Leopard Gecko’s are low maintenance and placid which makes them a great reptile for beginners.

Origination: Pakistan , Northwest India, Afghanistan and Southern Iran

Adult Length: 20-25cm

Lifespan: 18 years

Leopard Gecko Care Sheet

• Housing

Leopard geckos may be kept in a number of ways so it all depends on what suits a person. The simplest way is a laboratory set up which is a plastic box with newspaper and something for them to hide under. A more aesthetic approach is to have a wooden vivarian with natural substrate like potting soil, rocks and cork bark. Leopard geckos spend the daytime hidden away so you need to make sure they have lots of hiding places to choose from.

A 60cm cage should be suitable for one to two geckos and a 1m x 50cm cage should be suitable for a colony of geckos.(Bigger is always better) A good colony size would be one male and six females. You can’t keep more than one male together at a time as they are very territorial and will fight. You can however keep as many females together as you like.

There is no need for UV lighting as they are nocturnal and crepuscular. All they need is a natural day/night cycle which can be achieved by natural sunlight from a window or a low voltage globe in the vivarium. If you use a globe you need to leave it on for eight hours a day in winter and sixteen hours a day in summer.

They tend to use one area of the cage for there toilet which makes it easier to spot clean that area and then only clean the whole cage out less often.

• Heating/ Humidity

In summer time a temperature of 30°C in the day and a few degrees drop at night is sufficient. In winter a 20°C temperature is fine. Heating pads or cables are the easiest and most effective sources of heat. You can use heating rocks and globes as well. It is always best to use a thermostat with every source of heating so you can control the temperature. It is extremely important for you to have a thermometer to measure that the temperature is right, some people have two thermometers so they will know there heating is definitely working.

Humidity should be moderate to high to prevent shedding problems. You can mist the cage with some warm water using a spray bottle every few day to create enough humidity. Humidity gauges are great for telling you what the humidity is.

• Feeding

Leopard geckos are carnivores. They eat mealworms, giant mealworms, crickets and pink mice, depending on their age. Don’t feed them insects that you catch because you can’t be guaranteed that they have not been sprayed with insecticides. All food should be coated with calcium powder before feeding it to the geckos. They tend to eat less in the cooler months. A liquid vitamin is great for you to use in their drinking water. Make sure they have fresh water every day in a shallow water dish.

• Reproduction

They reach sexual maturity at three years when they are about 20-25cm. The males have a robust appearance and a slightly larger head. To sex a male they have femoral pores and pre-anal swelling. The pre-anal pores are a V shaped row of pores on the underside by the hind legs. The females don’t have any of these characteristics. Spring time is when they become sexually active. The males will bite the females on the head, tail and neck when copulating, these bite marks usually heal easily. If the bites are serious you should separate them until they heal and consult a vet. Breeding from the second or third year is advisable especially for the female’s health.

An ice cream tub with a hole cut out and moist peat placed in side is ideal for them to lay there eggs in. Once they have lain there eggs you will need to transfer them into a tub with 60- 80% humid vermiculite and to incubate them at 27 -29°C for 70-84 days for females, 29-32°C for 56-70 days for males and females and 32-34°C for 42-56 days for male hatchlings. To look after the hatchlings you will need to keep them separate from the adults and have to wait for them to have there first shed before you feed them and then to feed them baby mealworms.