geckos: LeopardAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 1.67 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 12/31/2006 |
Main Category: | Lizards |
Sub Category: | Geckos: Leopard |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Alpha male |
Years Experience: | 1 to 2 Years |
Species: | Leopard Gecko |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | No, only leopard geckos. |
Sexing and Characteristics: | Sexing leopard geckos is very hard until the age of 6-9 months. Before this time there might be a slight chance of sexing but a probably not. After 6-9 months of age you would see a "V" shape of darkened in pores in between there legs; this means that it is a male. Males will also have large bulges. Females also have these bulges but they are not as large.
Characteristics
There are not many color characteristics. This is so because there are alot of different morphs. Another characteristic of the leopard gecko is that they have holes on the side of there heads. These holes are there ears. |
Mostly Active During: | Night |
Substrate and Water Needs: | Well, I want to start off this part of the caresheet by saying that no loose substrate is safe. Loose substrate includes Ground up walnut shells, Coconut shells, any type of reptile pellets, and most of all any type of sand. The reason that these substrates are dangerous is because if your leopard gecko eats enough of them it will get clogged up in there digestive track and cause them to get very skinny and die. The term for this is impaction. The safe substrates are Repti-carpet, Non-glazed tiles/ you can find these at any type of do it yourself store, paper towels and also newspaper. Although newspaper and papertowels are easy you have to make sure that your heat pad is the right temp. because if it gets overheated it WILL cook your leopard.
Water
The proper bowl for a leopard gecko is one that is wide enough for your leo to lay in if chosen to but not deep enough for your leopard to drown. The water inside of the waterbowl should be changed daily or if needed every 2 days. A bowl of fresh water should be accessible at all times. |
Lighting and UVB: | Leopard gecko’s do not need any type of special lighting but one will not hurt. You can use a red, blue, purple, or black light 24/7 for both heat and light. Never put your leopard gecko near a window because if sunlight hits the cage if strong enough it could cook your leo. Leopard gecko’s need to have a clear day and night cycle. They are also nocturnal meaning that they can see at night without any type of lighting at all. Some leopard geckos might come out during the day but it is nothing to worry about. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | Never use heat rocks. The reason for this is because they overheat very easily and cook your leo. The leopard gecko cage should be gradient meaning a warm and cool side. The warm side should range between 85-90 fahrenheit. The cool side should be 75-80 fahrenheit. To tell the temp. you will need to put a digital thermometer in the cage.
Humidity
The humidity should be low. There is no reason to mist the cage. The only source of humidity should be a humid hide. These are fairly easy to make just cut a hole in a tupper ware container and put bed-a-beast, vermiculite, or even paper towels. It should be moist but not soggy. Make sure to moisten the humid hide daily with a water sprayer. |
Heating and Equipment: | You can use a UTH or heat tape. Or even a combination of both to get the right temp. gradients. If using heat tape make sure that it covers on 1/3 to maybe 1/2 of the cage. The tape or light should be connected to a rheostat/dimmer to control temp. correctly.
If deciding to use a light start off with a low bulb and work upward to he right temp. Black, blue, purple, or red do not meet the temp. needs. To make sure that your leopard gecko is in prime condition check for tears burns etc etc etc in the heating equipment. Also check temp. constantly. As i said in an earlier topic do not EVER use a heating rock because it has a chance of burning your leo. there have been deaths of leo’s because of heat rocks. |
Caging Provided: | A leo can live it’s entire life in a 10gal. tank. I prefer a 20L though so that they have more room to explore. for hatchlings you can keep them in a 6-12 qt. plastic bow or cage. In that and all tanks you need a humid hide a regular hide and a cool hide a water dish and a PURE dish of calcium. keep papertowel moist for babies for 6-8 weeks to keep them hydrated then it is safe to switch to a different solid substrate. If it is possible the background of the cage needs to have some sort of background. This gives your leo a sense of security even if it is just white paper. Backgrounds can also make your tank look much nicer. Lids for tanks are not necessary, but highly recommended. Leos are not climbers for the most part but other animals in your house or small children might get in there and cause havoc. Make sure that you keep leo’s of similar size together if needed because adults can/will nip or eat babies. As hatchlings they can be kept together but if you see one get larger take it out so that it will not attack the smaller leo. Caging is some of the most important thing in caring for a leopard gecko. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | Leopard geckos are strictly carnivorous meaning they eat only animals. Crickets, Mealworms, Silkworms, Or super worms (not super mealworms) are all very good staple diets for a leopard gecko. I prefer mealworms because they are what’s moistly around Georgia where I live. As a treat you can sometimes give wax worms. Do not use these as a staple though because they can get addictive and have no nutritional value what so ever.
For impacted or sick leos a Jumpstart or Critical health kit can be given to you by a local herp vet or bought from a local petshop. Leos can stop eating a few days before and after a shed because they eat there skin for the calcium. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | For babies and juveniles, you should dust the food every day with a plain, no phosphorus calcium powder. For adults, dusting can be done every other feeding. Twice a week (for adults and babies), substitute with a calcium powder with D3 for dusting. Do NOT use the D3 powder for every dusting, as Leos can not absorb that much D3 and remain healthy. |
Maintenance: | Leos are fairly easy to maintain. Make sure to keep the cage clean and free of feces daily, offer fresh water and food every day. The housing of leopard geckos if possible should be done by themself. Meaning that leopard geckos for the most part are solitary animals. If a male is put with another male there will be fighting and may even to the death. Females can live together but some will fight after years of being together. If housing two leos together make sure that there is 2 of everything. Also keep a close eye on them both just to watch for the fighting. Keep a new leo at least 90 days before introducing him to another to make sure that they do not have hidden parasites that could be passed on. Or if you do not want to wait that long take your new pet into the vet and they will be able to tell you if it is healthy or not. Handling of leopard geckos should not occur until around 6-12 days after they are bought. if your leo does not happily get on your hand or bites you then for about 5min. every day just piddle around with the different things in the cage so that your leo gets used to you being there. Leos are also very fast so if they are dropped there is a chance of them escaping. Babies should not be handled alot because they are extremely fast and can escape trough many thin cracks or crevices. |
Some Words on this Species: | This Species: Leopard geckos are great starter lizards, and are good around children. They are relatively easy and cheap to set up compared to other reptiles, and the maintenance is simple if kept up. Before you just decide that you want a leopard gecko remember that there lifespan is the same if not more then that of a dog or cat. If kept properly leopard geckos can live 10-20 years. So make sure that you are ready before getting a leo. When picking out a leo it is good to buy from a private breeder over a chain pet store. Recently there has been a spread of MBD and crypto in Petco so of you see a gecko there that looks funny that is probably why. Thank you for reading my caresheet for more information PM me
Harrison |
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