Leopard Gecko Care Sheet

Common Name: Leopard Gecko

Scientific Name: Eublepharis macularius

Difficulty: Beginner

Notes: Next to the bearded dragon and the crested gecko, the leopard gecko is one of the most popular pet reptiles in the hobby, and for good reason. They are endemic to the arid, mountainous deserts of the middle east from Pakistan and India to Afghanistan and Iran. The leopard gecko is moderate in size, relatively simple to feed, and comes in a variety of exciting colors and patterns. For those new to the hobby, these lizards are a great first step.

Handleability: Moderately easy to handle. They can be very squirmy as juveniles, and are prone to walking off of ledges or hands as both juveniles and adults. Along with this, they will sometimes jump. The tail can drop off, but will grow back.

Length at full size: Around 7-8 inches for females, and 8-11 inches for males at 18-24 months.

Recommended Tank Size:

Most animals will be satisfied in a 20 gallon enclosure measuring approximately 24” x 18” x 12”, but larger enclosures for adults will always be appreciated.

The essential components of a leopard gecko’s enclosure setup will include a water dish, a food serving bowl/dish, a basking site, and two areas on either end of the tank for the animal to hide and sleep. These animals are not great at climbing, but will appreciate small assemblages of flat rocks and a low branch or two. Substrate with a lot of gravel and small rocks is best, but you can go with something as simple as a layer of paper towel or newsprint.

Sleep Pattern: Nocturnal. These animals will be active mostly at night, along with during dawn and dusk.

Temperature Range:

Basking Spot: 90-95°F (32-35°C)

Warm End: 80-85°F (26-29°C)

Cool End: 75-80°F (23-26°C)

The heat gradient is best provided by an under-tank heat mat, heat cable, or heat tape attached to a temperature-controlling thermostat. Make sure that your enclosure is designed to be able to withstand basking temperature without damage. An overhead basking bulb can be used as an alternative, but only as long as the bulb’s heat can penetrate to the basking site and provide enough warmth without overheating the enclosure.

Lighting: Light is not necessary for leopard geckos, but adding visual light into the enclosure can help with their circadian rhythm.

Place your lights on timers to ensure a 10-12 hour photoperiod.

Humidity Range: 30-40%. Keep humidity down by using a substrate that does not retain moisture.

Diet: Leopard geckos are completely insectivorous. Dusted insects (live crickets, silkworms, black soldier fly larvae) can be fed every day to every other day for juveniles, and twice to three times a week for adults. Dust with calcium that includes vitamin D3 due to their nocturnal nature. Dust insects with a multivitamin instead of calcium once a week. Crickets are a solid staple of the diet, as well as silkworms, superworms, and discoid roaches. Good insect treats are hornworms, waxworms, and butterworms, as they all have high fat and water content.

Water: While leopard geckos get most of their water from food, offer water in a bowl on the cool end of the enclosure. Water should be free of chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals. Use a water conditioner such as ReptiSafe, SeaChem Prime, or an equivalent brand. You can alternatively procure your water through filtration systems designed for drinking water. Distilled and reverse osmosis water are sufficient to use as well, as long as a multivitamin is used in your feeding regimen.

Here's the selection of Leopard Geckos we have on our site.