Complete care for Leopard Geckos

Last edited: December 1,2024

Leopard geckos are nocturnal animals. They are considered beginner reptiles because they are very easy to handle, but you need to be careful about their enclosure. Heating and UVB light are very important for them. Research shows that heating is beneficial for their life. You need to know everything about your geckos to take care of them properly.

Buy a Tank

There are many different types of housing options for your gecko, such as a vivarium, a terrarium, or even a fish tank. I personally recommend choosing tanks that open from the sides or the front, as they work better for geckos. A fish tank, however, is not the best option. The minimum size tank for a leopard gecko is 20 gallons or 2 feet long. A 20-gallon tank is not a good choice for an adult; it’s better suited for a baby gecko. You should upgrade the tank size when your gecko becomes an adult. For baby geckos, you can use a 30 to 40-gallon tank, as they won’t get stressed by the extra space. Larger tanks are better for all-sized geckos. However, a 20-gallon tank is acceptable for a baby. I personally recommend a 40-gallon tank for an adult gecko because it offers more space for them to climb. Leopard geckos do climb around, but they don’t climb on the glass, so providing extra space is beneficial.

Proper Placement of Your Tank

Placement of your Leo’s tank is most important because some people keep their tank in front of a window where sunlight comes directly. Direct rays of the sun could overheat the tank. You can place your tank under the window, so the window will be directly above the tank.

Heating

Research shows that UVB, along with heat, is extremely beneficial for leopard geckos and can even extend their lives. As I mentioned earlier, a longer tank is better for them. If you use a 10-gallon tank, you can’t perfectly adjust the heat lamp because it will overheat the tank. However, if you use a 20-gallon tank, you can adjust the heat more easily. Simply place the heat lamp on one side of the tank, so when one side gets too hot, your gecko can move to the cooler side. Keep in mind that you should heat only one side of the tank, while the other side should remain cooler, allowing your gecko to choose where it wants to go. Place the heat lamp on the mesh of the tank, and only on one side. You don’t need to provide heat at night, so make sure to turn off all lights during the night.

Lighting

As I mentioned, UVB combined with heat is super beneficial for leopard geckos. You should keep the heat lamp on one side of your tank, and the UVB light should also be placed on only one side. Just imagine you’re mimicking the sun as best as you can. One side should be hot, and the other side should be cooler. A lot of people make the mistake of placing the UVB light on one side and the heat lamp on the other. Don’t do that—it’s not ideal. Keep the UVB light and the heat lamp together on one side. Don’t put anything on the other side of your tank. By doing this, one side of the tank will be hot, and the other side will be cool, which will help you mimic the sun as much as possible.

You should also replace the UVB bulbs yearly. Note that colored lights can cause permanent damage and vision blurriness, so avoid using them. My recommendation is to use the Arcadia ShadeDweller 7% ProT5 kit (12”) and avoid coil bulbs and T8 bulbs, as they are not strong enough and do not cover a large area.

Substrate

Leopard geckos are naturally ground dwellers and they enjoy digging, so don’t use hard surfaces as they can hurt their joints over time. You can use topsoil or play sand.

Note: Do not use carpet, calcium sand, plain sand, or coco fiber; these are the worst substrates. I personally recommend using 70% organic topsoil and 30% play sand.

Food

Leopard geckos eat different types of insects to get right nutrition. Different types of insects give them different types of nutrients. They will eat mealworms, superworms, wax worms, crickets, and Dubia roaches. However, wax worms are quite fatty and should be used as treats. Crickets and Dubia roaches provide better nutrition. You can also use vitamin supplements on the crickets and feed them to your leopard geckos.

Note: If your gecko is ignoring the crickets, take them out and try feeding different foods. Be careful when hand-feeding your geckos, as they might bite you. To avoid the risk, it’s best to place the insects in a dish and put it in the tank.

Also, keep a water dish inside your gecko’s tank throughout the day. If your gecko goes potty in it, just make sure to keep the dish clean.

Decoration

To improve your leopard gecko’s quality of life, you should add some environmental enrichment to its tank. You should provide one humid hide and two other hides, such as a warm hide and a cool hide. You can also add climbing rocks. Adding grapevine not only looks nice but also enhances the tank, and you can include fake plants as well.