Just written this and would appreciate any feed back

Leopard gecko care sheet (Eublepharis Macularis)
Leopard geckos originate from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran and are a ground dwelling, nocturnal species. The ground they live on in the wild is usually a solid mixture of clay/ soil.
Housing
Leopard geckos can be housed in a large variety of ways, the most common being in a wooden or glass vivarium or in a RUB (really useful box). Our personal preference is a wooden vivarium as they retain heat more efficiently and as a consequence it is much easier to maintain temperatures.
An individual gecko can be housed in an enclosure that provides 2 ft by 1 ft floor space and as a guideline you should increase the floor area by 1 square foot per additional gecko. Leopard geckos are solitary lizards and will live quite happily alone, however it is generally accepted that females can be kept together or 1 male and 2 females. Males should never be kept together as they will become very aggressive and will fight potentially causing serious injury and death.
To get your vivarium up and running you will need the following:
· A heat mat – Leopard geckos are cold blooded and require a heat source to thermo regulate. They require under belly heat to digest their food and will soon become ill without it. This should be placed under the tank when using a glass or plastic enclosure or inside the tank, under the substrate in a wooden vivarium. It should cover around a third of the floor area of the enclosure.
· Thermostat – A thermostat will be required to control the temperature of the heat mat, without this it is possible that the heat mat can overheat and burn your gecko.
· Thermometer-There should be thermometers placed in both the warm and the cool end of the enclosure to monitor temperatures.
· A moist hide – A moist hide is required to aid the shedding process and prevent retained skin. It can be a purchased hide or can be as simple as a converted margarine tub, it should be filled with Sphagnum moss, eco earth or vermiculite and placed in the cool end of the enclosure and kept moist with regular spraying.
· Other hides – We would recommend a minimum of two further hides, one in the warm end of the enclosure and one in the cool end. Leopard geckos tend to prefer the smaller hides that they just fit into curled up.
· Water and food bowls- Fresh water should be provided at all times, we change our water daily and disinfect the bowl every 2 or 3 days to prevent any build up of bacteria. We keep a dish of fresh, dusted meal worms in the vivarium at all times.
· Calcium dish – It is recommended that a small dish of calcium is left in the enclosure at all times. This is so the gecko has access to a top up if for any reason it is slightly deficient. We use a milk bottle top.
· Substrate-This covers the floor of your enclosure and is a subject of much debate. There are a variety of substrates available. Paper towels are recommended for young geckos as it is cheap, safe and easy to clean. You can also use slate or tiles with sand to fill in the gaps which is also considered safe and looks attractive. Our personal choice is lino which is easy to clean and has no impaction risks (although you need to ensure that there is adequate grip for the gecko). Other options available are reptile carpet (although watch out for the looped type as leopard gecko claws can become caught in the loops), play sand and calci sand (we do not recommend loose substrate because of the risk of impaction). Bark, walnut corncob and gravel should not be used because of the inability of the geckos to digest this substrate and impaction risks associated with this. Impaction can have serious health implications including death.
· Decor- This is not essential but looks attractive and can help create a more interesting environment for your gecko. You can incorporate clean rocks, logs and plastic plants into your enclosure and can purchase various backgrounds.
We would recommend setting up your enclosure and allowing it to run for a few days before acquiring your gecko, this allows you to check that appropriate temperatures are being reached and maintained.

Heating and lighting
As mentioned previously leopard geckos require belly heat provided by a heat mat and regulated by a thermostat. The enclosure should provide a temperature gradient ranging from 31-32oC (88-90oF) in the warm end to 23oC (75oF) in the cool end.
Heat cable can also be used to provide belly heat and is used in the same way as a heat mat. Heat rocks should not be used as these have been known to burn leopard geckos.
Ceramic bulbs should not be used on their own to heat leopard geckos as they do not provide the belly heat necessary for digestion, however we use low wattage ceramic bulbs with a thermostat to regulate the air temperature in our vivariums and have found that temperatures can be more easily controlled by doing this. This is personal choice and is not essential.
As leopard geckos are nocturnal they do not require any lighting. However they will benefit from being provided with a day and night cycle which varies in accordance to the actual cycle throughout summer/ winter periods. This can either be provided being giving them access to natural light or through artificial light on a timer.

Feeding
Leopard geckos are insectivores and need to be fed gut loaded, dusted insects. Young leopard geckos will need to be fed daily whilst adult geckos should be fed once every two or 3 days.
Enclosure- Insects can be kept in ventilated RUB’s or faunariums and seem to live for longer if given a reasonable amount of space. We provide egg boxes as hiding areas for the insects.
Gut loading- Insects should be fed before they become food. They should be given fresh food every couple of days this can include fruit and vegetables, dandelion leaves and crushed dog food. Oats and bran as well as commercial insect feeders can be used as staple.
Dusting- Live food should be dusted with calcium 5 days a week and a leopard gecko supplement such as nutrobal 2 days a week. You can dust your insects by placing them in a bag and shaking it before feeding them to your gecko.
Hygiene- Insect enclosures should be disinfected before insects are introduced. Any dead insects in the enclosure should be removed as soon as possible as some insects such as crickets can be cannibalistic and this can lead to the spread of disease. Any uneaten food should be removed and replaced before mould occurs which can kill insects.
Water-Insects will drown in a water bowl so if you decide to provide one it will have to have plenty of pebbles or similar to allow them to climb out before they drown. Insects generally get the moisture they need from their food so as long as they are fed fresh fruit and vegetables they should have enough moisture to sustain them. We also mist our live food daily to ensure they have enough moisture, this particularly applies to live food kept over a heat source such as dubia roaches, where the enclosure quickly dries out.
There are lots of live foods available for your geckos both in shops and online.
Mealworms- These are cheap and can be left in the gecko enclosure without risk to the geckos. They need to be changed daily as they quickly lose their nutritional value.
Crickets- These again are quite cheap and quite nutritional. They need particular care hygiene wise due to their cannibalistic tendencies. They are also escape artists so take particular care when transferring them between enclosures. Crickets should not be left in with geckos when they are not eaten as they cause stress and even bite them. If you suspect a cricket has escaped uneaten in your enclosure we would recommend leaving some fruit in the enclosure to dissuade the cricket from biting your gecko.
Locusts- These are nutritional and harmless to your geckos, however they are relatively expensive.
Wax worms- Due to the fact these are high in fat and have relatively low nutrition these should be fed as a treat only (once or twice a week at most). It should be noted that leopard geckos can become addicted to these and as a result will refuse to eat other, more nutritional live foods.
Dubia roaches- These are good nutritionally for your gecko and although initially expensive you can set up a breeding colony quite easily which will provide you with a constant supply of various sized roaches.
Other foods- Phoenix worms, silk worms, butter worms and pinkies (for gravid females) are some other foods that can be provided for your geckos.
We would recommend feeding your geckos a variety of the above insects. Remember healthy food equals a healthy gecko.

Cleaning
Leopard geckos are very clean and will always return to the same area in the enclosure to defecate. You can keep this area clean by putting down paper towel and removing it and replacing it every couple of days. We use a Leo loo (see our useful tips section). When spot cleaning every other day or so you should also check the enclosure for dead insects etc. And remove.
You should thoroughly clean out your enclosure once a month with a weak bleach solution or vivarium cleaning spray.

Leopard gecko health
A well looked after leopard gecko can live for 10 to 20 years.
Shedding- Leopard geckos regularly shed their skin and when doing this they will make use of the moist hide and rub themselves against things in their enclosure to help remove the skin. Some geckos will still experience problems shedding and you may have to bathe the gecko in shallow warm water to help remove skin. You should ensure that there is no retained skin on the toes of your gecko as this can restrict the blood flow and as a result geckos may lose their toes. It is normal for leopard geckos to eat their shed skin.
MBD- MBD is caused by calcium deficiency and is characterised by weak, bendy limbs, inability to support themselves and eye problems. If you suspect your gecko is suffering from MBD you should continue to dust food and provide a calci dish and consult a vet.
Parasites- Parasites are quite common in leopard geckos and can cause a number of problems, if you notice any change in the faeces of your reptile, diarrhoea or sudden weight loss you should contact a vet and arrange for a faecal test and immediately separate the gecko from others.
Small injuries- Injuries should, ideally be examined by a vet. However, it may be useful to keep a pot of small animal antiseptic powder to use on surface wounds to help prevent infection.
Quarantine-It is recommended thatanynew leopard geckos should bequarantined for a minimum of 3 months before being introduced to any of your other geckos. During this time you should have periodic faecal tests carried out (around 3) to ensure that the gecko is not carrying any parasites. This also allows you to monitor the geckos eating and defecating.
If you feel that your gecko is unwell in any way we would recommend you consult a vet that specialises in reptiles (herp vet). In the meantime you should check that the temperatures in the enclosure are right.

I don't agree with that statement.
For many years I have kept and bred leopard geckos and have never had an ill one. My wooden vivs are all heated by overhead ceramics and everything in the viv including the whole of the leos gets heated.
A heat source from below is not essential.

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John

Herp keeper for 38 years.
Oldest forum member.
Keeping carpet pythons, royals, rainbow boas, albino Hond and Nelsons milks and corns, leopard geckos.
Bred beardies, cresties and ackies.

yes it is

leos are nocturnal and therefore do not receive heat from the sun during the day. the sun heats up their hide while they are asleep to keep them warm but also their surrounding territory (i.e. rocks) then when they come out just before dusk the days heat has warmed the rocks for them thus they get heat from their stomachs.

im not criticising your methods in any way as you have had success with this method. but it is down to the fact that the ceramic heats the floor of your viv which is where they get their heat from

i might be wrong but i dont think leos can actually feel the heat from above much in the same way beardies dont through their bellies as they are diurnal, but i could be wrong.

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0.0.2 Leopard geckos: Shadow, Zippo

Thank you for the feedback. I have made a couple of alterations and added a section on handling I will post the final product when it's finished. I've toned down the heating section now as when I read it back it was a bit preachy. I agree with above the reason why the ceramic heater will work is it will heat the floor in pretty much the same way as the sun, especially with a dark substrate. This is based on what I have picked up from my research. Thanx again! ;-) ps typed on I phone - apologies!