Leopard Geckos
Appearance
Leopard geckos are among the largest geckos with adults attaining a length of around 8 or 9 inches. Most leopard geckos have a yellow background with brown spots covering the adults. Juvenile geckos have a predominantly striped pattern that fades to the spotted pattern with age. They also have a very obvious outer ear and differ from many geckos in that they have eyelids and lack adhesive lamellae, meaning they can't walk up vertical services.
Housing
An aquarium is a perfect home although many people have success with plastic sweater boxes. Since they are a terrestrial species, a long aquarium is better than a high one. A 20 gallon long aquarium is adequate for 3 or 4 geckos. Make sure that you only have one male per enclosure as males will fight each other. The best substrate i recommend would be paper towels, it's easy to change and cheap. Keep in mind to NEVER use sand, most leopard geckos would swallow the sand and this may lead to compaction then fatal death. humid hide would be perfect for a leopard gecko, it is an easy way to keep the terrarium humid and the geckos LOVE hiding in them.
Lighting and Temperature
Lighting is normally recommended by sellers but it all really depends on the morph (the colour phase). Only normal morph leopard geckos would be suitable for lighting. Any Albino phase or genetic leopard gecko would be very sensitive to light, a long term of lighting may cause blindness to your leopard geckos. Because of this issue, i highly recommend NOT to require lighting for your leopard gecko. As for temperature, during the winter times you could provide your leopard gecko with either a nightlight that produces heat or a heat mat to replace under the tank.
Feeding and Watering
Leopard geckos are relatively easy to feed because they will thrive on insects. A staple of crickets along with occasional waxworms and mealworms make a good diet. Adult geckos can also be fed an occasional pinkie mouse. Juveniles can be feed every day and adults every other day. Supplementation is a must for leopard geckos. Two supplements should be used: one that is just calcium/D3 and another that is a reptile multivitamin. Juveniles should be supplemented at every feeding and adults at every other feeding. Gravid females should also be supplemented at every feeding to make up for the large nutritional depletion caused by egg laying. Insects can be coated with these supplements and it's always a good idea to feed the insects a high quality diet so as to "gut-load" them and increase their nutritional value. If your geckos don't mind being handled it may be a good idea to feed them in a separate container. This reduces the chance of impaction from ingesting the substrate in the aquarium and allows for you to monitor how much each gecko is eating.
A shallow water dish should be provided at all times and changed daily to stop bacteria and fungus growth. Allowing leopard geckos access to a moist area is a good idea that aids in shedding. Even though they come from arid climates their burrows tend to have moderate humidity. People can supply this humidity by moistening the area under their hide boxes. Make sure that the overall cage isn't wet or overly humid.
Leopard geckos are among the largest geckos with adults attaining a length of around 8 or 9 inches. Most leopard geckos have a yellow background with brown spots covering the adults. Juvenile geckos have a predominantly striped pattern that fades to the spotted pattern with age. They also have a very obvious outer ear and differ from many geckos in that they have eyelids and lack adhesive lamellae, meaning they can't walk up vertical services.
Housing
An aquarium is a perfect home although many people have success with plastic sweater boxes. Since they are a terrestrial species, a long aquarium is better than a high one. A 20 gallon long aquarium is adequate for 3 or 4 geckos. Make sure that you only have one male per enclosure as males will fight each other. The best substrate i recommend would be paper towels, it's easy to change and cheap. Keep in mind to NEVER use sand, most leopard geckos would swallow the sand and this may lead to compaction then fatal death. humid hide would be perfect for a leopard gecko, it is an easy way to keep the terrarium humid and the geckos LOVE hiding in them.
Lighting and Temperature
Lighting is normally recommended by sellers but it all really depends on the morph (the colour phase). Only normal morph leopard geckos would be suitable for lighting. Any Albino phase or genetic leopard gecko would be very sensitive to light, a long term of lighting may cause blindness to your leopard geckos. Because of this issue, i highly recommend NOT to require lighting for your leopard gecko. As for temperature, during the winter times you could provide your leopard gecko with either a nightlight that produces heat or a heat mat to replace under the tank.
Feeding and Watering
Leopard geckos are relatively easy to feed because they will thrive on insects. A staple of crickets along with occasional waxworms and mealworms make a good diet. Adult geckos can also be fed an occasional pinkie mouse. Juveniles can be feed every day and adults every other day. Supplementation is a must for leopard geckos. Two supplements should be used: one that is just calcium/D3 and another that is a reptile multivitamin. Juveniles should be supplemented at every feeding and adults at every other feeding. Gravid females should also be supplemented at every feeding to make up for the large nutritional depletion caused by egg laying. Insects can be coated with these supplements and it's always a good idea to feed the insects a high quality diet so as to "gut-load" them and increase their nutritional value. If your geckos don't mind being handled it may be a good idea to feed them in a separate container. This reduces the chance of impaction from ingesting the substrate in the aquarium and allows for you to monitor how much each gecko is eating.
A shallow water dish should be provided at all times and changed daily to stop bacteria and fungus growth. Allowing leopard geckos access to a moist area is a good idea that aids in shedding. Even though they come from arid climates their burrows tend to have moderate humidity. People can supply this humidity by moistening the area under their hide boxes. Make sure that the overall cage isn't wet or overly humid.