General - Leopard Geckos (Eublepharis macularius macularius) are one of the most popular geckos in the reptile trade. This is largely due to them being easy going, easy to keep, and a wide array of color morph combinations available.  There are hundreds of different genetic combinations available which allows an owner to create or purchase almost exactly what they would like.  These colors can range from bright orange to solid white and from bold stripes to red stripes. As adults they typically reach lengths of 7-8 inches and weigh 70-80 grams. There are some geckos that can reach almost a foot in length and weigh 170+ grams (these are known as Super Giants). In captivity Leopard Geckos can live up to 18 years.

Housing - The rule of thumb with Leopard Geckos is for every gecko; provide a minimum of 10gal of floor space.  Leopard Gecko females may be kept by themselves or in colonies (multiple females are allowed but never more than one male).  If you want to have a colony which includes a male, ensure you raise the male separately until the whole colony has matured into adults.  Males will grow much faster and become sexually productive sooner than females.  This also helps prevent premature pregnancies.  Males are very territorial and should not be housed with other males because they will fight, sometimes to the death. Here at EG we use a rack system and keep all of our geckos individually housed in 16qt tubs.  We have found that by providing each gecko with their own tub that they grow faster and healthier than those in colonies.  This also allows us to track each gecko individually and have a better understanding of each geckos needs.  Although we use bins, glass aquariums can be used to house your geckos.  Since Leopard Geckos do not climb there is no need for a deep tank, meaning when purchasing a aquarium get a 20gal L (long) instead of a regular 20gal.

Here are 2 eamples of our tubs.

Substrate - There is a wide array of substrates that can be used for Leopard Geckos.  Here at EG we use non perforated shelf liners.  These allow for easy cleaning and are inexpensive to purchase.  Other popular substrates are paper towels, news paper, and repti carpet.  Although none of these are as visually appealing as sand, Leopard Geckos can ingest sand and become impact.  This can result in the death of your gecko if not treated fast enough.  There are many keepers who have had no issues with sand but I will not personally suggest the use of it.  No matter what substrate you decide to use, Leopard Geckos will use the bathroom in the same place all the time.  So at EG we use a folded paper towel in the corner that they use as their bathroom, this allows for faster cleaning.  Since geckos prefer to use the bathroom in a corner, do not block/decorate all four corners of their cage.

Heating/Lighting - Like all reptiles, Leopard Geckos are cold blooded.  This means that their body heat is regulated by external heat sources.  The best source of heat for a Leopard Gecko would be some form of belly heat.  The three most popular are UTH (under tank heaters), heat cable, and heat tape.  Here at EG we prefer to use heat tape since it can be cut to the exact lengths we need it for.  When using a glass aquarium use a proportionally sized UTH (the size will be listed on the UTH package).  Since the Geckos will not only need to heat up but also cool down, you need to provide a heat gradient.  We have a hot spot in their tubs of 92 degrees and the cool side of the tub is 80 degrees.   We do not drop our temperatures at night, but those who do typically allow the temperature to fall to around 75 degrees.  Since Leopard Geckos are nocturnal we do not suggest the use of heat bulbs as your source of heat.  The bright light can stress them out as well as reduce their activity due to hiding from the light.  We also do not suggest using heating rocks within the enclosure since they are often times to hot and can burn or even kill your gecko.

Water - Provide your gecko with fresh clean water in a shallow dish daily.  Here at EG we ensure the water in the dish is no deeper than the elbow on the geckos’ legs.  Since they are not swimmer this helps ensure that they cannot drowned themselves.  You may not always see your gecko drinking water, but you must always provide fresh water for them.  Some breeders place the water over the hot spot of the cage to produce humidity for the geckos.  Although humidity is needed, especially when shedding, we prefer to keep the water on the cool side and provide a humid hide (Tupperware with a hole cut in the lid with moist coconut fiber inside).  You also may see your gecko licking the humidity inside the humid hide which is normal, but still always provide a water dish/bowl.

Food - Leopard Geckos are usually quite aggressive feeders.  The most common feeders used for Leopard Geckos are meal worms and crickets.  Some of the other feeders that may be used are super worms, roaches, and other types of worms or larva.  We prefer to use a diet consisting mainly of meal worms (all gut loaded on fresh veggies and gut load mix) with occasional roaches and super worms.  Sizing the feeders appropriately is very important for the safety of your geckos.  The widest part of the feeder should not be any wider than the space between your geckos’ eyes. As mentioned earlier, ensure to gut load (feed/fatten up) all feeders before offering them to your geckos.  This will maximize the nutrient intake of your geckos and result in much healthier geckos.  In addition to gut loading you also need to dust your feeders with a calcium powder.  There are calcium powders with and without vitamin D3.  We suggest using both with and without D3, but only using the calcium with D3 2-3 times per week.