In response to many requests for information concerning the captive care of this popular pet lizard RainForest Adventures is providing the following suggested guidelines for the captive care and breeding of the pet Leopard Gecko

Leopard Geckos as Pets

Housing Your New Pet Gecko

You should always try to have your new pets habitat set and established before bringing them home, while this may not always be practical, proper preparation can go a long way to a happy, healthy pet. 

Since the Leopard Gecko does not attain a large size this gecko can be easily kept for its entire life in a 10 gallon or 15 gallon.  30 gallon long aquariums are even better since they have a larger surface area, it is important to remember that this species will spend most of it's time on the ground so the longer and wider the aquarium the better. 

Additionally if you intend on keeping several together it is important to give them plenty of room so that the males in particular will have room to roam!

Leopard Gecko Substrate

It is always important to try and replicate as close as possible the animals natural conditions in captivity.  This not only ensures the health of the animal but also can allow for some extremely appealing enclosures!  The art and fun of building a vivarium can really bring joy to you and the family. 

In the wild this species lives in an arid region, but that being said dry sand is probably not going to work in every case.  Remember that this gecko retreats to the shelter of underground burrows where the humidity is higher.  They do not like a wet environment, but a bone dry one will lead to problems with skin shedding, eyes and other physical ailments.  Products like Aspen bedding, often available at pet shops, will work just fine.  Even cypress mulch, when available, will be a suitable substrate, one can find cypress mulch at home centers such as Home Depot.

Gecko Furniture!

Just as your home would be quite boring without furniture, so would the leopard geckos new home. 

Here is where your creativity can blend with the animals natural needs to create something that you can be proud of as well as meet the geckos needs.  In the wild the gecko can be on the dinner menu for a lot of predators, as such your new pet will feel the need to be able to hide during the day.  Various types of cork bark flats, cork rounds, and flat pieces of driftwood will do the job quite nicely. 

You can bring in pieces of wood from your own back yard, it may not hurt to heat them to 160-175 degrees in the oven for about an hour, that will kill all parasites that may be living on the wood.  Remember to keep an eye on the wood in the oven so that it does not start on fire!

Since your gecko will like to thermo regulate it will be important to provide a variety of hiding places in the both the warm and cool regions of the enclosure. Artificial desert plants as well as live ones (without spines) may be used as well, but certain lighting consideration must be made when incorporating living plants into terrarium designs.

Certain forms of aloe and other succulents are both attractive and functional in a geckos enclosure.  Once again you can find many inexpensive and nice succulents at the average home center garden department.  Once again keep in mind that having either natural bright light or a bright source of artificial light will help keep you plants and animals thriving.

Heating and Lighting

Leopard geckos hail from dry deserts, and require basking temperatures around 90 degrees. The ambient, or background, temperature in the enclosure should be kept around 80 during the day, and can safely drop to the mid 70's at night.

The use of heat pads in conjunction with basking bulbs or ceramic heaters (if needed) is the ideal way to provide heat for this species.

Use of a low output UVB light can be somewhat beneficial in providing a day/night cycle for your gecko, as well as help display it to its best colors. A 5.0 bulb may help with the absorption and metabolizing of calcium, a vital part of a geckos life. As a nocturnal animal, though, it is not absolutely necessary for the gecko to survive.

Water and Humidity

As desert dwellers, leopard geckos are not big on drinking from a dish, and usually get most of their water from their food or by lapping up dew droplets. However, in captivity a water bowl should still be provided. It does not need to be very big or deep, just large enough to allow your geckos to get a drink should they choose to do so.

For the most part, your geckos cage should be kept dry. However, in the wild, they spend their days in moist burrows. To simulate this in the terrarium, some keepers stuff small amounts of moss or other moisture retaining bedding under a few of the hide spots and keep it damp via regular mistings. These "humid hides" will aid in hydration and the shedding process.

Feeding Your Gecko

Leopard geckos should be fed a variety of insect prey dusted regularly with a high quality calcium/vitamin supplement. Babies will eat small crickets, while larger animals will eat larger crickets, mealworms, giant mealworms, waxworms, and the occasional pinky mouse.

Food should be offered daily for babies and for geckos up to 6 months of age. After that, you can safely offer your lizards as many food items as they will likely consume in 24 hours every second or third day.

Another option is to have a small dish of mealworms always available to your geckos, and then feed them crickets as described above, only less often.

Handling

Baby leopard geckos can be a bit jumpy, but begin to calm down quickly with age and regular handling. Animals that are handled regularly from a young age turn out to be among the calmest lizard pets you can own.

RainForest Adventures zoo, Smoky Mountains, Tennessee near Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge TN