Leopard Gecko Info & Care - Reptiles Galore

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Leopard Geckos


Welcome to the leopard gecko care and info section!

---- Useful Downloads ----

Downloadable/Printable Care Sheet (Word File)

Blank Birth Certificates (Excel File)

Weight Log (Excel File)


---- About Leopard Geckos ----



Leopard Geckos originate from the deserts of Pakistan, northern India, Afghanistan, and parts of Iran.
They are ground dwelling geckos and also nocturnal. This means they only come out at night and during the day they will often hide away. They take heat in from there bellie in the evening from where the sun has been beating down on the ground, the ground is then left warm in the evenings.

The leopard gecko is now available in many diffrents colours and patterns known as "morphs. Some people name these morphs after there name and other name it as appropriate to what the gecko looks like. They should have nice big fat tails which indicate they are feed well, this is where they store extra food for when they might need it. In the wild there tail is designed so that if it is grabed by a preditor, they will detach it from the rest of the body and it will "spasm" so that the predator keeps interested in the tail and the gecko can escape. There tails will regrow but will never look as good as they did before.

Leopard Geckos come from the desert areas fo pakistan and afghanistan. Although these are desert areas it does not mean they live on sand, desert just means an area which is sparse and has little human population. There natrual habbitat has a clay/soil subsrate which is solid and not losse, like many people believe.

They hide away just under ground level or under rocks, stones, logs or plants during the day and come out to feed on insects in the evenings. When they are angry or feel threatened they often open then mouths and lunge, other times they will make a "screech" noise.


All photos above taken from google and do not belong to reptiles galore.


---- Care Sheet ----

Below are the requirements that we would advise for a single leopard gecko. It's best to purchase the setup and get it up and running before your new pet moves in so that you can get it all ready and trial tested to ensure that everything works properly and safely.

Shopping list & estimated prices:

*2ft (w) by 1ft (h) by 1ft (d) minimum vivarium (preferably wooden as it keeps in heat better than glass or plastic) £20-£100 depending on size, brand and material.
*Heat mat (must cover a third to one half of the floor) £20-£30
*Digital thermometer £3-£15
*Mat thermostat £20-£30
*A minimum of two hides £4-£10 each depending on size and material.
*A moist hide/box £FREE! See our DIY section for how to make your own moist box/hide!
*A water dish £5-£10 depending on size, brand and material.
*A food dish (optional) £5-£10 depending on size & brand.
*Tweezers/tongs (optional) £8
*Digital kitchen weighing scales £10-£30
*Vitamin powder (e.g. Nutrobal) £8 depending on size and brand.
*Pure calcium powder (e.g. Calypso or limestone flour) £5 depending on size and brand.
*Rocks, pebbles, fake foilage (optional) £FREE-£15
*Substrate (e.g. slate/ceramic rough tiles, kitchen roll, paper, reptile carpet or lino. Reptile's Galore do not advise using loose substrate with leopard gecko's as it has been known to cause many problems including infections, poor hygiene and impaction but it is the owners choice at their own risk) £2-20 depending on what material you want to use and how much of it you get.

What to do next:

Once you have purchased all this you now need to set up the vivarium. We normally recommend using a wooden vivarium for two reasons. (1) Wood keeps the heat in better than glass or plastic and (2) leopards gecko's are nocturnal so they do not like being exposed too much.

It is very important to make sure the heat mat covers 1/3 - 1/2 of the vivarium floor and is only on one side and not in the middle as leopard geckos are cold blooded and regulate their body temperature by moving to cooler/warmer areas. It is also important that the heat mat is on the floor as leopard gecko's sense heat from their bellies and not from above (so a heat mat is better than a light bulb). We believe that all heat mats should be controlled by a mat thermostat to prevent the temperature getting too high or too low. The probe for the thermostat needs to be on the hot side of the vivarium on the floor set to 88f-92f. This is also where the digital thermometer probe should be to check that the thermostat is set at the correct temperature. You might need to tweak the thermostat until you reach the correct temperature according to the thermometer. Leopard gecko's do not need any lighting or UV as they are nocturnal so any extra light is not benefitial to their health.

The next thing to set up is the substrate. Once this is done, put the hides in - one on the warm side and one on the cool side. The moist hide/box can now be put in place in the middle of the vivarium, half on the warm side and half on the cool side to create a balance of humidity inside the box that should not effect the humidity of the vivarium. The last of the essential equipment to add should be the water bowl. Be careful to keep this on the coolest part of the floor to prevent high humidity occuring. High humidity is not good for leopard gecko's as they can get a respititory infection which causes breathing problems and can be fatal. Now it is just the decor left to add, like some fake plants or rocks (if you choose to add these).

Handling your Gecko:

For the first week or two, your gecko should be left alone to settle in - this is to avoid unnessessary stress. After a couple of weeks, we recommend that you spend 5 minutes a couple of times a day letting your gecko explore your hand and sniff/lick it inside their vivarium so that they can get used to you and your scent (it is best to do this in the evenings when they are more active). Never pick them up by the tail as this may stress them and if they feel threatened they will drop their tail (it will regenerate but will be stumpy and will look different from before).

Once they have got used to your scent and start trusting you, they will crawl onto or around your hand and then you can attempt to touch/stroke or pick them up. Always pick them up from below and make sure you are supporting their arms and legs. Allow them to run up your arms and around your hands. After a time they will eventually just rest on you without any problems. Some leopard gecko's refuse to be tamed and we must warn you that they can be very fast, nippy, hissy and jumpy so be cautious!

Feeding Time:

Most of the time you can fill their food bowl with mealworms (mini mealworms for leopard gecko's that are under 12 weeks old). They will easily find the bowl when they are hungry. Although meal worms provide a good staple diet, you should allow your gecko a varied diet. Other good staple foods include crickets, locusts, roaches and morio worms. As a treat once a week, you can feed them a wax worm or two. Do not over feed them wax worms as they are fatty and can be addictive.

Make sure all live food is dusted with vitamins twice and a week and pure calcium 3-5 times a week.

Never leave live food such as crickets, locusts or roaches in the vivarium for more than 30 minutes as they could bite your gecko which could cause an infection.

Daily jobs:
*Replenish and refresh the water bowl daily.
*Spray the moist hide/box daily.

Weekly jobs:
*Clean and disinfect the water bowl weekly to prevent limescale and mould.
*Remove your gecko from its home and change the substrate and use a weak bleach solution or a brand named reptile disinfectant to clean all surfaces in the vivarium every two weeks.
*Weigh your gecko weekly and keep a log of the weight.
*Every 4 weeks, measure your gecko's length and keep a log.

It's good to keep a log of your leopard gecko's weight and length to ensure that they are growing healthily. If there is more than a week with a large decrease in weight, you should take the gecko to an experienced exotic vets for a check up and give a stool sample to test for parasites or worms.

Below are a few pictures of one of our vivariums.




All information in this care sheet is to be used as a guide. Reptile's Galore takes no responsability for anything that happens to your pet or you while following this guide.