Leopard Gecko Overview

Scientific Name: Eublepharis macularius

Leopard geckos are small, terrestrial lizards native to the dry and semi-arid regions of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and surrounding areas. They are primarily ground-dwelling and are most active during the evening and nighttime hours.

Leopard geckos are a crepescular species meaning they are more active during dawn and dusk hours.

Leopard geckos are known for their calm personalities, distinctive spotted patterns, and ability to store fat in their tails. They are generally hardy when provided with proper care, making them a popular species for both beginner and experienced reptile keepers. However, please note, all animals have different personalities.

Health & Wellness

Keeping a close eye on your leopard gecko is one of the best ways to catch potential health concerns early. Regularly monitor their weight, appetite, activity level, appearance, shedding, and droppings.

Signs of a Healthy Leopard Gecko

A healthy leopard gecko should generally have:

• Clear, bright eyes

• A full, healthy-looking tail

• Good muscle tone and body condition

• Normal movement and activity

• A healthy appetite

• Regular, normal droppings

• Clean skin with complete sheds

• Strong grip and the ability to move normally

Signs to Watch For

Keep an eye out for changes such as:

• Sudden or continued weight loss

• Significant loss of appetite

• Unusual lethargy or weakness

• Difficulty walking or climbing

• Tremors or abnormal movements

• Swelling or unusual lumps

• Discharge from the eyes, nose, or mouth

• Difficulty shedding or retained shed around the toes, eyes, or other areas

• Abnormal or prolonged changes in droppings

• Changes in behavior that are unusual for your individual gecko

If you notice persistent or concerning symptoms, consult a qualified reptile veterinarian. Early evaluation can help identify and address health problems before they become more serious.

Regular weight checks are also a great way to monitor your gecko's overall health and identify changes that may not be immediately visible.

MORPHS TO WATCH FOR

Absolutely do not buy

• Lemon frost - This morph causes internal and external cancerous tumors. It cannot be bred out despite what some people say. It is TIED to the morph.

• Enigma - Neurological issues TIED to the morph.

Be cautious on:

• W&Y: Low quality white and yellows can have neurological issues. But for the most part today it's not super common.

• Super snows: Structural issues (lanky, small nostrils, facial deformities) and shedding issues can happen with this morph

• Black nights: Structural issues can happen with this morph (Due to inbreeding) 

Lighting & Temperature

Lighting can get difficult, so bear with me. Most reptiles are on a 12/12 schedule, which means 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of nighttime.

What is UVB and why is a necessity for most species of reptiles?]

UVB triggers a natural response within reptiles to synthesize D3, which also helps absorb calcium, having a good balance of D3 prevents against MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) which is incredibly painful and lethal.

The ideal UVI range for a leopard gecko is 0.5 and 1.5, with the max being 2.0. A basking spot should be about 1.0 UVI. The most popular brands are Zoomed, reptile systems, exo terra, and arcadia. Before you buy UVB consider your enclsoures mesh top and how much uvb will be blocked, this can range between 15%-70%

Most commonly used are 

• Arcadia shadedweller 7%

• Reptisun zoomed t5 

Basking & Heating

Basking bulbs are great for providing IR-A to lizards, helping mimic the sun and providing great vitamins. Hooking a basking bulb to a thermostat is a great idea, but you don't want it constantly dim, any dimming can cause the provided nutrients to simply not exist.

Halogen OR incandescent bulbs are the primary heat source, start with a 75w and if the enclosures temperatures are not sufficient increase accordingly.

Temperature

Temperatures should stay approximately:

• Cool side: 70–77°F

• Hot side: 86–92°F

• Basking spot: 94–100°F

WHAT TO AVOID

Avoid:

• Any bulb that states it has added UVB or other unnecessary features

• Red light — red light is incredibly harmful to reptiles

• Reptile heat mats without a thermostat

• Heat rocks (electrical rocks from Petco)

These heating elements can burn your gecko, and these burns are extremely painful.

Bioactive Enclosures

If you are attempting a bioactive enclosure, you will also need UVB grow lights. You can find inexpensive options online, including on Amazon.

Temperature guages

Please avoid using dial temperature guages as they are unreliable, instead stick to using digital thermometers/hdryometers.

AVOID HEAT MATS AND HEAT ROCKS, THESE ARE DANGEROUS AND WILL BURN YOUR LEO

Humidity

Providing a humid hide in the enclosure is necessary, as it gives them a humid area to use when needed and helps with shedding.

I place mine in the center of the enclosure, which creates a humid section within the enclosure. I lightly mist the enclosure every morning and saturate the humid hide a little more.

A leopard gecko’s ambient enclosure humidity should be approximately 30–55%, with the humid hide maintaining a higher humidity of around 60% as an available choice for the gecko.

Feeding

Water

A water bowl is absolutely necessary for the wellbeing of your reptile, while you may not observe them use the water dish they are drinking.

BUGS

Bugs should be no larger than the space between the gecko's eyes.

Good staple feeder insects include:

• Crickets

• Dubia roaches

• meal worms (all stages of life)

• silkworms

• bsfl (all stages of life)

• discoid roaches

• hornworms

CALCIUM

All bugs should be coated with a calcium supplement WITHOUT D3 before being offered.

Provide your gecko with a calcium dish. This should be a small, shallow dish containing calcium that your gecko can choose to eat when needed.

Why do you need calcium? Caclium is a supplement that can help prevent MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) which is not only painful but fatal. Not only is it great for the bone structure but for female reptiles it takes a lot of calcium to create eggs, which means they can run dangerously low on calcium if you dont supplement calcium.

Calcium with d3 can be offered once a month as a great supplement HOWEVER if you use rephashy cal plus it already has the added D3

When providing your reptile with UVB you should use calcium without D3 to prevent an overabundance, too much can cause D3 poisoning.

VITAMINS

Vitamins can be offered every 4th feedings 

The best vitamins being for their vitamin A content.

• repashy cal + 

• zomed reptivite (offer d3 once a month with this option)

What is a hunger strike?

Hunger strikes are when a reptile chooses to not eat, this could be due to stress, a new environment, dislike of food, etc. Do not panic if this is you, give your reptile time to acclimate to its enclosure if it is a new habitat or new pet, if this is a new behavior consider changing to a new feeder!

FEEDING FREQUENCY

0-6 months - everyday, once a day , however many they want within a 15 minute time frame

6-12 months - every other day, once a day, within a 15 min time frame

12+ months - 1-2 times a week OR every 3 day depending on metabolism. Most adults do 1-2 times a week. With adults, they are not growing, so you do not just offer endless bugs. On average over the years i have seen around 5-8 be the sweet spot. some may want a little less, some may want a little more. but they don't get buffet style like babies do as it just turns to fat

Building Trust

When bringing your new gecko home, give it time to become comfortable with its new surroundings. Do not immediately try to grab or handle it. Start by simply placing your hand inside the enclosure for a few minutes at a time. 

Continue this process consistently over the course of 1–2 weeks, allowing your gecko to gradually become familiar with your presence and scent. Some geckos may become comfortable sooner, while others may need more time.

Beginning Handling

Once your gecko seems comfortable with your hand being in the enclosure, you can begin gently attempting to pick it up OR for choice based handling let it choose to climb onto your hand

•  Move slowly and calmly.

•  Approach from the side or underneath rather than reaching quickly from above.

•  If your gecko runs away, do not chase it or attempt to grab it. Let it move away and try again another time.

•  Never pull or grab a gecko by its tail.

• Allow the gecko to walk onto your hand whenever possible.

• Keep initial handling sessions short and gradually increase the time as your gecko becomes more comfortable.

It is completely normal for a new leo to be nervous, jumpy, or avoid your hand at first. The goal is to build trust rather than force interaction. 

During Handling

If your gecko becomes extremely stressed, repeatedly tries to flee, or shows signs that it wants to be left alone, return it to its enclosure and try again later.

Every gecko has its own personality. Some will become very comfortable with handling, while others may prefer shorter and less frequent interactions. Respecting their comfort level is an important part of responsible care. Some may never want to be held and you should prepare yourself for that.

BIOACTIVE ENCLOSURE SETUP

A bioactive enclosure is very similar to a standard non-bioactive enclosure. The main differences are the addition of a drainage layer, live plants, and a clean-up crew.

SUBSTRATE

The substrate setup is very similar to a non bioactive enclosure.

1. Drainage Layer

Add a 1–2 inch layer of clay balls to the bottom of the enclosure.

2. Mesh Barrier

Add a piece of mesh over the clay balls. This will separate the soil from the drainage layer and prevent the two from mixing.

3. Soil

Add a ReptiSoil and sand mix of either 50/50 or 70/30, adding patches of sheet moss or spagnum moss is also great for humidity holding and a place for the clean up crew to sit

PLANTS

We recommend purchasing plants from your local nursery. Local nurseries can often provide a larger selection of plants for less money.

Before adding nursery plants to your enclosure, they should be properly sanitized.

Important: Moving plants from one environment to another can cause plant shock. Plants may lose leaves, wilt, or even die after being moved into an enclosure. This is normal and should not discourage you. Give the plants time to adjust to their new environment.

Preparing Plants for the Enclosure

1. Remove Excess Soil

When you get home, shake the excess soil from the potted plant into the yard. Once you have removed as much of the original soil as possible, set the plants aside and prepare a bucket or container.

2. Prepare the Solution

Fill a 5-gallon bucket or container with water. Add a small amount of bleach to create a very diluted solution.

3. Soak the Plants

Place the plants into the solution and allow them to sit for 15–30 minutes.

Once the time is complete, thoroughly rinse the plants with cold water.

4. Plant the Plants

You can either:

• Plant them directly into the enclosure soil, or

• Place them into pots and cover the pots with enclosure soil.

5. Provide Proper Lighting

Make sure you have appropriate grow lights ready before adding live plants. Plants require adequate light to receive the nutrients they need to grow and remain healthy.

CLEAN-UP CREW

A clean-up crew is a group of beneficial organisms that helps break down mold, waste, and decaying organic matter within the enclosure.

1. Choose Your Clean-Up Crew

Find a reputable breeder and purchase:

• Dairy Cow Isopods or Powdered Isopods

• Springtails

Both are beneficial because they perform different jobs within the enclosure.

Springtails help manage things that may not be easily visible, including mold and decaying plant matter.

Isopods help break down decaying organic matter and waste.

2. Add Leaf Litter

Add leaf litter around the plants and throughout the enclosure. This provides the clean-up crew with food and places to hide.

You can also add pieces of moss to provide additional hiding areas and help create areas of higher humidity. I personally use sheet moss.

3. Add the Clean-Up Crew

Once the enclosure is prepared, add the springtails and isopods.

They do not need to be fed immediately. They can begin by feeding on the leaf litter and establishing themselves within the enclosure.

THAT'S IT

A bioactive enclosure is not significantly different from a standard enclosure.

Lighting and temperatures remain the same.

The primary differences are:

• Adding a drainage layer

• Adding live plants

• Adding a clean-up crew

• Properly sanitizing plants before introducing them

Remember: Some plants may lose leaves, wilt, or die after being moved into the enclosure due to plant shock. This is normal. Give your plants time to adjust, provide them with proper lighting, and do not give up on them.