Leopard Gecko Care Sheet

Scientific/Latin Name
Eublepharis macularius

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These attractive nocturnal lizards are popular pets due to their small size and simple care requirements. They are available in many striking color and pattern variations. They reach a length of 8-10 inches when fully-grown and with proper care can live over fifteen years.

• 2 - 3 foot Vivarium
• Tight, screened lid
• Hide
• Beech Chips/Calci-Sand/Corn Chips
• Shallow, heavy dishes
• Rocks or logs
• Crickets (Wax worms or mealworms occasionally)
• Calcium-rich gut loading pellets, for crickets
• Calcium/D3 and multivitamin supplements
• Undertank heating required

• Nocturnal incandescent bulb of appropriate wattage optional
• A mat-stat to regulate the undertank heater to help prevent burns

Baby geckos may be nervous and excitable at first, but with regular gentle handling they will become tame and easy to manage. Leopard geckos should not be handled during the day. Children should be supervised when handling a gecko and taught never to pick it up by the tail, which may break off.

Baby leopard geckos can be kept in an 18" Leopard Gecko Starter Kit with a secure screened lid. One adult requires at least a 2 - 3 foot Vivarium with a tight fitting screen lid. Floor space is more important because leopard geckos cannot climb on glass like other geckos. A male can be kept with females but never with another male. Calci-Sand can be used with adults, but never juveniles! Provide several hiding places throughout the cage as leopard geckos are nocturnal and hide during the day. Keep one of those hiding places moist by placing slightly dampened sphagnum peat moss inside to help the gecko shed properly. Rocks and logs add interest and make good resting areas. Water must always be available in a heavy shallow dish. The cage should have a cool end, at about 75 F, and a warm end, at 85 F, so that your gecko can regulate its own body temperature. The optimum air temperature by day is 86 F and 82-85 F by night. To achieve these temperatures, you can use an undertank heater and a nocturnal incandescent reptile lamp. Locate the tank out of direct sunlight to avoid overheating.

Adult Leopard geckos will thrive on a diet of brown crickets. Babies and juveniles should be fed every day until full (5 insects appropriately sized). Adults should be fed 6 to 10 insects every other day. Dust crickets every feeding with a calcium and D3 supplement like Nutrobal. To dust, place the insects in a plastic bag, add a pinch of calcium and shake to coat the insects with the powder. Remove uneaten crickets after a half hour to prevent them from annoying your gecko.

Wash out the water and food dishes daily. Place the gecko in an escape proof container while cleaning the tank. Both the tank and any washable floor coverings should be washed weekly in hot water. Use a reptile safe disinfectant like BEA Disinfectant to sterilise the tank.

Leopard geckos are sexually mature at 10 months of age. Male geckos are larger, heavier around the neck and have a line of pores on their belly between their hind legs. They have two swellings near the vent at the base of the tail. Sex is hard to determine until the gecko reaches 5-6" in length.

Providing they are purchased in good condition, leopard geckos are hardy pets which have relatively few problems. A healthy gecko will have a fat tail and be alert and active, with a good appetite.

If your Gecko has trouble shedding skin from it's toes place it in a ½ inch bowl of luke warm water and rub the loose skin gently with a cotten bud until the skin has been removed.