Help Caring for Leopard Geckos
85Leopard Geckos
Leopard geckos are probably one of the best beginner reptiles on the market currently for a number of reasons.
- They're relatively small.
- They come in a wide variety of colors and patterns.
- They have a relatively simple husbandry set up.
- They are docile and, for the most part, rarely bite.
I will admit, this particular reptile species is probably one of the most addictive. From personal experience, I received my first leopard gecko for my 16th birthday; I had opted not to drive and a leopard gecko was a much better gift than a car at that point. Plus, for my parents one small leopard gecko and its habitat was a much cheaper gift. But, anyway, it's been nearly five years, and today, I have 24 juvenile and adult leopard geckos and about 20+ eggs in my incubators.
For the nitty gritty of this hub, you'll find all the information to get you started properly caring for a pet leopard gecko.
Basic Leopard Gecko Care
Make sure that you know your options as to where you can purchase a leopard gecko as well as the signs of a healthy leopard gecko versus a sick one.
Before you bring home a cute leopard gecko, you want to make sure that you know and understand how to properly care for them. Without the proper husbandry, diet, and overall care, your potential future pet, may not thrive so well in your home.
One of the most important aspects of proper care for any animal, is making sure that you have the proper enclosure set up. For reptiles, it's essential that you understand how to set up the enclosure so that you don't miss an important element to keeping your potential future pet healthy.
As I mentioned above, leopard geckos come in a wide variety of colors and patterns. The number of morphs are constantly increasing, but to date, you may want to check out the variety of morphs that you can choose from.
Find out why your leopard gecko may not be eating, and find out what can you do to increase his appetite. In order to treat your pet's lack of appetite, you need to diagnose it, first.
It's not uncommon for leopard geckos to drop their tail. You just want to make sure that you know how to handle the situation.
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More Advanced Leopard Gecko Care
Breeding leopard geckos is, overall, pretty simple, but it is 1) time consuming and 2) costly. But, if you think that you can properly house hatchlings individually, feed them, and find homes for them. Then by all means, definitely make sure that you do so safely and accurately because breeding is very stressful on both the male and female geckos.
Even though the leopard gecko is a naturally dessert reptile, it does not mean that they are found in loose sand desserts. The natural habitat of leopard geckos is actually compressed dirt and hard rock, but you can still create a natural environment with a few key elements.
Leopard Gecko References
Personally, I recommend that before you bring home any animal you do all the internet research that you can. Make sure that you research topics that are highly debated, and make sure that you understand the proper care and common health ailments. I, also, recommend that you purchase at least one book because it's best to keep a reference guide on hand in case the internet is down or you need information fast.
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Comments
Whitney,everytime I read your hub,I go back to your profile and remind myself how much you are fond of animals.The Blue Cross Society in India is working really hard to save so many animals and endangered species too.I am not sure I can take care of pets as so many do.Great hub!
Whitney,
Great hub. I am certainly not the animal lover of the year, but I do believe that our attitudes toward animals and children reflect who really are.
Heehee. Stacie he was eating silkworms. That's an old picture, but it has always been one of my favorites. :-)
Abhinaya, the Blue Cross Society sounds great. It sounds a little like the U.S.'s Environmental Protection Agency.
Daniel, I do agree that person attitudes towards children and animals reflect our true selves.
I love this article. very informative.
Whitney that is a good picture :) Is it the one that plays in Geico ads :).
Thanks cgull, The Geico gecko is a day gecko (I believe a Madagascar Day Gecko), but they have used a leopard gecko on at least one ad in the past.
What a cutie!
Reptiles, just awesome from other planets I am sure.
Your fan.
Mon.
i am 10 and my mum said i could get a reptil but she said i need to know all about the can you give me some tips about caring for them i dont want to kill it if iget one.
I recommend that you read all that you can. Read all of the above articles. Check out more of my reptile articles that you can find here:
http://hubpages.com/_reptiles/hub/Caring-for-Repti
And then buy a book and read that.
Dear whitney just got my leopard gecko today! I am so excited I want to know how long you reccomend until holding it..i'm really eager to hold it (: also I have a clip on heat lamp and an UTH the temprature is about 90 is that to hot also I was going to get a heat rock but I learned that they can burn there bellies is that true i put just a normal rock in there and it is getting warm but not hot also my gecko seems to stay in the hottest part of the tank is that normal? I want him to live a healthy life Please help I don't want to mess this up...little spike is soo cute help me keep him healthy
You want to wait at bare minimum 3 days, but it's actually best to wait 7, in order to give the geck plenty of time to acclimate to its new surroundings. NEVER use heat rocks. You want the temps at 90F, measuring with a digital thermometer with a probe so that you get the most accurate temps on the surface of the tank. It's normal for the gecko to sta on the warm side, until it gets too hot, then it will go to the hide on the cool side of the tank to cool off.
well he always stays in his moist hide on the hot side should i put it on the cool side and see wat he does then
do you have a dry hide on the hot side? no. you need to have a dry hide and a moist hide on the hot side, and a dry hide on the cool side. If he's staying in the moist hide, leave m be for now. Just make sure that you're measuring the temps with a digital thermometer with a probe, and that you aren't over misting the moist hide. It really only needs to be misted while the gecko is going into shed.
ok another question you know those cocunut homes is it normal for them to eat the top....I didn't know so I took it out...also my little ister wanted to hold him and got angry for watever reason and dropped him from about 4 feet he seems fine but could there be any internal damage?!?!
It's not normal for them to eat the coconut fibers from the hides. There could be brain damage to the gecko; watch him closely. This is the exact reason as to why kids shouldn't hold small geckos or any animal unless sitting down.
yeah its been 5 days and he seems Okay Thank goodness he is getting very used to being held and is getting tame!! thank you for suggesting the leos...your hub is the reason I got one and he is the best thing ever !!!!!!!!!!!
ummm is it normal for them to get grouchy sumtimes and what is the cause of that.....also this is really wierd my gecko is awake during the day and sleeping during the night.aren't the leopard geckos supposed to be nocturnal is that normal also!?!?!?
In some cases, they will roam during the day. Sometimes that can be caused by searching for warmer temperatures. Or it could be that the gecko is just on a weird schedule. I just haven't experieed a gecko with that constant schedule. Also, how do you know that the gecko sleeps all day? Do you sit up and watch it all night to make sure that it's really sleeping all night? The gecko could just roam a bit during the day, take a nap around when you're going to bed, and be up the rest of the night.
maybe but is it normal for them to get grouchy...?although he's not really grouchy right now it was like right after he shed...? also his heatlamp light burnt out so I replaced it with just a normal lightbulb can that be harmful? one last thing we hav really bad winds here and our power flickers from time to time...if the power goes out what do I do for heat for my gecko?
The regularlight bulbs are the same as a "reptile" light bulb, unless you are using a ceramic heat bulb, which typically is about $40+ each. If the power goese out for just a little while, I wouldn't worry about it. If it's days on end, you'll want to find something to use as heat. Try one time use heat pads that when the package opens, they start to warm up for several hours. Some are 10 hours, but you can get up to 40 hours packs, when purchased online. They're not a good source of permanent heat, but can be fine for short term. Otherwise, you may have to get creative, as I'm not sure. If it's a power outage at night, I wouldn't worry about it too much.
but just a regular light bulb that you use to light your house is fine?
I actually don't use lighting. I just use nder tank heaters for my pet leopard geckos, and my breeders are in in racks with heat tape or heat cord- no lighting. But generally speaking, regular light bulbs are fine to use, as you're just heating the air with them anyway- same with "reptile" light bulbs that are like 3 times as much money. The light bulbs serve as light only- no heat- unless you use the ceramic heat emitting bulbs and a special heat emiter clamp hood.
Hey whitney its been awhile since i last posted and spike is doin great...lol. Anyway we are goin on a trip and it will take about 5 hours to get there. If i put him in those portable reptile cages with some reptile carpet and a hide and then put just a normal heating pad under it should that be good for awhile
That's good to hear. I would say, as long as the gecko is fully 100% healthy, that should be fine. Either, way the trip will stress out the gecko.
Hey whitney spike has small sores on his nose that almost resemble scabs and his mouth is slightly open...i was hopeing it would go away but it has been about 3 days and just seems to be getting worse wats going on???
If it's only been 3 days, wait longer. If it gets worse, seek veterinary assistance. He could have scratch it on decoration or the glass. 3 days is not nearly enough time to determine anything.
Hey, I just got a leo gecko for my six year old and I love the little thing. I have two questions, How can I tell if it is a boy or girl ?and He jumped out of my hand will he/she be ok?
if you just got it, you shouldn't be handling it. You need to leave it alone. You also shouldn't be handling a gecko that is young so far above ground because they're not used to being handled and will jump, such as yours did. Whether the gecko is ok or not, that will depend on how far it fell and onto what surface. As for the sex of the gecko, you won't be able to tell right away unless the gecko is older . Males will have buldges and preennial pores, females will not have either. The breeding leopard geckos link above will have a picture to show you the differece.
K heres the deal...the guy at the pet store told me my gecko was a male...well I've had it for over 8 mnths and there is no preennial pores or a bulge so I'm assuming its a female...Also she hasnt had an egg yet but she hasnt eaten in 4 weeks and the scales on her side are starting to pop out...(not like fall off her but noticably larger and sticking out funny) do you think shes going to lay an egg?
If it is a female, it probably won't lay unless introduced to a male. Some will lay otherwise, but the eggs will be infertile, but not all lay without being introduced to a male. If you're using sand or a loose substrate, impaction could be a concern.
I use retile carpet!! I would never take the risk of impaction from sand...my best friends gecko lays an egg about twice a year...so could this be whats up with my gecko?
Reptile carpet is great. It is possible. Some will lay even when not paired with a male, but not all. It's possible that is the case here, if nothing else has changed in the environment to cause stress- causing lack of appetite. Just make sure that the gecko doesn't start to lose weight. If she does, you'll need to seek veterinarian care to find the problem, especially if she doesn't lay.
hello, is it a health problem if my leopard geckos skin is not bright yellow
Not all leopard geckos are yellow.
hmmm...well she didnt lay an egg...she never lost weight...but shes eating again...so i dont know what the problem was...but its solved
She could have absorbed the eggs.
Stacie Naczelnik says:
15 months ago
Not really on topic, but I love the picture at the top! It almost makes me want to get one.