How to Care for a Pet Leopard Gecko

The leopard gecko is a popular beginner's reptile because it's easy to handle and requires minimal care compared to many other lizards. Native to Afghanistan, Pakistan, northwest India, and Iran, leopard geckos have perky personalities and make movements that are interesting to watch.

They are commonly yellow, white, and spotted with black dots–hatchlings are striped and gradually change to the spotted appearance. There are several colorful and patterned morphs or variations. Here's an overview of the leopard gecko, with everything you need to know if you're considering one as a pet.

Leopard Gecko Behavior and Temperament

Leopard geckos, affectionately called leos, are generally easy to care for. They do not require a lot of cage maintenance, but you should still give their environment a lot of attention.

Leopard geckos are mostly nocturnal, ground-dwelling geckos that are generally docile and easy to tame. They do not have sticky toe pads like other geckos, so they do not climb walls. Also, unlike other geckos, they do have eyelids.

Leopard geckos are not prone to biting and are usually slow-moving. They are known to be very vocal, especially when they are hungry, and they make chirps and squeaks.

When you first bring home your leopard gecko, you can socialize them with gentle handling. They will tolerate a certain amount of contact, but don't overdo it or your leopard gecko may become stressed. 

Geckos use their tails to communicate. If you have more than one leopard gecko in an enclosure, keep an eye out for tail-waving. It's a slow, back-and-forth motion. The gecko often raises their tail, too—this sign means they feel threatened and are about to attack, so separate them from one another right away.

Leopard geckos also are tail rattlers, similar to rattlesnakes. If you see your gecko rattle the tip of their tail rapidly, it means they are excited to eat or mate.

And just like a lot of other lizards, when they feel threatened, leopard geckos can self-amputate their tails as a defense mechanism.

Housing

A 10-gallon tank is the minimum size for one leopard gecko, but a larger tank is preferable. Old fish tanks that don't hold water anymore also work perfectly well for leopard geckos. Only keep male and female geckos together if you want to deal with breeding. Like most reptiles, leopard geckos are solitary creatures for the most part and do not feel lonely or desire the company of other lizards other than when mating.

Leopard geckos like to find hiding places throughout their environment, and they’re nocturnal, preferring to come out of hiding at night. Provide half logs as hiding and climbing space. Commercial reptile caves and hideaways, rocks, and simple cardboard boxes are also good options. A damp hide box can help with shedding.

Spot clean the cage once a day to remove feces. About twice a month, take everything out, throw out the substrate, and scrub and disinfect the cage and all the items in it to reduce the buildup of bacteria.

It's also important to soak your gecko in a shallow pan of lukewarm water for about 10 to 15 minutes once or twice a week. This will help with hydration and humidity. You might need to complete this process more often if your gecko is shedding.

Heat

You can use a regular white light incandescent heat bulb to provide a basking spot during the day. Turn off the light each night. A red heat bulb, purple heat bulb, or ceramic heat emitter can provide supplemental heat at night, while a blue heat bulb can provide heat during the day.  

Under-tank heating pads work for heating, but they may not be the most effective for regulating your gecko's temperature properly. If your gecko burrows down to the glass surface of the tank, an under-tank heating pad might cause burns. Never use hot rocks.

As cold-blooded creatures, reptiles need to use the environment to regulate their body temperature. Reptiles like a range of temperature or thermal gradient so they can adjust their body warmth. Provide a daytime basking spot of 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31 degrees Celsius) with a thermal gradient down to about 75 Fahrenheit (around 24 Celsius). At night, the temperature can drop to a range of 70–75 Fahrenheit (21–24 Celsius). Make sure your gecko is not exposed to any drafts, and do not place the tank next to a window or door.

Light

Being nocturnal, leopard geckos are most active at night and do not require a lot of UV lighting. In the wild, these creatures are also active at dawn and sunset and get UV exposure at those hours of scant sunlight. A small amount of UVA and UVB light (2% to 7%) can go a long way to keeping leopard geckos healthy and may reduce the risk of metabolic bone disease.

To remain healthy, leopard geckos need to maintain adequate vitamin D levels, and they can do so with proper exposure to the right lighting. Your lizard will need incandescent lighting and heat from that source to mimic the sunlight. In the summer, give them about 14 hours of "sun" per day. And, in winter, the lizard will need about 12 hours of that light. For ease of care, you can automate the cage lighting by putting the lights on a timer.

Humidity

Leopard geckos are desert lizards, so they do not need a highly humid environment. If the humidity is too low (below 20%), the gecko might have trouble shedding. Keep the humidity level at about 30% to 40%, which is similar to the humidity level in your home. You can use a regular screen top, coupled with the heat source, to keep the environment dry. To check on the humidity level, get a hygrometer or humidity gauge for the cage.

Substrate

Young leopard geckos shouldn't be kept on a sand substrate, even if it is calcium sand. They may ingest the sand and suffer an intestinal blockage. Paper is absorbent and easy to change, and indoor/outdoor carpet works well, too. Reptile carpet is also a good option; it's easy to clean and your gecko will move around on it well. There is also a low risk that your gecko will ingest this product.

Avoid wood shavings, since they can cut your gecko's tiny feet. The volatile oils in the wood shavings may be irritating. While the best substrates should mimic the gecko's natural environment, whatever substrate you use, make sure your gecko is not ingesting it.

Food and Water

Leopard geckos are insectivores. Feed a variety of crickets, waxworms, and, in moderation, mealworms. On occasion, you can try to feed a pinky mouse to an adult gecko. To make sure that your gecko does not ingest any substrate, you can feed them in an empty tank.

Juveniles need to be fed several crickets every day. Adults can skip several days between feedings. Before you feed the insects to your pet, they must be gut-loaded or fed a nutritious meal 24 hours before feeding. You will also need to coat the insects with a calcium/vitamin D3 supplement before you feed them to your lizard. To do so, put the crickets or worms in a Ziploc bag with some of the powder supplement. Shake the bag quickly and drop the insects into the tank with your lizard. Hatchlings and juveniles need the calcium/vitamin supplement at every feeding; adults only need it at every other feeding.

You can also provide your gecko with a lick dish of the vitamin.

Provide a shallow dish of fresh water for your leopard gecko at all times. The water bowl will help add some humidity to the enclosure, and your gecko will drink from the bowl. You may even find a gecko voluntarily soaking in their water bowl.

Common Health Problems

Common health problems that leopard geckos are prone to include:

• Metabolic bone disease: This is one of the most severe conditions that can affect leopard geckos. Just like humans, geckos become ill if they don't get enough calcium and vitamin D. Metabolic bone disease causes painful spine and limb deformities.
• Armpit bubbles: These are not dangerous, but they are a sign that your lizard is storing something. These bubbles can contain fat, vitamins, protein, calcium, or other minerals, and are common in overweight geckos. Usually, they go away when the lizard returns to a healthy weight.
• Gastroenteritis: This is caused by a bacterial infection. If your gecko has watery stools or their tail shrinks, these may be signs of gastroenteritis. The condition is potentially fatal, but treatable if caught early.
• Dysecdysis: Like other lizards, leopard geckos that are undernourished or live in a cage with insufficient moisture may develop dysecdysis. This condition, which looks like dry skin, causes the gecko to have difficulty shedding and can affect their vision or constrict their fingers or toes.
• Respiratory infections: Leopard geckos are susceptible to a variety of respiratory infections, including pneumonia. Wheezing or bubbles of mucus around the nasal passages and mouth are a sign that your leopard gecko is having respiratory problems.

All of these conditions should receive treatment from an exotics veterinarian who specializes in reptiles.

Choosing Your Leopard Gecko

Since they are long-lived lizards, be sure you're prepared to care for a leopard gecko for an extended time. These highly popular pets are readily available, but it's always best to purchase geckos from a reputable breeder. On average, they can cost $20 to $40. Rare morphs may cost up to $100. You might be able to find a good reptile breeder at a reptile expo or reptile show near you.

When choosing your pet, look at their tail. It should be plump and fat, preferably as wide or wider than the space between the gecko's shoulders. The eyes, nose, and mouth should appear clear and not runny. The vent, or opening for urinating and defecating, should look clean and not swollen.

Different Species of Geckos

If you are interested in pet geckos, check out:

• Crested gecko
• Tokay gecko
• Golden gecko
• Gargoyle gecko
• Day gecko
• Common house gecko