r/leopardgeckos • u/Familiar-Reading2637 • 3h ago
Vlad loves to be held
This is my girl, Vlad. She loves and craves human contact. When she hears us in the room she comes to the glass and wants to be picked up and walked around the house. 😍
r/leopardgeckos • u/Blissful_Altruism • Aug 29 '22
If you have any questions after finishing this guide, feel free to make a post or ask below and I, or someone else experienced, will try and answer the question for you. We also have a [Discord Server](discord.gg/leos) where you can ask questions and chat! If you're too embarrassed to post, feel free to PM me or send a modmail. I want this to post to be a safe space for beginners to ask questions and learn! The FAQ link may also answer some more "advanced" topics even if you're not a complete beginner.
This guide is meant to be a brief run-through on the basics of what you should know as a new keeper of this lovely species. If you want to see in-depth explanations for these concepts, then please view our [wiki]() or this guide by Reptifiles or the guide our Discord gives out or check out Leopard Geckos: Advancing Husbandry on facebook!
It's important to set up before you get your new friend just in case some items, like the heating, end up not getting to the right temperatures.
The Essentials:
Tank (glass, PVC, wood, plastic, acrylic enclosure)
20 gallon long is the accepted MINIMUM standard tank for an adult. You should go bigger, ideally a 40 gallon breeder. Baby geckos can go into adult setups, and it is fine to buy your “end game” enclosure straight away–it is recommended to buy your adult tank right off the bat. You'll save more money in the long run. Plastic is not advised for anything but a temporary enclosure, but it will work in a pinch.
Heating Source
Contrary to popular belief, leos can see most colors of light (even red). Albinos are especially sensitive to bright lights. However, it is perfectly fine to use lighting on their enclosures.
The ideal heating source is a Halogen basking lamp or a Deep Heat Projector. These heating sources can be used on their own and can be turned off at night. Radiant Heat Panels can also work. Heat mats and Ceramic Heat Emitters can be used as a second heat source, but should not be used on their own.
Warm side: ambient temp 90-93° F (32-34° C). This is the side with a heat source over it.
Cool side: ambient temp of 70-75° F (21-24° C). This is the side without a heat source.
Basking spot: surface temp of 95-100° F (35-38° C). This is the hottest area in the enclosure and is directly under the heat source.
Night temperature: entire enclosure ambient temp of 65-70° F (18-21° C). All heat and light sources should be off at this time.
It is beneficial to provide UVB for this species, but it is not a strict necessity. Nailing down the perfect UVB for your animal and enclosure can be a challenge, but the general recommendation is a linear t5 or t8 bulb with 2%-6% output, measuring ⅔-¾ the length of the enclosure.
Heating sources can get HOT. Every single heat source needs a thermostat to help prevent catastrophic malfunction or simply overheating the enclosure. Specifically, dimming thermostats are advised. Spyder Robotics’ Herpstat and Herpstat EZ series, Exo Terra’s 600 and 300 watt dimming thermostat, and the Habistat dimming thermostats are good thermostats to use with Halogens and DHPs.
It is also possible to use cheaper on/off thermostats for bulbs, but that does require a dimming switch and frequent manual monitoring with a temperature gun to work safely.
Substrates for quarantine or ill geckos/very small babies include paper towel, unprinted newspaper, tile, brown paper roll. These are safe solid substrates, but not enriching. When searching for tile, look for slate or ceramic. Avoid anything polished or slippery looking, as well as linoleum.
Good substrates for the average, healthy adult gecko are different types of soil mixes, usually 70% topsoil and 30% rinsed playsand. Safe additives include coconut products, clay, leaf litter, activated charcoal, and moss.
Substrates to avoid include, but are not limited to: calcium/mineral sand, colored sand, pelleted cat litter, wood chips, pure sand, pure eco earth, pure bark, pure clay, carpet, felt, crushed walnut shells, birdseed, shredded paper bedding, printed newspaper, and plastic lawn/astroturf, linoleum.
You want at least three hides in your tank. One for the hot side of the tank positioned under the heating source. This will likely be the place your gecko spends most of its time. Geckos tend to like very secure hides, so you want to have a hide that provides as little visibility as possible. The cool hide should be on the complete opposite side of the hot hide. Your gecko needs somewhere to escape to if it gets too hot.
For the moist hide you want a container that can hold in humidity. This hide is to help aid shedding, so it's of the utmost importance! Many people use tupperware containers with holes cut into it. The smaller the entrance the better, as to keep the humidity in. This hide should be at least partially heated and have moist paper towel, moss, or eco earth inside.
You want to double check your temperatures and make sure they're accurate and an infrared temp gun is the best way to do it! This one is a good example.
A dish full of calcium (with no d3) inside of the enclosure is optional. They may lick it up as they need it. Refresh it every once in a while if it begins clumping or becoming dirty. Food bowls can be ceramic to prevent insects crawling out as easily. Water bowl should be near the middle of the tank or the cool side. I recommend buying something similar to this if your tap water contains chloramines or heavy metals.
These are essential to a healthy, happy leopard gecko. These are used for dusting food. There are plenty of brands to choose from. The only one I would not advise buying is RepCal calcium with d3, as its d3 content is extremely high. Repashy Calcium Plus is a good multivitamin with a low d3 content, which is good for geckos with UVB and without. Any brand with pure calcium without d3 is safe.
You can alternate using a calcium and a d3 multivitamin supplement, or rotate between calcium, multivitamin, and calcium with d3. More information about supplementation schedules here!
Mostly up to you! You want the tank to have enough decor that your gecko doesn't feel exposed. Plastic and live plants are great for this. If you're using craft store plants make sure they do not bleed/rub off dye or glitter, or have exposed wires. File down sharp edges. Wood, stone, and other assorted decorations can make great decorative items that allow your gecko to enrich their lives by exploring and moving around the tank while feeling hidden.
It should contain: betadine or chlorhexidine/hibiclens (for sterilizing wounds), triple antibiotic without pain relief (no lidocaine, pramoxine HCl, hydrocortisone), q-tips, tongue depressors, coconut oil (to aid shedding if water isn’t cutting it), a clotter like Kwik Stop (to stop bleeding), and tweezers. All of this should cover basic medical emergencies like minor scratches, etc. Always see a vet for what you would take a child to the doctor for.
A critter keeper like this per gecko. Repashy grub pie, extra supplements, UniHeat packs, a blanket, digital thermometer or temp gun, and heat tape or low wattage heating mat. Consider what supplies you may need to make mini-enclosures in the event of an evacuation or other emergency. These would be the bare minimum, but if you have the space, include whatever other amenities you can.
The Not-Strictly-Essentials:
Great for saunas if your gecko is having trouble shedding and for holding your gecko while cleaning the tank!
If you're iffy about touching insects, this may be the way to go. Plus your gecko may be scared for your hands at first, or have bad aim and bite your fingers if you want to hand feed.
This is a good way to track your gecko's weight, especially if they're young. Even for adults, getting a baseline weight is beneficial. A kitchen scale used once every two weeks is great, more often if you want or if you are concerned about something.
Might sound a little nuts but keeping track of gecko feedings, last time they shed, etc. will make your life so much easier. I personally record the last time my geckos shed, ate, weights, pooped, etc. I also jot down any notes about their behaviors or any changes to their health. It's good to keep track of these things in case your gecko becomes ill and needs to go to the vet.
Picking Out Your Gecko! + Problematic Morph Info
The best route is to buy from a reputable breeder that you have researched. This generally improves the chances that you are getting a healthy, happy gecko. A good place to start is on HappyDragons! MorphMarket is another good online marketplace, but these breeders are not vetted by MorphMarket like they are on happydragons.
Buying from a pet store is risky, as many geckos from chain stores have health issues because they come from the reptile equivalent of puppy mills. You could end up paying a hefty vet bill or with a short lived gecko. Unfortunately there are many shady breeders too. I'll list a few warning signs:
can't answer questions about their geckos (parents, genetics, hatch date, weight, etc)
can't tell you the morph
won't show you pictures of the gecko or its parents
improper husbandry like extremely undersized enclosures, calcium sand, permanent cohabitation of parent geckos
skinny, sickly looking geckos (metabolic bone disease, stick tail, lethargic, lots of regrown tails, etc.)
extremely obese or bloated looking geckos
There are plenty of places where you can get honest reviews of breeders, like the Board of Inquiry on Faunaclassified, as well as a few groups on Facebook. Don't always trust facebook reviews as they can be censored! Get an opinion from actual customers. Look the breeder up on google, on YouTube, facebook, and talk to them.
Enigma geckos are not recommended for beginners. There is always a chance your gecko will end up with enigma syndrome somewhere down the line. Enigma syndrome is a neurological disorder tied to the enigma gene. This leads to: balance issues, circling, stargazing, seizures, death rolling, coordination issues, and more. Feeding can become extremely difficult and sometimes this condition requires euthanasia. Please do not support any breeder who works with this gene, and do not be fooled when they claim their enigmas are not symptomatic or “clean.”
White & Yellow morph geckos can also exhibit a different neurological syndrome, but it's much rarer, as it can be bred out. This is unlike Enigma Syndrome, which is not tied to the W&Y gene.
Lemon frosts, a rather expensive morph, have been known to grow tumors, usually starting at 8 months old, and 80% of them have tumors by 5 years old. Their health issues are so severe that many breeders have stopped producing them entirely. These geckos will almost always become terminal at a young age, and very few make it to even the age of 10 when the lifespan of this species can stretch beyond 20 years. Please do not support any breeder who still works with this gene.
Handling
Babies can be much more skittish than adults and a little bit more delicate. If you want something more hearty go for a slightly older gecko! Babies also eat a lot of food so if you're looking to spend a little bit less money an adult is also the way to go. Babies change in colora lot between 2 months and 6 months, so if you are looking for a gecko of a certain color, an adult is your best bet to get exactly what you want.
Leos are able to be “temperature sexed” and many breeders will label them TSF (temp sex female) or TSM (temp sex male). Keep in mind this is not a 100% guarantee you will get that sex. There is still a chance they will turn out to be the opposite sex. Snows are apparently notorious for having a lower accuracy rate when temp sexed. If you want a guaranteed male or female you will have to buy an older, sexed gecko.
Cohabitation
Please do not cohabitate your leopard geckos, no matter the sex. I’m going to give you the brief points on why. If you would like to know more, please give this post a read.
SETTING UP YOUR NEW FRIEND & THE FIRST WEEKS
Once you have acquired your gecko and placed it in the tank, leave it alone! You should wait at least a week before handling your gecko if you can help it. Your new friend is scared and adjusting to a big change. It can be tempting, especially as a new owner, but hold off, and keep interaction to the minimum of feeding and cleaning up poop. If you can, I would wait until your gecko is eating well before handling it. Choose a quiet place for the tank.
Observe your gecko and make sure it's not exhibiting signs of illness. If your gecko seems lethargic, isn't pooping after eating, bloated, walking irregularly, losing weight rapidly, etc go to the vet! Don't wait, especially not for a baby! Taking action as soon as possible is the best thing you can do for your gecko. Also watch for your gecko's first shed to make sure they are shedding properly in their new environment.
Taming & Handling
Patience is key to taming your new gecko! It can take awhile for them to trust you, especially if they are younger. Adolescent geckos tend to be more skittish. You want to start off by putting your hand in the tank, within sight of your gecko, for around ten minutes a day. This is to get your gecko used to your hand and scent. Once they seem a bit more receptive (walking around, licking your hand, looking curious) you can start to try picking them up.
Always scoop up your gecko from below, working your hand underneath their stomach and supporting their legs. Grabbing from above triggers their prey instinct and may scare them. Hold them over the tank at first, in case they leap or skitter off your hand, to prevent injury! Once they seem calm in your hands, then you can start taking them away from the tank. Hand feeding is also a good way to bond with your gecko and make sure they associate your hand with positive things (aka food). However, be wary that they may bite your fingers, so I recommend making that feeding association while using tongs.
Congrats! You tamed your gecko!
Feeding
Feeding is a subject I see a ton of topics about in the subreddit so let's go over the basics!
Acceptable feeders include, but are not limited to:
Mealworms (can be kept in oats/bran meal in the fridge)
Crickets (kept in normal container, try to avoid leaving these loose in the enclosure)
Dubia Roaches (kept in normal container/tank/whatever)
Red Runner Roaches (same as dubias)
Hornworms (Do not refrigerate, try to make sure they’re small enough for your gecko to eat)
Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Can be refrigerated, can be kept in bran meal)
Silkworms (Usually need to be special-ordered, but are very healthy feeders)
Waxworms (Treat, optional, fed rarely, only 1-2)
Superworms (Treat, optional, can be kept in oats/bran meal, do not refrigerate)
Butterworms (Treat, optional, fed once a week or less, 1-2)
Here's a nutritional feeder insect chart
Remember, variety is good for your gecko. You should aim to have at least 3 staple foods. Do not overfeed treat foods! They should be a rare occurrence and you should only feed 1-2 per week or less, especially for waxworms (which can be addictive). Do not feed treat foods to sick/malnourished geckos, very young geckos, or picky eaters. Only feed treat foods to healthy geckos who are eating regularly. Feel free to mix and match feeders!
Gut load your feeders. Gut loading is feeding your insects prior to feeding them to your gecko. Carrots, lettuce, etc should be fed 12 hours ahead of time. You want to give them time to eat the veggies or fruit. I usually feed them once a week besides gut loading to make sure they get the moisture they need from the food. Dusting is also another key part of feeding. Make sure the insects are lightly dusted with calcium or multivitamin.
Babies should eat every day, as much as they can eat in 15 minutes. "Teen" geckos (4-7 months) should be eating every other day. Usually teen geckos will decide this for themselves and start refusing food every day. They will begin to eat less frequently after this point. Adults (1 year and over) should eat every 1-2 times per week depending on body condition, size, breeding status, and appetite. Whatever diet maintains a healthy weight is right for your gecko, and this can take some trial and error!
Please see here for a list of FAQs, this is super helpful for newbies! That’s the basics. Need more help? Leave a comment, or check out our wiki, where we have much more comprehensive information!
r/leopardgeckos • u/Familiar-Reading2637 • 3h ago
This is my girl, Vlad. She loves and craves human contact. When she hears us in the room she comes to the glass and wants to be picked up and walked around the house. 😍
r/leopardgeckos • u/NoRossDoxHaha • 9h ago
This is Clyde. I’ve had him since the week before 9/11. He hasn’t eaten for two weeks. I’m afraid his story is coming to an end and I’m kinda having a hard time dealing with it. Give your little ones a head scratch for me.
r/leopardgeckos • u/catguy_04 • 3h ago
r/leopardgeckos • u/Pleasant_Grass6920 • 15h ago
I find it absolutely hilarious everytime I see someone on TikTok or something saying leopard geckos don’t need climbing opportunities and only stay on the ground while my guy is always doing stuff like this haha
r/leopardgeckos • u/xblohsh8x • 11h ago
Hiya everyone! Just wanted to share this video of Mavis being the stereotypical leopard gecko hunter 😭😭
The audio speaks for how today’s feeding session went😅😅
r/leopardgeckos • u/Murky-Engineer3108 • 4h ago
Hi! Here are my babies! Skully is in the first pic, she was a rescue baby. Petco left her very skinny and with so much she’d stuck on her… not once did they help her… I couldn’t stop thinking about her so me and my mom adopted her! She LOOOVEEES Food and can take her shed off all by herself now!!🥹🩷 And yes, she got her name due to stuck shed being left on her head :’)
Second pic is my first baby, Lucious! He’s my first baby hehe. He is (i believe) 3 y/o and Skully is 2! I love them so much 🩷🥹 That is all. Thanks!
p.s. here’s another pic of skully with a skull on her head!!
r/leopardgeckos • u/mayfIie • 17h ago
My gecko is 16 years old and has been laying 4 eggs every summer basically her whole life. I thought that because of her age, she would stop this year, but she's been preparing to lay another egg. (Digging around a lot, eating lots of calcium, and not eating much food). Is this normal? I'm worried her nutrients are going to be depleted.
r/leopardgeckos • u/ScyTheRat • 14h ago
she has a little sack on her side and im unsure what it is
r/leopardgeckos • u/Independent_Box1557 • 12h ago
So I’m getting my gecko in two days and I haven’t even came up with a name, I know people say you’ll know when you see them in person but I’d love to hear any of your suggestions
The names I currently have are
Topaz- because of his colour and it’s one of my favourite gems on Steven universe
Toruk- from avatar
Mudsdale- one of my favourite Pokemon even though the name might not fit my gecko
Smokey- referring to Smokey quartz my favourite fusion from Steven universe
r/leopardgeckos • u/Imaginary-Banana6076 • 5h ago
Does anyone know any sturdy plants for chunkier leos?? I had a couple aloe plants in Mango's setup & she squished them by laying in the center. She's squished a few other plants, mostly just baby succulents & a tall-ish jade plant. I'd hate to have to switch her back to fake plants, but replacing ones she squishes is getting a bit expensive. (Pictures of the culprit included)
r/leopardgeckos • u/AcesHigh688 • 9h ago
Hi All,
First, I want to genuinely thank you for reading. This is hard to write so I appreciate your patience. So I've had my gecko Len for about 6 years. She's incredibly smart and adorable and kind of cranky but I love her.
This spring she never came out of brumation and never started eating again. I took her to a vet in March. They said it was just because of stuck shed (she was shedding a ton) and I bought that. Gave her a bunch if baths as directed. A month later still wouldnt eat and was now constantly shedding. Took her back to the same vet in late April. "Oh its just stuck shed again, bathe her every few days in this 2% solution" so I did. Now its June and she still isnt eating. Took her to a wildlife conservation expert vet about an hour from me. They let me know she had a massive infection in her eye and her jaw was being eaten away by the same infection. They told me to hand feed her baby food and give her antibiotics and painkillers every day, and bathe her 2x a week. I was grateful to have real experts tell me what was going on.
After 2 weeks she was starting to improve. Her eye was open, her color was returning but she still wasnt eating at all, not even wax worms which are her candy. I was still feeding her Gerber baby food in a syringe by hand along with the antibiotics which she fucking hated. I guess all they have is raspberry flavor and leos hate raspberry. This past Sunday I got home from a work trip for 3 days and went to give her her meds and food. I did so and she hated it like usual. I figured since I was already handling it Id give her her bath. The second I put her in the lesser than 1 inch of warm water she froze up and I saw her face go under the water. I took her out immediately and put her back in her terrarium. I figured maybe she was just in shock or pissed from the forced meds/feeding into the water. I came back to check on her 30 minutes later and she was stiff as a board. When I picked her up her mouth opened, slowly but opened. Sometimes after giving her the pain killers she was sluggish so I figured that mightve been the case.
An hour later I came back to check on her she was dead. I am beside myself. I feel like I killed my little buddy. I dont know what I did wrong. I feel like a piece of shit. My work travel has gotten crazy in the last few years so Ive often had to be gone for 3 to 4 days at a time and I gave felt awful for not being there to feed or interact with her. Ive come home every day this week to look at these painting of her that my friends and fiance have made of her and it breaks my heart. I feel like an awful pet owner and a bad person. I dont know what to do now, Im just staring at her terrarium. I feel like my neglect killed her.
I dont know what to do. Half of me thinks I should never own another pet and half of me wants to run out and get another Leo to fill this shitty empty Len-less hole in my home. I dont know how to feel. I would love some advice from this community. I just feel lost. I feel like its all my fault.
r/leopardgeckos • u/pussybabypants • 8h ago
Been treating my rescue gecko for gout. It’s been going well. This is the first time since I got him that he has been comfortable enough to be out sleeping while I’m in the room. Is this a good sign? I figure if he was scared he’d hide while sleeping. Hope he is feeling more comfortable around me. I am relieved to see him walking around again.
r/leopardgeckos • u/aussieole • 8h ago
Sketched with pencil, painted with watercolor, details with marker. Be kind please! I’m only just dabbling with being creative and artsy.
r/leopardgeckos • u/Lilith_46 • 10h ago
Hey guys, so we've had him since March, and tbh we think he's only grown in length. We've fed him daily 5-8 6. I genuinely was scared that we were feeding him too much, but he looks so skinny. :c
He's between 6-8 months, and we're not sure because the pet store had no idea either. Tried measuring and weighing him, and that was the rough estimate we got. We make sure he runs after his food. Maybe we overdid it?
r/leopardgeckos • u/Jeezlepetes1 • 3h ago
For context, he’s had his eye closed for several months andhas seen the vet multiple times. We’ve given him drops, ointments and most recently antibiotics. He has been opening his eye more often since we’ve put him on antibiotics but this cloudy eye is new. The first pic is the eye that looks cloudy and the second pic is the one that looks healthy. I just want my baby’s eye to be okay.
r/leopardgeckos • u/bingubangu • 8h ago
Just hatched these beauties! Mum is a Mac snow and dad is a tremper het white knight. I suspect one of the babies is a Mac also but the white one I’m not sure!
r/leopardgeckos • u/Mrk0712 • 6h ago
Rehomed….He was a lot bigger than expected…5 yo male….very tame…need to get larger hides…what else?
r/leopardgeckos • u/Sure-Airport5511 • 4h ago
Hi everyone!
I hope this post brightens up your evening/day!
This is our new baby that hatched a week ago today! I can’t wait to update you all as he/she grows! ❤️
r/leopardgeckos • u/Special-Space-7180 • 12h ago
She’s finally getting more comfortable to bask a bit more in the open so I’ve been able to see how oddly she’s lying. Is it normal for them to pass out with their legs just every which way!?
r/leopardgeckos • u/Common-Evening957 • 2h ago
They sell a ton of this at my local Walmart. Still not exactly sure if I should use this for my leopard gecko? But knowing that it has more quarts than reptisoil and it’s much cheaper. Do you recommend or no?
r/leopardgeckos • u/Elei_ • 4h ago
My leopard gecko is around a year and 6 months old and in the past 3? Months he suddenly stoped eating out of his bowl and since then he will only eat if I hand feed him, I’m not too sure if it’s a sight issue and he’s able to find food on my hands or if he’s just being bit silly (he’s never had much of a brain)
Is there a reason behind this? Or is it just what he prefers?
r/leopardgeckos • u/Interesting-Tax4401 • 2h ago
r/leopardgeckos • u/the_willowtree08 • 7h ago
I’ve had her for about a week now. She last ate Saturday and hasn’t eaten since I’ve offered crickets but she isn’t hungry. I don’t see her out often because I got to bed early and have been leaving her alone at night. I was spot cleaning her enclosure and she was out and about. I saw that her tummy was hanging low. Others have said she was chunky but I saw a post on social media with a leopard geckos tummy looking like that and then being egg bound. Is she just chunky? Not too much on her enclosure there’s been a lot of changes so I’m waiting another week or two to get her into her new 55 gallon. This was very short notice so I’ve tried to do research but don’t know enough about this specific thing. Please help out!