Leopard Gecko Care

About
Eublepharis macularius the Leopard Gecko, comes from Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
They are nocturnal, desert geckos preferring rocky outcroppings which they retreat to during the day.
Adult Leopard Geckos, can grow to a length of 10".
Properly cared for Leopard Geckos can live 15+ years in captivity. Some being on record over 20 years old.
They have eyelids which is uncommon in geckos.

Leopard Geckos make great pets. They are one of the easiest lizards to care for. They are a little excitable when young, but when they are older, very tame to being handled. Like other lizards if you are too rough, the Leopard Gecko can drop it's tail as a defense reaction. Regenerated tails are not as nice as the original tail.

Housing
A ten gallon tank can house one gecko, but a 20 gallon long, or larger is best. I have 1 male with 4 females in a 40 gallon breeder critter cage.
Leopard Geckos should be given several hiding places to retreat during the day. Some manufactures have some very nice, realistic rock caves that I use myself.
A moist hide is required to help the Leopard Gecko shed it's old skin as it grows. The coloration of the skin looks dull when it's about to shed. The moist hide is made by keeping a damp paper towel under one of the hides at all times. Failure to do this can cause the old skin to not come off when it sheds. This is a real problem with the Leopard Geckos toes. The old skin will restrict the blood flow causing the toe to die and fall off.

Heating / Substrate
I use an under the tank heater to heat the tank. Place the heater at 1 end of the tank so that a temperature gradient occurs. The Leopard Gecko will regulate their body temperature by moving from the hot to the cool side of the tank as they need. A desirable temperature for the hot spot should be 87-89°F. I use a rheostat to keep the temperature in the optimal range. Without the rheostat the hot spot was much hotter and could possibly burn the gecko if too hot.
Proper temperature is required for the gecko to digest their food, grow, and stay healthy.

I used sand as the substrate the first time I kept Leopard Geckos and had no problems with it. This time I'm using tile on top of sand because of the possibility of sand impaction if the Leopard Geckos ingest the sand. This can lead to health problems and even death. The sand under the tile helps to radiate the heat, since the tiles underside is not uniform and would not heat properly without the sand.
I purchased the tile at Lowe's. It was under $2.00 for a 12" X 12" piece. I figured the inside dimensions that I needed and had the tile cut for an additional fee at the store for a perfect fit.

Lighting
I use a UV fluorescent light for the day lighting. You may ask why I use a UV light for a lizard that will be in it's hide during the day. Simple answer; What's it going to hurt? Actually I just started to use a UV light because occasionally I've seen some of my Leopard Geckos sleeping on the hot spot during the day, which is out in the open. This way they get the bonus of the light having the UV rays.
I have the lights on a timer for 12 hours a day during spring thru fall. In the winter I gradually set the lights back to 8 hours. This is to simulate the seasons. The Leopard Geckos, during the winter eat less and are less active. As I gradually increase the time the lights are on to simulate the approach of spring, the lizards become more active, eat more, and start to breed. At night I use "moon glow" lights.

Food and Water
Feeding and drinking water for Leopard Geckos is very simple also. Leopard Geckos eat small insects such as mealworms, crickets, super worms, and as treats waxworms. Waxworms are very fatty and should not be fed to often. I gut load the food I feed to my geckos by giving the mealworms and crickets vegetables and high protein cat food before feeding to my geckos. I also use supplemental vitamin and calcium powder on the insects I feed my geckos.
Unlike some lizards, Leopard Geckos will drink water straight from a bowl.
The last bowl I have in the tank was a small bowl of powdered calcium. I have seen my geckos eat this powder from the bowls, especially the females during the breeding season because of the egg production.

Breeding
I found breeding Leopard Geckos was easy to do. Of course you need a male and a female.

The male has pre-anal pores just above the vent (above picture). The female lacks these pores, but may show indentations.
Leopard Geckos will usually start to breed by the age of 16-24 months. Females lay multiple clutches of 2 eggs during the breeding season.
I feed my female Leopard Geckos pinkies just before the breeding season to get them in top condition for breeding.
I keep a nesting box with a hole cut in the top for the female to lay her eggs in. It consists of moss and vermiculite, kept moist. The female will lay her eggs in the nesting box. I remove the eggs and place them into a home made incubator.

Incubating Eggs

To construct a simple DIY incubator you will need a 10 gallon fish tank with top, a submersible aquarium heater, 2 bricks, under gravel filter plate or similar, a plastic container with lid, vermiculite or perlite, thermometer, and cork as insulation.
Place the bricks flat in the tank. Place the submersible aquarium heater into the tank. Fill the water to the top of the bricks, make sure the heater is totally covered by the water. If not the heater can burn up. You will have to add water several times during the season to ensure the heater stays underwater.
Turn on the submersible aquarium heater to obtain a temperature between 77-79°F. At this temperature you will produce females. If temperatures are around 85°F you will get some males. At 90°F you will produce males. When males mature they will fight with each other.
Place about 1" of vermiculite or perlite inside the plastic container and make it moist. If it is to wet the eggs will get fungus. Bury the eggs halfway into the vermiculite or perlite. Place the lid on the container and set the container on the filter plate inside the tank.
Use the cork to insulate the tank. Check the eggs every few days to see if you need to mist the vermiculite or perlite with a spray bottle and that the water in the tank is not evaporating leaving your heater above the water. The eggs hatch between 6 and 10 weeks.

The rewards; seeing the eggs hatch and getting some neat looking Leopard Geckos.

The bad; Trying to figure out where to place all the babies you want to keep and feeding all the hungry mouths. LOL

Health & Quarantine
Regardless of where you purchase a Leopard Gecko, or any lizard, it is critical to keep it quarantined from any other lizards you may have. Recommended time is 90 days to see if any health issues arise with the new lizard.

The most common problem with Leopard Gecko sold in chain pet stores is a parasite called Cryptosporidium, or Crypto for short. This parasite causes Leopard Geckos to become very skinny and lethargic. It is almost 100% fatal in Leopard Geckos. It is very easily passed between lizards and is difficult to remove from a tank.
Crypto oocysts can remain viable up to 18 months. It is best to tear down a tank that has had an infected lizard and wash everything good with a 10% bleach wash.
Further reading: Click Here

Another problem that can occur is Metabolic bone disease, MBD. This usually happens when lizards do not get enough calcium / phosphorous ratios in there diet. They start to use the calcium from there bones to make up for the short coming of calcium. This can cause the following; swollen joints, bowed legs, soft jaws. Make sure that you offer calcium powder in a dish and to dust food with calcium / vitamins from time to time when feeding.

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