Eublepharis Macularius (Leopard Gecko)
Care and Husbandry
Gecko not eating? Click this PAGE for more info.
An ideal basic leopard gecko setup. Thermostatically controlled heat pad under (outside) enclosure on right side, 2 dry hides, 1 moist hide over hot side, shallow water dish, shallow food dish, limited ventilation (no screen top), cork bark, fake plants, and petri dish for supplements.
Note: If younger kids will be handling the gecko, I always recommend a female over a male. Males can very rarely confuse your hand for another male, which can result in a very aggressive bite. It's extremely rare, but worth noting.
Leopard geckos are one of the most rewarding reptiles to work with. They are very hardy and can make a great starter reptile with a little effort to learn their basic needs. When set up properly they require minimal effort, space, and they lack the heavy odor associated with most pets. Leopard geckos are also fairly easy to breed for an experienced keeper and come in a wide variety of color morphs and prices to suit every hobbyist.
*Note that the the husbandry info provided below may need to be tweaked based on your specific conditions/climate. For instance, if you live in southern Florida your humidity will be very different from someone living in Nevada. Most of the info below is based on a fairly dry climate and at normal home temperatures. Adjust your husbandry accordingly.
Supplementation - There is a reason I have moved this to the top of the list — if there is one category to read this is the most important. It's not that other care requirements are not essential, but supplementation is by far the easiest to overlook. In a captive environment, geckos need to have adequate fresh calcium and vitamins every week or they can develop serious issues most commonly, but not limited to, metabolic bone disease (MBD). I highly recommend using a 1:2 ratio mixture of Vionate to Osteo Form (Osteo Form SA is the same). Both of these supplements are readily available from many online retailers. To improve the mix and add some additional vitamins add a little Bee Pollen Powder (about 5% of final mix). Provide the vitamin/calcium mix in a small shallow dish (jar lid, petri dish, etc), and make sure it is easily found in the enclosure. I also recommend topping it off weekly and replacing it completely at least once a month. Vitamins lose potency when exposed to air and warmer temps, so storing excess vitamins in the fridge is also a good idea. With this method, dusting the feeders directly is not necessary, and by doing so will only kill the insects faster by clogging their pores. You can sprinkle a little bit of the straight Vionate (and/or Repashy Cal plus) over the feeders in a dish on a rare occasion, and a little more often for breeding females and fast-growing juveniles. Other calcium and vitamin supplements may work fine, but the Osteo Form/Vionate mix has been proven many times over and is used by almost all breeders. If you choose to use something else, it is important to provide calcium with vitamin D3 (usually on the front label) and sufficient Vitamin A (including preformed/retinol). I have raised many thousands of geckos on this mix and every time I have tried switching supplements, I have had issues with hatching and growing out babies. So that being said, I highly recommend to just stick with the Osteo Form/Vionate mix.
To summarize; buy this: Vionate and this: , Osteo Form then mix them 1 part Vionate to 2 parts Osteo Form. Then add a little Bee Pollen Powder (about 5% of final mix). Let the gecko have easy access 24/7. Do anything else, and you may have problems — seen or unseen.
Moist Hide - This is the second most overlooked critical care item which is extremely important for a gecko's hydration and shed cycle. Place the moist hide over the hot side where it will achieve 84 - 87 F inside temperature. Geckos like to hang out in the moist hide, so it's important to have at least one moist hide over the hot side. I highly recommend using a high quality coco fiber such as the Cocotek brand (exclusively what I use at my facility). Other brands will work but most are very dusty and tend to rot faster. The best moist hides are food storage containers (50 -110 oz)with a 1.5 inch diameter hole cut out of the top or high on one side. You can use decorative moist hides as well but they tend to dry out within a couple days and need constant rehydrating.
Housing - Leopard geckos are terrestrial (ground dwelling), nocturnal (active at night), and sometimes crepuscular (active at dusk/dawn) which actually makes their setup very simple. The cage does not have to be very tall like most arboreal (tree dwelling) species and does not have to be exposed to UV light like some diurnal (active at day) species.
So what is the appropriate setup for leopard geckos? Many breeders house leopard geckos in plastic tubs between 15 to 32 quarts or a large shoe box to sweater box size tub. Although plastic tubs work great especially for younger geckos, they also can be housed very successfully in a 10-30 gallon vivarium which I will focus on here. I do not recommend very large vivarium (50+ gallon), especially for younger geckos, unless you are very experienced and can dial in the correct conditions; even then, feeding can still be an issue. Zoo-Med or Exo-Terra front opening type enclosures are recommended for ease of cleaning and feeding, but a regular vivarium will work as well. You can make elaborate artificial backgrounds from foam adding live plants and other decorations to make a very naturalistic setups. I personally like Universal Rocks backgrounds, rock hides, and water bowls when building a more natural setup. For regular leopard geckos they seem to thrive in smaller enclosures with a heat and food sources always close to them. For most arid climates, plastic tubs in a rack system allow for the perfect amount of ventilation. Vivariums will usually have an open screen on top which can allow for drafts and for the humidity to get too low (depending on your climate), unless you plan on misting every day. This can be easily fixed by adding cut glass or acrylic to cover most of the screen. Racks also allow for a dark secluded cage that makes your gecko feel the most comfortable. It is important to understand that in the wild leopard geckos will naturally hide throughout the day in dark humid crevices and only come out at night, so they rarely will expose themselves to bright lighting or low humidity conditions.
Cohabbing - Never house Leopard geckos with other species of reptiles and absolutely never house males together. I also don't recommend keeping female leopard geckos together. Contrary to popular belief, females can have many issues when housed together. There's always a few anecdotal cases on the internet where someone housed females together with no issues for many years, but this is absolutely not always the case. Fighting can occur between females and can cause severe injury or even death. In addition a much more common problem is certain geckos may hog all the food which makes proper feeding for your geckos very difficult to achieve. One gecko will become obese while the next will stay underweight or starve. Also keep in mind that just because females have been together for years doesn't mean that they will never have issues. Geckos can flip on each other without warning at any stage in their life. In my opinion it's just not worth gambling with the health of your geckos. With all this being said, geckos prefer to be housed alone. Try to not anthropomorphize them as they don't require a "friend" to be happy. Heat, food, and security are what is most important to a gecko's well being.
Absolutely never put a gecko that was just shipped or purchased from a store directly in another gecko's enclosure. The additional stress is a recipe for disaster.
Substrate - Leopard geckos can be kept on a variety of substrates with success. The main concern is impaction from ingesting certain types of substrate especially if their supplementation isn't correct. Always be aware that geckos lick and eat almost anything in their cage. In doing this they can ingest material that will cause a blockage in their digestive tract. This can lead to major complications and even death. The number one reason for loose substrate impaction in the first place is improper supplementation, but it's always better to err on the side of caution and not use very loose substrate such as sand. We feel that paper towels work well in rack/tub setups since they are very absorbent, easily cleaned, and reasonably priced. Another great "paper towel like" substrate that works really well and is more aesthetically pleasing, is Repti-Zorb liners purchased from Superior Shipping Supplies. We also recommend natural substrates geared towards desert reptiles such as heavy clay soil mixes. They have to harden when wet to create a hard surface for the geckos to walk on. Other substrates that have been used with success are newspaper, slate tile, reptile carpet (not very highly recommend for sanitary reasons and because it tends to catch their toes), and hardened clay/sand mix (like Zoo Med's Excavator clay). Some of the other substrates out there may work but are usually too risky or just not ideal to use.
Heating - It is very important to provide your geckos with the appropriate heat sources. Looking at leopard geckos in the wild, they absorb most of their heat from the rocks and soil that they wedge themselves in (thigmothermy). It is very important that they have a heat source under them so they can absorb heat through their belly. Leopard Geckos need a surface temp hot spot of about 88-93 F (ambient 78-84 F hot side) during the warmer months and if not given this they can have problems digesting their food, leading to anorexia and lethargy. Over time this can lead to other complications and even death. The correct temperature of the hot spot can vary based on a few factors including the ambient temperature of the enclosure. Again, Leopard Geckos are for the most part nocturnal and for the most part do not bask in the sun like other reptiles. It is important to understand this when providing a heat source for them. Using heat lamps solely is not recommended in most cases because they do not provide Leopard Geckos with an adequate heat source for their specific needs. Leopard geckos can be sensitive to light (especially albino morphs), so when a heat lamp is on they have a tendency to hide — thus defeating the purpose of the lamp. We recommend using under tank heat (aka belly heat) with a gradient for all Leopard geckos. This is to always be used on the outside of the enclosure (never inside in direct contact with the gecko or substrate). If heating one tank/tub then a simple commercially produced heat pad should work fine. Using a thermostat in conjunction with the heat pad is always recommended and especially if the heat pad is getting too hot. A thermostat helps to reduce the risk of heat pad malfunction and in turn possible fire dangers. The belly heat (UTH) cover about 1/4-1/3 of the tank floor area. The reason for placing it only on one side is to provide a gradient for your gecko. If they get too hot then they can always just move to the cool side. If your ambient temps in your enclosure are still too cold when using a UTH I recommend doing a few things; turn up the heat in the room, place the enclosure in a warmer room, close off some of the ventilation (especially screen tops), add a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) bulb on a dimmer. CHEs are nice because they provide the heat of a heat bulb without emitting the light.
Be sure to keep checking that temps are correct throughout the year. Cooling down your geckos (brumation) a little during the winter is fine, but remember they need much less food at this time. Most people keep their geckos roughly the same temps year round with no issues.
Our personal setups typically consist of racks systems with heat tape/cable that snakes through on one side. Heat tape/cable can also get very hot and must be used with a thermostat. This allows for precise control of the heat in the tubs that the geckos are housed in. When using heat tape it is imperative to check that your thermostat and heat tape are working correctly. Unplugged thermostats, power outages, and probe failure or displacement are the most common problems that can occur. If you use heat tape use lower a wattage, as they tend to be safer. Typically we use 3" 6 watt Flexwatt heat tape and Spyder Robotics thermostats for our racks.
Lighting - I've added this section since there seems to be a lot of confusion around it. Leopard geckos do not require any special type of lighting. That being said, they should be given some low light to replicate a day/night cycle, but that is all that is required. A simple window in the room or low artificial lighting works just fine. UV is not necessary for this species as long as they are supplemented correctly (with D3). I have never kept a leopard gecko with UV and the same goes for most breeders. I have bred many generations of healthy geckos this way with absolutely no issues. In fact. the longest lived leopard gecko in captivity was never given any UV light.
In a vivarium you can add some low light for aesthetics. Make sure that you give extra cover for hiding as the geckos will want to avoid the light. New LED light options have made this a nice alternative to our previous heat bulb options.
Feeding - Leopard geckos in captivity feed solely on various types of insects including mealworms, dubia, crickets, superworms, wax worms, and other roach species. At Geckoboa we typically feed our geckos mealworms, dubia roaches, and superworms. We don't use crickets for a variety of reasons: smell, chirping, harder to breed and keep alive, and tendency to harbor parasites. Our younger geckos are always raised solely on regular large mealworms, then switched as adults to superworms or dubia. We recommend starting off a new gecko with a shallow bowl full of mealworms (about 30-70 regular large mealworms) to eat as they wish. These are the most widely eaten and least stressful prey item for a new gecko. We recommend feeding about every 4 to 7 days for adults and every 3-4 days for juveniles. If you feed more often adjust the amount per feeding down. As geckos get older the amount you feed should be lessened quite a bit. Be very careful not to overfeed especially with mature geckos. Overfed geckos can develop fatty liver disease, which lead to shorter lives and poor breeders. Also overfeeding roaches, especially those that have been fed a high protein diet, can lead to gout. Remember geckos are not mammals, so they do not require constant food. Watch your gecko's body structure carefully, and if they are looking overweight, cut the food down drastically. Colder periods of the year will typically lead to greatly decreased appetites in both males and females. Females will normally ovulate once a year (typically early spring through summer) and will almost completely go off food. Read more here on the subject.
If you are new to this, I recommend starting geckos off on mealworms out of a shallow bowl. Mealworms can be purchased from your local pet store (small quantities) or online from various retailers. We purchase our mealworms in bulk from Rainbow Mealworms based out of California. Keep in mind, mealworms don't like hot weather, so shipping in the summer can be a challenge. It's usually recommended to have your mealworms held at a shipping hub once the weather starts warming up. Extreme cold may also require this. When you receive your mealworms, place them in the warmest part of a refrigerator — ideally at 42-50 F. They can stay dormant for 30-45 days this way, but if left out at room temps they will pupate or die fairly quickly. The day before you feed your gecko, I recommend taking the mealworms out of the fridge and adding some dry gutload (see gutload section below) and some organic carrots for them to feed on. This will ensure they are healthy and hydrated before feeding to your geckos. Place the mealworms in a shallow dish in front of the gecko's favorite hide and let them eat on their own time. Some geckos can be more timid than others and will only want to eat when the lights are out. For younger geckos, I will typically feed about 35 - 70 regular large mealworms in a shallow bowl, and let them eat on their own time over a couple of days. Don't worry if there are left over worms in the bowl, as this is normal. Then I will give them a couple days to clear their system. As they get older it's basically the same process, but it's important to feed less often and/or smaller amounts, otherwise you will end up with overweight geckos. There's no exact perfect regimen or worm count, so watch your gecko's body shape closely, and adjust the food accordingly. If your gecko is looking overweight, then cut down on feedings to maybe once a week and feed a little less until you see a difference. If your geckos don't eat all the time, don't panic, most captive geckos are overfed compared to their wild counterparts (see pics below). They can go months without eating and be perfectly healthy. Please remember geckos are not mammals, so don't treat their feeding patterns the same.
Please read this page if you are having trouble getting your gecko to eat: GECKO NOT EATING PAGE
Leopard geckos are one of the most rewarding reptiles to work with. They are very hardy and can make a great starter reptile with a little effort to learn their basic needs. When set up properly they require minimal effort, space, and they lack the heavy odor associated with most pets. Leopard geckos are also fairly easy to breed for an experienced keeper and come in a wide variety of color morphs and prices to suit every hobbyist.
*Note that the the husbandry info provided below may need to be tweaked based on your specific conditions/climate. For instance, if you live in southern Florida your humidity will be very different from someone living in Nevada. Most of the info below is based on a fairly dry climate and at normal home temperatures. Adjust your husbandry accordingly.
Supplementation - There is a reason I have moved this to the top of the list — if there is one category to read this is the most important. It's not that other care requirements are not essential, but supplementation is by far the easiest to overlook. In a captive environment, geckos need to have adequate fresh calcium and vitamins every week or they can develop serious issues most commonly, but not limited to, metabolic bone disease (MBD). I highly recommend using a 1:2 ratio mixture of Vionate to Osteo Form (Osteo Form SA is the same). Both of these supplements are readily available from many online retailers. To improve the mix and add some additional vitamins add a little Bee Pollen Powder (about 5% of final mix). Provide the vitamin/calcium mix in a small shallow dish (jar lid, petri dish, etc), and make sure it is easily found in the enclosure. I also recommend topping it off weekly and replacing it completely at least once a month. Vitamins lose potency when exposed to air and warmer temps, so storing excess vitamins in the fridge is also a good idea. With this method, dusting the feeders directly is not necessary, and by doing so will only kill the insects faster by clogging their pores. You can sprinkle a little bit of the straight Vionate (and/or Repashy Cal plus) over the feeders in a dish on a rare occasion, and a little more often for breeding females and fast-growing juveniles. Other calcium and vitamin supplements may work fine, but the Osteo Form/Vionate mix has been proven many times over and is used by almost all breeders. If you choose to use something else, it is important to provide calcium with vitamin D3 (usually on the front label) and sufficient Vitamin A (including preformed/retinol). I have raised many thousands of geckos on this mix and every time I have tried switching supplements, I have had issues with hatching and growing out babies. So that being said, I highly recommend to just stick with the Osteo Form/Vionate mix.
To summarize; buy this: Vionate and this: , Osteo Form then mix them 1 part Vionate to 2 parts Osteo Form. Then add a little Bee Pollen Powder (about 5% of final mix). Let the gecko have easy access 24/7. Do anything else, and you may have problems — seen or unseen.
Moist Hide - This is the second most overlooked critical care item which is extremely important for a gecko's hydration and shed cycle. Place the moist hide over the hot side where it will achieve 84 - 87 F inside temperature. Geckos like to hang out in the moist hide, so it's important to have at least one moist hide over the hot side. I highly recommend using a high quality coco fiber such as the Cocotek brand (exclusively what I use at my facility). Other brands will work but most are very dusty and tend to rot faster. The best moist hides are food storage containers (50 -110 oz)with a 1.5 inch diameter hole cut out of the top or high on one side. You can use decorative moist hides as well but they tend to dry out within a couple days and need constant rehydrating.
Housing - Leopard geckos are terrestrial (ground dwelling), nocturnal (active at night), and sometimes crepuscular (active at dusk/dawn) which actually makes their setup very simple. The cage does not have to be very tall like most arboreal (tree dwelling) species and does not have to be exposed to UV light like some diurnal (active at day) species.
So what is the appropriate setup for leopard geckos? Many breeders house leopard geckos in plastic tubs between 15 to 32 quarts or a large shoe box to sweater box size tub. Although plastic tubs work great especially for younger geckos, they also can be housed very successfully in a 10-30 gallon vivarium which I will focus on here. I do not recommend very large vivarium (50+ gallon), especially for younger geckos, unless you are very experienced and can dial in the correct conditions; even then, feeding can still be an issue. Zoo-Med or Exo-Terra front opening type enclosures are recommended for ease of cleaning and feeding, but a regular vivarium will work as well. You can make elaborate artificial backgrounds from foam adding live plants and other decorations to make a very naturalistic setups. I personally like Universal Rocks backgrounds, rock hides, and water bowls when building a more natural setup. For regular leopard geckos they seem to thrive in smaller enclosures with a heat and food sources always close to them. For most arid climates, plastic tubs in a rack system allow for the perfect amount of ventilation. Vivariums will usually have an open screen on top which can allow for drafts and for the humidity to get too low (depending on your climate), unless you plan on misting every day. This can be easily fixed by adding cut glass or acrylic to cover most of the screen. Racks also allow for a dark secluded cage that makes your gecko feel the most comfortable. It is important to understand that in the wild leopard geckos will naturally hide throughout the day in dark humid crevices and only come out at night, so they rarely will expose themselves to bright lighting or low humidity conditions.
Cohabbing - Never house Leopard geckos with other species of reptiles and absolutely never house males together. I also don't recommend keeping female leopard geckos together. Contrary to popular belief, females can have many issues when housed together. There's always a few anecdotal cases on the internet where someone housed females together with no issues for many years, but this is absolutely not always the case. Fighting can occur between females and can cause severe injury or even death. In addition a much more common problem is certain geckos may hog all the food which makes proper feeding for your geckos very difficult to achieve. One gecko will become obese while the next will stay underweight or starve. Also keep in mind that just because females have been together for years doesn't mean that they will never have issues. Geckos can flip on each other without warning at any stage in their life. In my opinion it's just not worth gambling with the health of your geckos. With all this being said, geckos prefer to be housed alone. Try to not anthropomorphize them as they don't require a "friend" to be happy. Heat, food, and security are what is most important to a gecko's well being.
Absolutely never put a gecko that was just shipped or purchased from a store directly in another gecko's enclosure. The additional stress is a recipe for disaster.
Substrate - Leopard geckos can be kept on a variety of substrates with success. The main concern is impaction from ingesting certain types of substrate especially if their supplementation isn't correct. Always be aware that geckos lick and eat almost anything in their cage. In doing this they can ingest material that will cause a blockage in their digestive tract. This can lead to major complications and even death. The number one reason for loose substrate impaction in the first place is improper supplementation, but it's always better to err on the side of caution and not use very loose substrate such as sand. We feel that paper towels work well in rack/tub setups since they are very absorbent, easily cleaned, and reasonably priced. Another great "paper towel like" substrate that works really well and is more aesthetically pleasing, is Repti-Zorb liners purchased from Superior Shipping Supplies. We also recommend natural substrates geared towards desert reptiles such as heavy clay soil mixes. They have to harden when wet to create a hard surface for the geckos to walk on. Other substrates that have been used with success are newspaper, slate tile, reptile carpet (not very highly recommend for sanitary reasons and because it tends to catch their toes), and hardened clay/sand mix (like Zoo Med's Excavator clay). Some of the other substrates out there may work but are usually too risky or just not ideal to use.
Heating - It is very important to provide your geckos with the appropriate heat sources. Looking at leopard geckos in the wild, they absorb most of their heat from the rocks and soil that they wedge themselves in (thigmothermy). It is very important that they have a heat source under them so they can absorb heat through their belly. Leopard Geckos need a surface temp hot spot of about 88-93 F (ambient 78-84 F hot side) during the warmer months and if not given this they can have problems digesting their food, leading to anorexia and lethargy. Over time this can lead to other complications and even death. The correct temperature of the hot spot can vary based on a few factors including the ambient temperature of the enclosure. Again, Leopard Geckos are for the most part nocturnal and for the most part do not bask in the sun like other reptiles. It is important to understand this when providing a heat source for them. Using heat lamps solely is not recommended in most cases because they do not provide Leopard Geckos with an adequate heat source for their specific needs. Leopard geckos can be sensitive to light (especially albino morphs), so when a heat lamp is on they have a tendency to hide — thus defeating the purpose of the lamp. We recommend using under tank heat (aka belly heat) with a gradient for all Leopard geckos. This is to always be used on the outside of the enclosure (never inside in direct contact with the gecko or substrate). If heating one tank/tub then a simple commercially produced heat pad should work fine. Using a thermostat in conjunction with the heat pad is always recommended and especially if the heat pad is getting too hot. A thermostat helps to reduce the risk of heat pad malfunction and in turn possible fire dangers. The belly heat (UTH) cover about 1/4-1/3 of the tank floor area. The reason for placing it only on one side is to provide a gradient for your gecko. If they get too hot then they can always just move to the cool side. If your ambient temps in your enclosure are still too cold when using a UTH I recommend doing a few things; turn up the heat in the room, place the enclosure in a warmer room, close off some of the ventilation (especially screen tops), add a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) bulb on a dimmer. CHEs are nice because they provide the heat of a heat bulb without emitting the light.
Be sure to keep checking that temps are correct throughout the year. Cooling down your geckos (brumation) a little during the winter is fine, but remember they need much less food at this time. Most people keep their geckos roughly the same temps year round with no issues.
Our personal setups typically consist of racks systems with heat tape/cable that snakes through on one side. Heat tape/cable can also get very hot and must be used with a thermostat. This allows for precise control of the heat in the tubs that the geckos are housed in. When using heat tape it is imperative to check that your thermostat and heat tape are working correctly. Unplugged thermostats, power outages, and probe failure or displacement are the most common problems that can occur. If you use heat tape use lower a wattage, as they tend to be safer. Typically we use 3" 6 watt Flexwatt heat tape and Spyder Robotics thermostats for our racks.
Lighting - I've added this section since there seems to be a lot of confusion around it. Leopard geckos do not require any special type of lighting. That being said, they should be given some low light to replicate a day/night cycle, but that is all that is required. A simple window in the room or low artificial lighting works just fine. UV is not necessary for this species as long as they are supplemented correctly (with D3). I have never kept a leopard gecko with UV and the same goes for most breeders. I have bred many generations of healthy geckos this way with absolutely no issues. In fact. the longest lived leopard gecko in captivity was never given any UV light.
In a vivarium you can add some low light for aesthetics. Make sure that you give extra cover for hiding as the geckos will want to avoid the light. New LED light options have made this a nice alternative to our previous heat bulb options.
Feeding - Leopard geckos in captivity feed solely on various types of insects including mealworms, dubia, crickets, superworms, wax worms, and other roach species. At Geckoboa we typically feed our geckos mealworms, dubia roaches, and superworms. We don't use crickets for a variety of reasons: smell, chirping, harder to breed and keep alive, and tendency to harbor parasites. Our younger geckos are always raised solely on regular large mealworms, then switched as adults to superworms or dubia. We recommend starting off a new gecko with a shallow bowl full of mealworms (about 30-70 regular large mealworms) to eat as they wish. These are the most widely eaten and least stressful prey item for a new gecko. We recommend feeding about every 4 to 7 days for adults and every 3-4 days for juveniles. If you feed more often adjust the amount per feeding down. As geckos get older the amount you feed should be lessened quite a bit. Be very careful not to overfeed especially with mature geckos. Overfed geckos can develop fatty liver disease, which lead to shorter lives and poor breeders. Also overfeeding roaches, especially those that have been fed a high protein diet, can lead to gout. Remember geckos are not mammals, so they do not require constant food. Watch your gecko's body structure carefully, and if they are looking overweight, cut the food down drastically. Colder periods of the year will typically lead to greatly decreased appetites in both males and females. Females will normally ovulate once a year (typically early spring through summer) and will almost completely go off food. Read more here on the subject.
If you are new to this, I recommend starting geckos off on mealworms out of a shallow bowl. Mealworms can be purchased from your local pet store (small quantities) or online from various retailers. We purchase our mealworms in bulk from Rainbow Mealworms based out of California. Keep in mind, mealworms don't like hot weather, so shipping in the summer can be a challenge. It's usually recommended to have your mealworms held at a shipping hub once the weather starts warming up. Extreme cold may also require this. When you receive your mealworms, place them in the warmest part of a refrigerator — ideally at 42-50 F. They can stay dormant for 30-45 days this way, but if left out at room temps they will pupate or die fairly quickly. The day before you feed your gecko, I recommend taking the mealworms out of the fridge and adding some dry gutload (see gutload section below) and some organic carrots for them to feed on. This will ensure they are healthy and hydrated before feeding to your geckos. Place the mealworms in a shallow dish in front of the gecko's favorite hide and let them eat on their own time. Some geckos can be more timid than others and will only want to eat when the lights are out. For younger geckos, I will typically feed about 35 - 70 regular large mealworms in a shallow bowl, and let them eat on their own time over a couple of days. Don't worry if there are left over worms in the bowl, as this is normal. Then I will give them a couple days to clear their system. As they get older it's basically the same process, but it's important to feed less often and/or smaller amounts, otherwise you will end up with overweight geckos. There's no exact perfect regimen or worm count, so watch your gecko's body shape closely, and adjust the food accordingly. If your gecko is looking overweight, then cut down on feedings to maybe once a week and feed a little less until you see a difference. If your geckos don't eat all the time, don't panic, most captive geckos are overfed compared to their wild counterparts (see pics below). They can go months without eating and be perfectly healthy. Please remember geckos are not mammals, so don't treat their feeding patterns the same.
Please read this page if you are having trouble getting your gecko to eat: GECKO NOT EATING PAGE
The pictures below are actual wild leopard geckos for reference.
This is not ideal body condition for captivity, but it does support that most captive leopard geckos are overfed.
This is not ideal body condition for captivity, but it does support that most captive leopard geckos are overfed.
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Gutloading - Although, not as important as supplementation, gutlaoding helps to ensure your geckos are as healthy as possible. To "gutload" your feeders is to feed them high quality grains and vitamin rich fruits and vegetables prior to being fed to your reptiles. You want to try avoiding foods with oxalic acid (oxalates) because it binds to calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium and potassium and therefore interferes with the absorption of these in the body. Also, you want to avoid higher levels of goitrogens, which are substances that suppress thyroid function. We gutload our worms with a variety of fruits/veggies and grains that have proven to work well for us. We make our own dry gut load mix, but a good basic mix is a combination of Pro Gutload with a little ground dried dandelion and alfalfa leaf. The Repashy gutload products look very good as well, but I have no direct experience with them. For the wet you can use organic carrots, celery, spaghetti/butternut squash, bell peppers, etc. We encourage you to do further research to add a little variety to your gutload. For Dubia we typically grow them on bananas, oranges, and carrots and just before feeding switch mostly to carrots. This ensures that your gecko is eating the most nutritional feeder possible.
Water and Humidity - Leopard geckos are from an area of the world where it is fairly dry for most of the year. They have special abilities they have adapted to deal with this. They do however need to be provided with fresh drinking water every couple of days in one form or another. This is not so much that they will die without water everyday, but that the stagnant water can harbor harmful bacteria. As a general rule only use water that you would be comfortable drinking yourself. City water supply can vary greatly, so be aware that it might not work in your area. Spring water or professionally purified water works fine.
We personally don't use water dishes, but instead use moist box condensation and frequent mistings to keep them hydrated. If you use a water dish we recommend using shallow dishes that will dry up faster than bacteria can grow in them. Besides the nice reptile specific ones, the water dishes can be simple candle holders purchased at retailers like Ikea or Walmart. Plastic bottle caps and petri dishes can also work fine. When using a dish provide fresh water every other day. Mist down the sides of the tub and all hides with a sprayer about once to twice a week (more or less depending on the ventilation of the enclosure and your climate conditions). This provides them with extra moisture to aid in shedding and some geckos will prefer to drink water drops off the sides of the tubs. We also recommend providing geckos with a moist hide made from a Tupperware container (or similar) with a hole soldered/drilled in the top or high on one side. Place this over the hot end of the tub/vivarium. This will solve most shedding and humidity issues. We place organic, pH balanced, and low sodium coco fiber substrate inside and spray it down once a week or so (depending on how fast it dries up). We find that geckos will drink the evaporated water off the sides and top of the moist hide too. For egg laying deposit boxes we use the same setup.
-Starter Guide - What to do when you receive your new gecko?
Here are some basic guidelines to follow when you receive your gecko in an overnight package to help minimize stress and ease the transition.
A Basic “Must Have” Checklist:
If any of these seem new to you at all, please read through my full care sheet thoroughly!
Any questions you can email me at john@geckoboa.com. Please read through care sheet and watch videos before emailing me.
Water and Humidity - Leopard geckos are from an area of the world where it is fairly dry for most of the year. They have special abilities they have adapted to deal with this. They do however need to be provided with fresh drinking water every couple of days in one form or another. This is not so much that they will die without water everyday, but that the stagnant water can harbor harmful bacteria. As a general rule only use water that you would be comfortable drinking yourself. City water supply can vary greatly, so be aware that it might not work in your area. Spring water or professionally purified water works fine.
We personally don't use water dishes, but instead use moist box condensation and frequent mistings to keep them hydrated. If you use a water dish we recommend using shallow dishes that will dry up faster than bacteria can grow in them. Besides the nice reptile specific ones, the water dishes can be simple candle holders purchased at retailers like Ikea or Walmart. Plastic bottle caps and petri dishes can also work fine. When using a dish provide fresh water every other day. Mist down the sides of the tub and all hides with a sprayer about once to twice a week (more or less depending on the ventilation of the enclosure and your climate conditions). This provides them with extra moisture to aid in shedding and some geckos will prefer to drink water drops off the sides of the tubs. We also recommend providing geckos with a moist hide made from a Tupperware container (or similar) with a hole soldered/drilled in the top or high on one side. Place this over the hot end of the tub/vivarium. This will solve most shedding and humidity issues. We place organic, pH balanced, and low sodium coco fiber substrate inside and spray it down once a week or so (depending on how fast it dries up). We find that geckos will drink the evaporated water off the sides and top of the moist hide too. For egg laying deposit boxes we use the same setup.
-Starter Guide - What to do when you receive your new gecko?
Here are some basic guidelines to follow when you receive your gecko in an overnight package to help minimize stress and ease the transition.
- First thing is to make sure to bring the package inside to room temperature.
- Once open, if the gecko/packaging seems very cold, allow the gecko to slowly warm to room temperature. If you heat them too quickly it is possible that it could lead to neurological issues.
- Now for the hard part; you can hold the gecko for a short period of time just before placing them into their new enclosure to inspect them, but once you have them in their setup, you need to LEAVE THEM ALONE FOR AT LEAST A WEEK (I recommend 2 weeks). This means no contact and no opening of the cage except for mandatory care. Geckos see us as predators, so keep this in mind every time you go to look at them. Some geckos will be okay with being handled right away, but some will be stressed from shipping. When excessively handled the excess stress can become lethal, so no reason to risk it. If the gecko is skittish and stressed, put them in their enclosure right away and leave them alone. A stressed gecko will need the most space during this adjustment period.
- If using a vivarium setup try covering the walls up with something to hide the geckos from what’s going on outside. A lot of activity in the room they are housed in can stress them too. This includes keeping all pets away (especially cats and dogs).
- I don’t recommend feeding them for about 2-3 days to start, especially if they seem a little lethargic. They can go months without food, so don’t worry about a few days or even weeks -- this will not hurt them. All we want is for the stress to go down and their prey drive to go up, so when you do feed they will adjust quickly. Food items that can crawl on them (especially crickets & superworms) can stress them out even more. IT IS BEST TO GIVE THEM A BOWL OF MEALWORMS TO EAT ON THEIR OWN TIME. If you see poop, you know they are eating. Don’t count the worms; the more hands off you are the better.
- DO NOT HOUSE THEM WITH OTHER GECKOS RIGHT AWAY. It is very important to let the gecko de-stress and make a complete adjustment before you attempt to house them with other leopard geckos. Placing them in with other established geckos right away can lead to more stress and even death. If you do risk it and house them with other geckos please keep a close eye on them and separate if necessary.
- If you plan on using heat lamps, I first recommend a Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE). A red/blue nighttime bulb (reptile specific) can be used, but I suggest only using lights during daytime hours. This gives them a period at night where all the lights are completely out. Keep the under-tank heater on 24/7.
A Basic “Must Have” Checklist:
If any of these seem new to you at all, please read through my full care sheet thoroughly!
- Don’t use loose substrate such as sand. (Use paper towels, tile, hard compact substrate, etc.)
- You must have good vitamin and calcium supplementation (with D3). Dusting prey items as well
- Humid hide – High quality coco fiber medium works best
- Heat source (Under tank and possibly heat lamp) Hot side should have a surface temp around 88-93 F and ambient around 78-84 F on the hot side during the day.
- Live food (Mealworms, Superworms, Dubia, Crickets, etc.)
- Mister/Sprayer - Leopard geckos appreciate a light enclosure misting every week depending on your climate/humidity.
- Clean shallow water bowl
- Hides and cage furnishings – Leopard geckos need to hide at different temperatures so hides throughout the enclosure are needed. They also really enjoy climbing, typically at night.
Any questions you can email me at john@geckoboa.com. Please read through care sheet and watch videos before emailing me.
Example of the feeder cups.
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