| Common Name |
Leopard Gecko |
| Scientific Name |
Eublepharis macularius |
| Temperature |
80 to 85 degrees during the day with a drop to 74 during the evening.
A localized heat source (i.e. basking area) of 90 degrees and an undertank
heater is suggested. |
| Feeding Habits |
As insectivores, adult Leopard Geckos feed primarily on crickets, mealworms,
and supermealworms. Juvenile Leopard Geckos should be fed only crickets.
All commonly available insects are high in phosphorus and low in calcium.
Therefore, it is very impotant that all insects are dusted with vitamin/calcium
supplements at every feeding. Dust insects with HERPCARE's Calcium Supplement©
at every feeding and HERPCARE's Cricket Dust© once per week. In addition,
HERPCARE's Calcium Pellet© should be available to all Leopard Geckos.
Crush the calcium pellet and place it in a small dish in the habitat. A
feeding of once per day for very young species should be provided with
an every other day schedule for adults. Clean water should be provided
daily. Babies should be monitored to make sure they are drinking from the
water bowl. When excessive water intake is noticed, check to insure that
the temperature is not to high. |
| Compatibilty |
Females can be kept in multiples of the same sex, however, adult males
can become very aggressive with each other and have been known to fight
to the death. For long term succesful rearing, individual housing is best |
| Substrate |
The use of play sand or ESU's Desert Blend© as a substrate will
work very well. It is important to monitor your gecko and make sure it
is not ingesting large amounts of the substrate in that it can lead to
health problems such as intestinal blockage. Allsubsrtates should be changed
on a regular basis for both the health of the animal and odor control. |
| Habitat |
Successful permanent maintenace over several generations requires a
10-20 gallon terrarium with a locking lid, substrate, 2 thermometers, a
piece of wood or group of rocks to hide around, and if possible a rock
or cork back wall. Fresh drinking water, and a sutible hide box should
be made availible. It is important to note that even though Leopard Geckos
come from a desert enviroment, they are not completely immune to dry conditions
and some form of humidity should be provided in thier hide box. Lighting
is not manditory and the use of ultraviolet lighting is only needed if
live plants are used as decoration. |
| Additional Comments |
Leopard Geckos are one of the best beginnig reptiles available on the
market today due to their even temperament and moderate size. Additionally,
they are long lived reptiles with recorded life spans of 20 years. |
My Setup
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10 Gallon Tank
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Screen Top
-
Hiding Spot
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Water Dish
-
Senic Vines
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Senic Rocks
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Substrate; Sand
-
Bed
I have my one Lepard Gecko ( MOE ) in an ten gallon aquarium, with about
three inches of sand as a substrate. It is very important to know that
using to fine of sand could be dangerous. The gecko could get impacted
with the sand and not be able to completely digese its food. I would recomend
using a seperate container to feed the gecko in. Some people use paper
towels or newspaper for subtrate but I like to keep my animals in a setting
that they are most use to in the wild.
Moe has a two inch high water dish that is buried 3/4 of the way to
the top. I have a large vine that you can get from any pet store, going
across the back of the tank. There are two rocks that I found outside stacked
on one another for the gecko to climb and get some exercise. For a hide
box I use a store bought black hide box. Underneath the hide box i made
a little pallete, so I can put potting soil in it for softer place to sleep
and hang. I also do this so I can mist the soil to keep the humidity up.
Leopard Geckos need a high humidity (80%) inside there hiding spot for
proper shedding to take place.
I don't use heatrocks or under tank heaters because I house a lot of
animals in the same room. I try to keep it at about 80 degrees f.
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