Leopard gecko care ~ how to create the perfect leopard gecko habitat

Leopard geckos are known to be one of the easiest reptile pets to care for. That being said, it is still important to set up a proper leopard gecko habitat. Our little gecko pets require special housing if you want to keep the happy and healthy.

The following guidelines will help you build a decent leopard gecko habitat for healthy and safe lizard living.


LEOPARD GECKO HABITAT: A GLASS TERRARIUM

Plastic or glass terrariums offer the best type of leopard gecko housing. A terrarium simply means a container that simulates or replicates the natural habitat of your reptile pet. Glass is better than plastic, but both are fine.

Ideal terrariums are shallow and long. The smallest recommended size for a single leopard gecko is ten gallons.

What are the dimensions of a ten gallon fish tank or terrarium? In inches, that's usually 20" (width) x 12" (height) x 10" (depth). In centimetres, that's approximately 51cm x 31cm x 25cm

Two lizards will need a fifteen gallon tank and three to four leopard geckos will require about a twenty-gallon tank. I just did a quick ebay search and there's lots available. Love ebay!

Wire cages aren't a good idea. Unlike other geckos (the tree dwelling types), leopard geckos don't have those sticky pads on their feet and so they can't crawl up glass very easily and therefore they can't escape.

Make sure they can breathe though: the terrarium should have a wire mesh cover at the top for fresh air and circulation and to prevent escapes.


TERRARIUM TEMPERATURE


Leopard Geckos are ectothermic or cold blooded so they are not able to generate enough of their own body heat. Thus they require additional, external sources of heat. Your glass terrarium should be heated to 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit (26 to 30 degrees centigrade) during daytime with a basking spot of around 88 to 90 degree Fahrenheit (31 degrees to 32 degrees). Make sure there's a cooler spot too of around 70F (21C) And at night time, keep to around 70 degrees F (21c). You'll need a thermometer to check on this.


FURNITURE, LANDSCAPING AND PLANTS


This is where the fun begins! Now you can get creative and create an environment that simulates your gecko pets' natural home. I've seen some amazing constructions.

The more things for your leopard gecko to climb over and explore, the more motivation for him to move around. Although 'blinging' up your leopard gecko terrarium might seem to be the fun bit, it's also a key part of good leopard gecko care too.

Logs, rocks will make a natural living area and give him the areas for climbing and exercise. Artificial or live plants can also give your gecko more hiding spots and much natural feel, though you don't really need them. If you want to install a live plant, select them carefully as some plants can be poisonous to reptiles. Dry cactus skeletons work well.

Have a basking area (like a big rock) and a hiding area (to cool off). A basking area could be a piece of wood like a dry branch or a rock. There should be one basking area per gecko.

For the hiding spot, you can use an old cardboard box, inverted pots of clay, overlapping rocks or portions of curved barks. Like the basking area, if you have more geckos you should also have more hiding spots.


CLEANING YOUR TERRARIUM


Maintaining good hygiene is another key part of leopard gecko care. You should change the water every day and look around for any uneaten insects, mould or stagnant water pools and any other dirt. It shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes to have a quick daily inspection. Then about once a week, have a more thorough clean out: change the substrate (floor covering), clean all around the terrarium and disinfect the water bowls. Remember that strong disinfectants and bleach can be very harmful to your leopard gecko, so take care to fully rinse every thing off with water.


There's so much more to say about leopard gecko care and creating the perfect leopard gecko habitat. I'll write more about it soon, but the key thing is to keep your terrarium clean, try to mimic a gecko's native environment (minus the hazards!!) and most of all, have fun with it! There is work to be done when you have a leopard gecko pet, but after a bit of practice it doesn't take long to clean out the terrarium and it can even be fun if you rope in one of the family or a friend! It can become your regular ritual. I've seen some very creative, stunning terrariums, so it's also a chance to exercise those creative juices!

If you're looking for a starting place to start designing a cool vivarium, here's my choice as the
Best Book On Vivarium Designs


Here's to your leopard gecko terrarium success!
GGG

What Is A Leopard Gecko and why do they make such great pets?

What is a Leopard Gecko?

The Leopard Geckos were first named as a species specifically as Eublepharis Macularis by Edward Blyth a British Zoologist back in 1854. The name Eublepharis were derived from the Greek words “Eu” (meaning True) and blephar (meaning eyelid). Having an eyelid is what distinguishes members of this subfamily apart from other Geckos. Macularius came from the Latin word “Macula” which means “spot or blemish”, this is in reference to the leopard Geckos natural spot like markings.

Leopard Geckos are natives of Pakistan, Iran, India and Afghanistan where mostly the geographical location is dry and rocky terrain. Geckos are known to be nocturnal creatures, and are known to live under ground.

One of Leopard Geckos main characteristics is its triangular head and large tail, please note that fat is stored directly in the Gecko’s tail. A Geckos skin is patterned heavily and bumpy. Patterns are designed to hide or camouflage a Gecko from prospective danger from its predators.

Leopard Geckos make a great house pet. They are so tiny that they fit in a vivarium that uses up minimal space in your bedroom or living room. They also require less care and attention than other pets such as dogs. They are typically quiet by nature, they do not emit any bad smell or odor. Some leopard geckos do not like to be touched too often.

Leopard Geckos are also inexpensive compared to buying other exotic animals, they are also available legally from pet stores and other Gecko breeders. They come in variety of colors and pattern variations too. Thus, Leopard geckos are called as the perfect house pet.

Ways to keep your leopard gecko happy | a happy leopard gecko is a healthy leopard gecko!!

Ways to make your Gecko happy

Here are the most basics tips in making and keeping your Leopard Gecko pets happy.

Always give them enough space. Do not overcrowd your Geckos. A space of 10 to 15 Gallon capacity is only good for one Gecko. While 15 to 20 Gallon capacity can accommodate at least two mature Geckos. Never put together 2 dominant Male Geckos in a same cage, to avoid fighting and eventually injuring each other.

Do not pick your Gecko by its tail. A Leopard Geckos tail is prone to falling off, it is basically their automatic response to any threat (i.e. predators attack). Although, their tail will definitely grow back, the new tail will not look like the first one that it replaced.

Geckos are known to be a solitary creature, as much as possible avoid touching them too often.

Do not use a substrate that will be hard for your pet to digest. Don't ever house them on sand no matter what people tell you.

Always, make your Geckos drinking bowl clean. Change it about once a day. Also, avoid putting the feeders near its drinking bowl to avoid contamination.

And make sure that you clean your Geckos habitat and wash your hands before and after handling and a leopard gecko too.

With these tips, we are sure that your Gecko will live longer and a much happier life.

Creating the proper habitat for your leopard gecko

How to create a proper habitat for your Gecko

Leopard Geckos are the easiest pets to care for. But, it is important to set up properly its habitat.

An ideal vivarium for a Leopard Gecko is from 10-15 gallon capacity. It is not ideal to use wire cages. They must live in vivarium that is made of glass (for their security and to avoid losing them). But unlike other Geckos, Leopard Geckos can’t climb in glass. However, its vivarium must have a wire mesh cover to give proper exposure to air and allows light to go through.

The things that you place inside the cage of your leopard gecko will facilitate in making his environment as natural as possible. Items like logs, rocks will make a normal living area and give them the climbing space areas for exercise. Artificial or live plants can also help in giving your Gecko more hiding spots and a much natural feel. If you want to utilize a live plant, select them carefully as some plants can be poisonous to reptiles.

You have to remember three things in making a leopard gecko habitat. It must be good for activity, basking and hiding. Activity spots must be an open area where the Gecko can exercise, climb and simply move around freely. While for the basking area, it must be a smooth or flat wood or rock underneath a light. And it should be one area for each Gecko. Therefore if you have more Geckos, you must provide them with a bigger/wider basking area .

For the hiding spot, these can consist of commercial boxes, inverted pots of clay, overlapping rocks or portions of curved barks. Like the basking area, if you have more Geckos you must also have more hiding spots.

Leopard Geckos are known to be ectothermic which means that they are not able to make their own body heat thus they require additional sources of heat. The vivarium of your Gecko must be about 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit during daytime and the basking spot must be about 88 to 90 degree Fahrenheit. At night, the temperature must be 70 degrees.

If you are unsure of your vivariums temperature use a thermometer (for a more accurate reading of temperature).

Lastly, it is important that you maintain your vivarium clean. It is necessary that you eliminate the debris, waste, shed skin and dead feeder insects. You also have to clean the objects that have fecal substance in them. Disinfect and clean the water bowls as often as you can.

Caring for your leopard gecko | some key tips on leopard gecko care

Caring for your Leopard Gecko

Leopard geckos are very easy to care for. They are surprisingly clean animals. They will pick out a specific area of their living space to use for litter which makes them much easier to clean up after. You may even place a paper towel or similar material in the spot they choose so that clean up is quick and easy.

In their natural habitat leopard geckos live on land. They do not tend to climb trees so it is important that they be provided with housing that provides maximum surface area. The bottom of the aquarium should be covered with some sort of artificial turf, paper towels, or even newspapers. Sand is not recommended as there is a risk that the gecko will ingest too much of it when it captures its meal.

Geckos are insectivores and like to eat live food such as butter worms, cockroaches, crickets, mealworms or wax worms. Many gecko owners choose to raise crickets or mealworms specifically for feeding their pets. If you feed your gecko crickets it is a good idea to place a rock in the center of the water dish to provide the crickets an easy way to get out of the water should they fall in. This will prevent them from fouling up the water.

For many different reasons a gecko can be the perfect pet for you. After reading this, you will probably want to go out and look at a live gecko at your local pet shop. The choice to obtain a gecko should not be an 'impulse' decision. They have a very long life span as far as pets go so if you get one be sure that you are willing to make the commitment to take care of it for a long time to come. Leopard geckos may live 20 years or longer. According to one gecko owner, who wrote a letter to the editor of Reptiles Magazine, their gecko lived for nearly thirty years!

Substrates suitable for your Gecko

The use of slate rocks, s. If you can get smooth flat stones this seems like a good option for making a naturalistic environment that holds and distributes heat well, without much diminished risks of ingesting substrate.

The use of sand is considered unsafe by some, due to the risk of ingestion and impaction (either due to accidental ingestion or due to intentional ingestion to meet calcium needs) -- this is a bigger risk for juveniles so sand should never be used with juvenile geckos. In fact, the general advice is to avoid housing any leopard geckos on sand. Other potential difficulties with sand include dust (which can lead to respiratory problems), and bacterial or mold growth in wet sand.

Provide a dish of calcium supplement to help meet calcium needs. Feeding prey items in a dish can also reduce the chance of ingestion.

Also, monitor for signs of obstruction, which indicate the need for an urgent visit to a vet: decreased appetite, decrease in bowel movements, lethargy, and dark spots on abdomen.

The use of paper towels are one of the best substrates, and are the recommended substrate for juvenile leopard geckos (as well as sickly geckos), but can be used for any leopard gecko. With paper towel substrate, there are no worries about ingestion or inhalation of substrate, and it is absorbent, hygienic, and easy to clean (which reduces the chance of illness). It also makes monitoring health (e.g. eating, bowel movements) easy.

Leopard gecko housing : here's a good youtube video

Here's a useful video from youtube which shows you some sample leopard gecko housing

How to set up a hatchling leopard gecko | how-to video

Watch this video on how to set up a hatchling leopard gecko cage. It's from oggiereptile who is one of my favorite youtube leopard gecko regulars. This one is all about creating a habitat for your baby leopard gecko. Interesting note on a substrates in particular...baby leopard geckos pick up anything so you have to be careful about housing them on loose materials especially sand. He recommends 'tissue or nothing'. Second that.

Leopard geckos always need a place to hide/shelter. oggiereptile here uses a cheap, simple lightbulb box to act as a hide which is great.

He goes through humidity boxes too which are very easy to purchase and use.

Be very careful not to make the water bowl too deep or they might drown. Bottle lids work well. You need two: one filled with water and one filled with pure calcium (not the calcium with vitamin and minerals because you can dust them with that)