Not only was Mozzie up this morning again, he came over to say hello! He’s becoming quite the social butterfly. (Gecko. Whatever.) #thismakesmehappy #pet #pets #petsofinstagram #petlover #petlovers #worldofcutepets #gecko #geckos #leopardgecko #leopardgeckos #lizard #lizards #geckosofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CgCTSDHrJwD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
It's unknown exactly why snow leopards enjoy biting their enormous, fluffy tails. Some theories are that biting their tails helps keep them warm in the harsh cold of their natural environments. Others suggest that it's simply a form of play behavior."
Leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius) can be very fun, fulfilling pets! They are full of personality and are incredibly simple to care for by reptile standards. However, like all reptiles, there are a few key things to keep in mind when setting up a new home for your gecko. Understanding the basic rules of husbandry is important, though this is a very forgiving, beginner friendly species. Here is everything you'll need to know before bringing your new friend home.
Housing & Substrate:
Leopard Geckos should always be housed by themselves. They do not get lonely; they are solitary animals that prefer their own space and territory. Males will fight to the point of serious injury, if not death. Some keepers have had success keeping females together, but this is very circumstantial, they are more likely to fight or stress each other out than they are to get along. Male-female pairs should only be introduced for breeding purposes, and only once they have reached the acceptable age and size to breed safely. Breeding pairs should be separated immediately after pairing to give your female time to develop and lay her eggs in peace. Males have a habit of pestering their female partners, creating a stressful environment for both animals.
These geckos can be housed in a lot of different styles of enclosures, whether that be glass terrariums, PVC cages, or bin cages. With all of the style options available, the overall size of the enclosure should be a minimum of 20-gallons (long). Many keepers will recommend larger enclosures for a happier animal. The more space you’re able to provide, the more space you have for enriching décor as well. Though, 20-gallons should be the absolute smallest for a single adult gecko. These enclosures should ideally have more floor space than height, as the animal will spend a majority of its time on the ground, occasionally climbing around on the decorations at night.
Regardless of the cage you choose, there should be at least three hiding places inside. One hide at each end of the tank, so that the animal has coverage at both ends of the thermal gradient (*will discuss thermal gradients in heating & lighting section). The third hide can be placed somewhere in the middle and lined with damp sphagnum moss or paper towel, this hide will function as a humid retreat for the gecko to utilize at shedding time.
Geckos are very curious animals. They don’t do much throughout the day, but at night they emerge from their slumber to party. While primarily ground dwelling geckos, they would also appreciate large structures (like driftwood pieces, foliage and magnetic ledges) to climb and explore. They will use whatever you decide to include; they’re not picky, get creative. Leopard Geckos come from rocky, desert areas of Afghanistan (and similar regions) and are fully capable of climbing, despite their clumsy appearance. Try your best to mimic the native range of this inquisitive animal.
There are many substrate options that are suitable to this species’ needs. However, we would recommend completely avoiding Vita-sand, Calci-sand, or reptile carpet. Despite how these products are marketed, they are highly unsuitable for Leopard Geckos, or any animal at all. Vitamin and mineral enriched sands encourage your animal to ingest large amounts of substrate, inevitably leading to life threatening impaction issues. Reptile carpet, although not ingestible, is very difficult to clean effectively. Being so fibrous and hard to clean, they often harbor a lot of harmful bacteria. Geckos also have a habit of getting their nails (and sometimes teeth) stuck in the fibers. It can be a very frustrating product, and is best to be avoided entirely.
Some good, non-problematic substrate options include dry coco fiber, sand/soil mixtures, clay-based substrates (Exo Terra Stone Desert, Zoo Med Excavator Clay), or a custom mix of all of it. You may also use non-adhesive shelf liner or paper towel (solid substrates) for very young or sick/recovering geckos. If you insist on using solid substrates long-term, make sure to include a “dig bin” of sand/soil in the enclosure.
Impaction is a common topic (and non-issue); there are many people making claims that geckos ingesting any substrate at all will suffer health issues. That’s far from the truth, and shouldn’t worry you at all if you have a healthy, well hydrated gecko kept at the correct temperature. So long as the husbandry is correct, they will be able to pass just about anything (except aforementioned enriched sands). Remember, these animals don’t live on paper towel in the wild, they live on dirt and rocky surfaces as they are designed to.
Diet & Supplementation:
Leopard Geckos are strict insectivores. This means that they should consume a diet consisting entirely of insect prey. They can eat any feeder insects available, staple diets often include crickets, superworms, mealworms or dubia roaches. "Treat feeders" that are high in fat and should be offered sparingly include wax worms, butterworms, and hornworms. Variety is important for any lizard species, try to mix it up when you can. Insects should be offered live, as the movement is what stimulates the animal to eat. Dried/canned insects are significantly inferior in nutritional content to their live counterparts. Leopard gecko “pellets” are nutritionally bankrupt and are not an appropriate food source for this species.
**Note: Do not feed your animal insects from outside, as they likely contain parasites or have been into herbicide/insecticides. Captive bred feeder insects are the safest thing to feed your gecko.
Hard shelled insects like crickets, superworms and dubia roaches should be of an appropriate size for your gecko to ensure they can digest it properly and reduce the risk of regurgitation. The way to tell if an insect is properly sized is to look at the space between the gecko’s eyes and choose a feeder that is approximately that long. Soft bodied insects like hornworms can be about 2-3 times that length because they are easier to swallow and digest.
Juvenile geckos should be fed daily, generally five or six appropriately sized insects each feeding. Adults can be fed every three to six days, eight to ten prey items per feeding. Monitor your animal’s weight to see how quickly they metabolize food; each individual is different and may require further adjustment to feeding schedule and amounts. All feeder insects will need to be dusted with minerals and vitamins to ensure your gecko has access to everything it needs. Incorrect or lack of supplementation can lead to health issues like metabolic bone disease (MBD), Vitamin A deficiency, gout and more. Each feeding should be dusted with a reptile Calcium supplement containing vitamin D3. Once a week you should switch the calcium powder with a Multivitamin supplement.
**Note: Feel free to leave a small dish of Calcium without vitamin D3 in the enclosure for your gecko to access at will. Doing so can allow them to manage their own calcium intake if they feel they aren’t getting enough, however, insects will still need to be dusted. It is very important to make sure this dish does not have D3 in it as it can lead to overdose, only offer D3 at feeding time in regulated amounts.
Heat, Light & Humidity:
A Leopard Gecko will require one side of their enclosure to be heated and the other to be cool. This gives them the opportunity to “thermoregulate” and move around based on their own comfort level. Access to heat is very important for a Leopard Gecko; they use it to digest food and maintain proper bone density. The basking spot on the hot side should be between 90 to 95-degrees F during the day. This temperature can be achieved with a daytime heat bulb of an appropriate wattage for the size of enclosure. A 20-gallon enclosure can usually be heated with 50 to 75 watts, though you will need to make your own adjustments based on the ambient temperature of your home.
Under-tank heaters (UTH) or “heat mats” may be used supplementally. If using a UTH, be sure to install it in addition to a thermostat. A thermostat (different from a thermometer), is designed to regulate the temperature of an under-tank heater, within 2 degrees of the temperature you set. An unregulated heat mat can and will overheat, and has the potential to injure your animal while simultaneously increasing the risk of fire in your home. UTH’s are commonly recommended for nocturnal species, but are entirely unnecessary in most cases. You can achieve more natural and safe heating with an overhead heat bulb.
**Note: In any case, do not use a UTH as the only heat source unless the room temperature is above 78 degrees F. A UTH will heat a surface, but will not be capable of heating the air inside the enclosure (as a heat bulb will). A Leopard Gecko consistently breathing cold air is at risk of developing a respiratory infection.
The cold side of the enclosure should stay between 75 to 80 degrees F during the day. This will vary slightly with tank size, house temperature, wattage of heat source, etc. Lights should be shut it off at night so that your animal is able to understand when it is night time, this is often referred to as a Day/Night cycle. At night, the temperature may drop as low as 65 degrees F. If night time temperatures fall below 65, you may want to add a low wattage night time heat source that does not emit light, like a ceramic heat emitter (CHE).
Humidity should be relatively low in a Leopard Gecko enclosure. These are desert dwelling animals, and are built for dry environments. If the humidity level is too high, this could lead to respiratory infections. The only humid area within the cage should be the humid hide. Aim to keep the ambient humidity around 30 to 40% to keep your gecko comfortable.
UVB lighting is an option for Leopard Geckos. Being nocturnal animals, they don't require this type of lighting (simulated sunlight) to survive, though they can absolutely benefit from some exposure to low level UVB (5.0 Tropical bulb/6% Shade-dweller). Should you choose to provide UVB, you will need to make a change to calcium/D3 supplementation. UVB provides extra vitamin D3, too much D3 can lead to overdose. This means you will need to use a calcium without D3 for regular feedings and a multivitamin with D3 once a week to ensure the gecko is getting the correct amount.
Handling & Interaction:
Leopard Geckos can be very personable and fun to interact with. It is also important to know that they are capable of dropping their tails at will if they are stressed or if pressure is put on the tail. This is most common with baby geckos, and much less common with adult specimens. They are able to regrow their tails, although, it will look quite a bit different from the original (more bulbous, no ridges). This adaptation is used as a defense mechanism in the wild. If a predator catches their tail, they can let it go and keep running to escape. The newly detached tail will even continue to wiggle around for a while to distract the predator to aid the gecko’s escape attempt. Therefore, it is important not to grab the tail when handling your gecko or they may drop a valuable fat and nutrient storage vessel.
Baby geckos can be flighty, they will calm with age and routine handling. Brand new animals should be left without handling for at least one week while they adjust to their new home. After settling in initially, new geckos can be handled on a large bed, or very low to the ground to avoid fall injuries. Don’t underestimate their speed, as they can be very fast when they want to be. Over time, as your animal gets to know and tolerate you, they will move slower and be more relaxed in general. Limit all handling sessions to a maximum of 15 minutes to ensure your cold-blooded friend stays comfortably warm and doesn’t stress out. Avoid grabbing your animal around the mid-section, they are small, fragile animals with delicate bone structure. Instead, scoop your fingers under the chin, this encourages the animal to step onto your hand.
**Note: A good way to bond with new geckos is to introduce tong-feeding (or hand feeding if you’re comfortable doing so). This will allow your animal to get to know you, while still feeling secure in the safety of it’s enclosure.
Overall, Leopard Geckos make sweet, quiet, interactive pets. As far as reptiles go, this is one of the easiest ones to care for, and take up the least amount of space. They are, like most reptiles, long lived with an impressive 20-year lifespan. Due to how common these animals are, there are a lot of them available from rehoming situations and rescues. This is a long-term commitment, and not a disposable pet as many people seem to believe. If you’re a parent seeking a short-lived pocket pet for your child at Christmas, please consider a stuffed animal first. If you’re a parent who understands this animal has needs, like food, heat and vet care when necessary, a Leopard Gecko could be a good learning experience for a school aged child (with your assistance, of course).
Howie got an upgrade from 40 gallons to 55, the cave is excavator clay, I used biodude bioactive substrate which will be planted once temperatures where I live are warm enough to receive plant shipments. He's a happy boy!
