General Information:
Leopard Geckos (Eublepharis macularius) are nocturnal lizards that originate from the deserts of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Western India. They are medium-sized lizards and come in a variety of colors and patterns. Leopard Geckos have large, fat tails that are used to store fat and water. A full grown adult is usually 7-9” long and can live up to 20 years in captivity.
Housing:
Generally, an adult leopard gecko can be comfortable housed in a 10 gallon glass aquarium. Several females can be housed together comfortably in the appropriately sized enclosure. DO NOT house males together, as they can fight and injure or kill each other. Adults should never be housed with babies or juveniles.
There are four basic fixtures required within the enclosure to ensure the health and well-being of your Leopard Gecko.
Substrate- The substrates recommended by most breeders are paper towels, reptile carpet, or newspaper. These are also very easy to clean and are cost effective. Do not use sand as a substrate as it may cause impaction.
Heat- We believe that the best heat source for a Leopard Gecko comes from below. Reptiles are cold blooded, and rely on their environment to help them with ‘thermal regulation’, therefore there must be a warm area on one side of the enclosure( 90-94°) and a room temperature area (70-74°) on the cool side.
Shelter- Leopard Geckos must be provided with a dark, moist hide (damp paper towel or moss) in their enclosure to help aid in the shedding process. Ideally, there should also be another hide on the opposite side of the enclosure as well.
Water/Supplements- It is very important that your gecko is provided with access to calcium at all times, as well as fresh water. You can accomplish this by providing a separate dish filled with calcium, or by dusting the food items with calcium regularly.
Feeding:
A common diet associated with Leopard Geckos consists of crickets and/or mealworms. They may also be fed silkworms, waxworms and pinkie mice (as adults), but these foods should only be given occasionally, as they are high in fat content. At our facility, we feed mealworms almost exclusively, with waxworms and phoenix worms occasionally. Be careful not to feed them anything larger than 3/4 the size of their head to prevent choking. Providing a variety of foods is highly recommended.
It is also very important that the food you supply be ‘gut loaded’ to provide the proper nutrients to your gecko. You can use any commercial gut load, or provide the insects with a mix of cereal, dog/cat food, as well as leafy greens, carrots, red potatoes, sweet potatoes and/or apples.
Handling and Quarantine:
We recommend quarantining your new gecko for a minimum of 30 days (90 days recommended). When beginning to handle your Leopard Gecko, we recommend that you offer your hand slowly with your palm up, before picking up your gecko. Never pick up your gecko by its tail, as this may cause the tail to “drop”, or detach and it may become vulnerable to disease and infection.
