Post by Admin - Angi on Apr 13, 2007 15:36:10 GMT
As the title states this is just a basic guideline, it is strongly recommended that further reading is undertaken. Suggested reading and info is at the bottom of the post.
The Gecko spot website is an excellent source of information regarding Leopard geckos and has a fantastic in- depth care guide.
Leopard Gecko care guidelines
Eublepharis macularis
Natural habitat
These geckos originate from India, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan where the natural terrain is dry and rocky.
Being nocturnal, they sleep through the day usually in moist burrows or in rocky crevices, coming out at night to eat insects.
Appearance, Temperment and longevity
Leopard geckos generally reach 7 - 12 inches in length, the females are generally smaller ( 7-8”) whilst the males are usually larger ( 9-11”) – although variations do occur.
Average lifespan can be anything from 8 – 20 years, there are reports of them living for 25 years though.
This gecko belongs to a subfamily of geckos with eyelids ( many geckos don’t have true eyelids).
They are generally orange and white/pale grey, with black spots, but they do come in a large array of “designer” morphs now.
Being fairly docile and easy to care for makes these geckos one of the most popular reptiles kept in captivity.
Captive enviroment
Vivarium size and material
Leopard geckos are terrestrial and do not have the sticky pads on their feet which a lot of geckos do have. Therefore floor space is more important than height when choosing a vivarium. A vivarium of 30” x 18 inches by 12” high is generally a good size for housing a pair of leopard geckos. Glass or plastic vivariums are suitable providing they have good ventilation.
Substrates and cage décor
Many substrates including sand should be avoided as there is a high risk of ingestion and impaction. Suitable substrates include kitchen towel and newspaper.
Provide your gecko with hides for sleeping in through the day – make one a moist hide to aid shedding, by adding moist moss, coco fibre or peat,and spraying it daily to maintain the humidity.
Temperature.
A temperature gradient is essential as geckos are unable to regulate their own body temperature. The ambient temperature should be 80F – 82F with a hot spot of 90F. Care must be taken to position the heating device out of reach from your gecko, so that it cannot sustain burns. Use of a thermostat is strongly recommended to avoid over heating and to control the temperatures.
Lighting
It has been shown that in the wild, nocturnal geckos are capable of synthesizing their vitamin D3 more efficiently than other geckos which are active during the day. Nocturnal geckos can synthesize the required D3 by basking for a very short time at sunset/sunrise, when the sun is not so strong. I personally do advocate using uv lighting for Leopard geckos.
Use of uv lighting is highly debateable for geckos we urge you to read up on this subject and keep up to date.
Feeding and water
Leopard geckos eat a variety of food including mealworms, crickets, locusts, earthworms. These food items will require gut loading and dusting with supplements. Choose vegetables which are high in calcium for gutloading your insects, rather than lettuce which is low in nutrients.
Water can be provided in a shallow water bowl and a daily misting to aid with sloughing, but do not over do this as they do originate from dry climates.
Sloughing
A humid hide is suggested to aid your gecko with sloughing, this can easily be made out of an ice cream or margerine tub with a hole cut in it, filled with damp moss or even damp kitchen towel if moss is unavailable.
Written by Angi Nelson
Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of these care sheets, we acknowledge that differences of opinion do exist within the reptile world. Therefore we do encourage you do read around this topic further and discuss it with known keepers and breeders.
If you feel that we have made any errors, please feel free to contact any member of the team and we will endeavour to research the subject at hand further.
For further reading_
www.thegeckospot.co.uk
The Leopard Gecko Manual, P de Vosjoli, B Viets, R Tremper and R Klingenberg, Advanced Vivarium Systems 1998, Inc. (ISBN 1-882770-44-7)
Photograph by Angi Nelson
The Gecko spot website is an excellent source of information regarding Leopard geckos and has a fantastic in- depth care guide.
Leopard Gecko care guidelines
Eublepharis macularis
Natural habitat
These geckos originate from India, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan where the natural terrain is dry and rocky.
Being nocturnal, they sleep through the day usually in moist burrows or in rocky crevices, coming out at night to eat insects.
Appearance, Temperment and longevity
Leopard geckos generally reach 7 - 12 inches in length, the females are generally smaller ( 7-8”) whilst the males are usually larger ( 9-11”) – although variations do occur.
Average lifespan can be anything from 8 – 20 years, there are reports of them living for 25 years though.
This gecko belongs to a subfamily of geckos with eyelids ( many geckos don’t have true eyelids).
They are generally orange and white/pale grey, with black spots, but they do come in a large array of “designer” morphs now.
Being fairly docile and easy to care for makes these geckos one of the most popular reptiles kept in captivity.
Captive enviroment
Vivarium size and material
Leopard geckos are terrestrial and do not have the sticky pads on their feet which a lot of geckos do have. Therefore floor space is more important than height when choosing a vivarium. A vivarium of 30” x 18 inches by 12” high is generally a good size for housing a pair of leopard geckos. Glass or plastic vivariums are suitable providing they have good ventilation.
Substrates and cage décor
Many substrates including sand should be avoided as there is a high risk of ingestion and impaction. Suitable substrates include kitchen towel and newspaper.
Provide your gecko with hides for sleeping in through the day – make one a moist hide to aid shedding, by adding moist moss, coco fibre or peat,and spraying it daily to maintain the humidity.
Temperature.
A temperature gradient is essential as geckos are unable to regulate their own body temperature. The ambient temperature should be 80F – 82F with a hot spot of 90F. Care must be taken to position the heating device out of reach from your gecko, so that it cannot sustain burns. Use of a thermostat is strongly recommended to avoid over heating and to control the temperatures.
Lighting
It has been shown that in the wild, nocturnal geckos are capable of synthesizing their vitamin D3 more efficiently than other geckos which are active during the day. Nocturnal geckos can synthesize the required D3 by basking for a very short time at sunset/sunrise, when the sun is not so strong. I personally do advocate using uv lighting for Leopard geckos.
Use of uv lighting is highly debateable for geckos we urge you to read up on this subject and keep up to date.
Feeding and water
Leopard geckos eat a variety of food including mealworms, crickets, locusts, earthworms. These food items will require gut loading and dusting with supplements. Choose vegetables which are high in calcium for gutloading your insects, rather than lettuce which is low in nutrients.
Water can be provided in a shallow water bowl and a daily misting to aid with sloughing, but do not over do this as they do originate from dry climates.
Sloughing
A humid hide is suggested to aid your gecko with sloughing, this can easily be made out of an ice cream or margerine tub with a hole cut in it, filled with damp moss or even damp kitchen towel if moss is unavailable.
Written by Angi Nelson
Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of these care sheets, we acknowledge that differences of opinion do exist within the reptile world. Therefore we do encourage you do read around this topic further and discuss it with known keepers and breeders.
If you feel that we have made any errors, please feel free to contact any member of the team and we will endeavour to research the subject at hand further.
For further reading_
www.thegeckospot.co.uk
The Leopard Gecko Manual, P de Vosjoli, B Viets, R Tremper and R Klingenberg, Advanced Vivarium Systems 1998, Inc. (ISBN 1-882770-44-7)
Photograph by Angi Nelson