How I care for my Leopard Gecko.

Hello again all. When I was first considering getting a Leopard gecko I did what many people do and what all people should do before they purchase an animal, I researched it. However despite the popularity of the species I found constantly conflicting information so I thought I would take the time to write a care sheet based on how I have looked after my Leo and put in some additional information such as morphs etc.. My Leo is currently very healthy, she has never had any health problems and I am sure my husbandry skills are more than sufficient.

About the Leopard Gecko
The Leopard Gecko originates from Pakistan and Afghanistan, they are nocturnal so are mainly active at night, the Leopard Gecko is a member of the Eublepharidae family which include Geckos that have movable eye lids such as the Leopard Gecko. The Leopard gecko is a very hardy lizard which makes it a popular first time reptile, I did not get my Leo for this reason as I am an experienced keeper, however I find Leopard gecko genetics interesting and intend to breed them in the near future.

My Leopard Gecko
My Leopard Gecko is a one year old wild type, her parents were also wild types as were her grandparents so any genetic mutations within her gene pool should now have been bred out. I chose her because of this as it will give me a chance to work on honing out some genetic traits i.e breeding her to a pure Tremper I will be sure that I am getting wild types Het Tremper but more on that in the future. On a more personal note my Leo is called Marmalade or Marmy for short, she is great fun, clumsy and a little dumb all combining to create a great little character.
Here she is when she was younger

Housing
Many pet shops and keeps keep leopard geckos in glass terrariums, I however prefer wooden vivariums. Terrariums are great for tropical animals and live plants, however when keeping a leopard gecko temperature is important and I find that the glass struggles to keep the temperature in. I recommend using a wooden vivarium. I currently keep my Leo in a vivarium which is 923mm in length x 300mm in height and 450mm in depth, this size vivarium will comfortably keep two adult Leopard Geckos.

Hides
For every Leopard Gecko you have no matter if they are sharing I would recommend three hides, one hide in the cool area of the vivarium, one hide in the warm side and one in the centre. Most of my hides are homemade, I like to have an underground hide as well so I make sure to build a false floor. I do this because Leopard Geckos like to go underground in the wild so it is perfect for them.

Heating
An average rule is that a heat mat should cover 1/3rd of the vivarium, this is important as it gives the gecko the ability to regulate their temperature, if they are cold got to the hot end of the vivarium if they are hot go to the the cold area. I run my heat mat through a thermostat which stops the mat overheating and burning the Gecko. I have my mat set at 30 degrees C, this seems to be common among Leopard Gecko keepers.

Substrate
I am going to go against the grain here and say that sand is fine, however this is on the proviso that you have rock areas as well as sand it not a natural substrate for the gecko it is like walking in snow for them, breaking it up with rocks is much more similar to their natural environment. I want to try using something even closer to their natural environment and mix sand and soil. Hatchlings should not be kept on sand as it can lead to impaction. Many keepers wont keep their animals around sand because of this but if your Gecko is old enough, can hunt without gulping down loads of sand it shouldn't be a problem. Also on the topic of impaction, it does not tend to effect healthy adults who have all their nutrition, calcium, and heating requirements met.

Lighting
Leopard geckos are nocturnal so they do not require a UV tube as diurnal reptiles do, You can use a red light at night to view them, and as they cannot see red light it will not disturb their activity, however please make sure your lighting is not increasing the temperature of the vivarium as it may make them uncomfortable.  


Thats all for today...... I will continue with diet, breeding and health problems soon