Average Size: 6-9 inches

Lifespan: 20+ years

Hygiene and Health: Never grab your Gecko by its tail because they can detach it in fear. It will grow back buy will never look the same as before.

The Leopard Gecko is one of the hardiest geckos in captivity with relatively few problems if kept properly.
   Some of most common problems encountered with Leopard Geckos are: vitamin deficiency, coccidia, anorexia, gastroenteritis/diarrhea, autotomy/tail loss, Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD), mouth rot, egg binding, sand impaction, shedding problems, respiratory disease, prolapse, and stress. All of these can be avoided with proper care and nutrition, and a good clean environment.

For cleaning, you can use any reptile-approved cleaner, such as Jurassi Clean. Leopard Geckos, true to their easy-to-care-for attitude, will generally only defecate in one area of the cage. You may also wish to get a sand scoop as it is easiest just to sift this out whenever they relieve themselves. Also, Leopard Geckos will enjoy misting every once in a while, again, with dechlorinated water if possible.

Behavior: These spotted lizards are desert creatures and nocturnal. Leopard Geckos are relatively amicable with females of their own species, but two males housed together will fight to the death. If you have more than one, it should be one male with any number of females, provided you have space for them all.

Diet: Leopard Geckos eat crickets and mealworms. You can offer an occasional wax worm too, but you should limit these as they have a high fat content (20%). It is highly recommended that you ‘gut load' your crickets with any of the commercially available gut loads. These vitamin-rich foods fill the crickets with the vitamins and minerals , so that when your lizard eats them, the lizard gets all of the good stuff too. The meal worms should be provided in a dish with some sort of calcium to get the calcium in their diet.
As a nocturnal species, Leopard Geckos often have a vitamin deficiency in the area of vitamin D3. To compensate, you could either add a fluorescent bulb with UV to your set up, or you could use a calcium powder with the vitamin already included. The lizard must have vitamin D3, or it cannot make use of the calcium . Provide a water bowl, preferably with dechlorinated (distilled) water. If you choose to use a dechlorinator, Repti Safe is a good one to use as it also provides electrolytes.

Temperature & Lighting: Leopard Geckos do well at 84°- 88 °F in the daytime and 74°-78°F at night. As they are nocturnal, these lizards do not require UV light for calcium absorption as many other lizards do, though it can be a useful addition for this purpose. For lighting and heat a 40-60 watt bulb placed on a screen top at one end of the terrarium is sufficient. This can be either a white or a red (infra red) bulb, there is also a blue bulb available. The red or blue bulb provide will provide warmth as well as allow you to view your pet at night. Because Leopard Geckos are ectothermic they thermoregulate their body temperature, going from cool areas to warm areas as they need to. By placing the bulb on one end of the enclosure this leaves the other end as a cooler zone.
   You can also provide a heating pad or under tank heater under the aquarium for additional heat. This is especially important if you use a white light and turn it off at night. A hot rock is not recommended as these lizards can be easily burned by one. Be sure you use a thermometer so you don't let the terrarium become overheated or under heated

Habitat: Keep young in a 10-gallon aquarium with a secure screened lid. One adult requires a minimum of a 15-gallon aquarium. Floor space is important since they cannot climb on glass like other geckos. A male can be kept with females but never with another male. Line the bottom of a juvenile's enclosure with newspaper and paper towels. 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.

Training: If your Leopard Gecko gets in a situation where it feels threatened and perhaps grabbed by the tail , it will separate its tail from the rest of the body ().  It will regenerate the tail , though it will never grow back to its former beauty. When handling your gecko, take care not to take it outside in cold temperatures. While the desert does get cold at night, your critters are generally in a burrow deep underground, where it only ever reaches 56° F. 

Taming, Training and Handling:

Loner or Groupies:

Additional Info: These Geckos are beginner reptiles although they are favorites of most die-hard reptile hobbyests. They are very friendly and good with children It is very rare that any specimen will bite, and they can be quickly trained out of the behavior. They can be perched on your shoulder or will hang on to your shirt as you walk around. Leopard Geckos are amazing to watch and feeding time is always an exciting time to be around to watch them hunt. They aren't demanding and don't take much more than maintenance once you start them up.

Recommended Supplies: