Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
In this article we will explain everything that is necessary to keep a Leopard Gecko in a terrarium.
It is one of the most common reptiles for beginners because its care is very simple . They are nocturnal animals (vertical pupil), so during the day they will remain hidden in the cave or camouflaged with the substrate and decoration, their activity is concentrated at night.
In the market we find a large number of geckos, the most common are the leopard gecko and the crested ones , but without a doubt the Leopard Gecko stands out, which we can find with a great variety of color phases . Thanks to being one of the most typical reptiles as pets, we find a large number of breeders, both private and professional.
They reach a size of 17-25cm , therefore, the necessary terrarium will have dimensions that are not too large.
What terrarium does my Gecko need?
To choose the appropriate size we will take into account:
- Number of copies
- Male/female ratio
Males are very territorial, so if we want to have a group, it will have to be made up of several females and a single male.
In general, it will be enough with the two small standard measures that we have, which are ready to send and that you receive it tomorrow. These measurements are 75x40x40 and 100x40x40. We have more sizes available, so if you don't like it, do not hesitate to contact us and we will help you select the size and answer any questions you may have about the necessary facilities.
If we plan to keep a reproductive group of, for example, 1 male with 2-4 females, we recommend a larger size such as 100x50x50 or 120x60x50, also standard.
SEE: TERRARIUMS
It must be taken into account that, even if we have a piece of furniture that leaves us with limited space, or that we want to place it in a specific place, what must prevail is what the animal needs, therefore the selection of one size of terrarium or another is only what the animal requires. Here we can make your terrarium both in standard sizes and on custom order.
The racks make it impossible to recreate the gecko's habitat, since they generally have very small dimensions and, above all, a very low height.
In a terrarium it is easier , due to its size and height, to recreate all the decoration of its habitat. We will have the possibility of creating a mound with the substrate to dig and make caves and galleries. The leopard gecko is a mainly terrestrial animal, ideally it should have a large surface area as it will always be on the ground, unlike the crested gecko, which needs height to climb branches and plants.
PVC terrariums have the advantage of being opaque, compared to glass ones, which are transparent and therefore cause the animal to be more stressed. The wooden ones, although they are also opaque, do not allow us to maintain the necessary humidity to house it. Some of the advantages of a pvc terrarium : resistance to water/humidity, super insulation, very light weight, easy cleaning...
What lighting does a Gecko need?
As it is a nocturnal animal, it will not be necessary to provide it with a source rich in UVB. Daytime animals, on the contrary, do need it, this is an important factor when choosing the reptile that we are going to buy, since the UVB lighting system usually entails a significant expense, with geckos we save it .
The fact that it is not active during the day does not mean that it is not necessary to provide it with a light source, on the contrary, it is vitally important to recreate the sun's cycle , which is why here we have led lighting and timers. This way you can automate your terrarium .
Remember that you can buy both the led and the timer on our website even if you already have your own terrarium, its installation is very simple.
The ideal would also be to reproduce the photoperiods of the seasons, that is, give them about 14h of light and 10h of night in summer and spring, approximately 12h and 12h in winter-autumn.
As they are nocturnal animals, to enjoy them, we must also install night lighting that does not bother the reptile, that imitates the moon so that it can hunt its prey and feed. For this I recommend the Exoterra Night Heat Lamp
What temperature does a Gecko need?
As in any reptile, it is necessary to provide it with a heat source, which provides it with the temperature it needs. As with light, we must recreate the cycle of the sun, that is, we will maintain high temperatures during the day of 28 to 32ºC in the hot spot and a lower temperature at night, approximately 20-23ºC , more evenly distributed.
We will achieve this with a heat bulb and a thermal blanket, they are the two most common sources, although we can also find caves or heating stones, these have a higher price.
To know the temperature of our terrarium we will need a thermometer like the one we include in our terrariums.
Geckos are ectothermic animals, cold-blooded, so it is necessary to provide them with a source of heat . The size of the terrarium must be large enough to be able to establish the hot spot at one end and the cold spot at the opposite, that is, have a thermal gradient that decreases towards the other end, so it can be thermoregulated as needed, since it will identify the cold and warm areas of the terrarium.
- The hot spot is the part of the terrarium where the heat bulb will be placed.
- The cold spot is the opposite extreme to the hot spot, this is achieved naturally with the size of the terrarium and ventilation.
Necessary heat sources:
- Soil: Being terrestrial reptiles and little climbers, they must be provided with heat at ground level. The underfloor heating should occupy approximately 1/3 of the base of the terrarium. That is achieved with thermal blankets. It is very important for leopard geckos as they require belly heat to properly digest food.
- Environmental: As the temperatures that we get with the blankets are low, enough for the floor or for the necessary temperature at night, for the day we will need to use a heat bulb. It will raise the temperature of the terrarium imitating the sun, it is recommended to use them with thermostats, in this way the required temperature is programmed and we forget about everything. We have one available that is in charge of completely automating the terrarium, you can see it in the section: ACCESSORIES.
What humidity does a Gecko need?
The humidity they need is around 30-40% , this is low humidity, so it will be relatively easy to achieve. We will need a well-ventilated terrarium, a substrate that retains little moisture and we will avoid things like placing the drinker under a heat source, which would increase the humidity.
However, during the molting season it is advisable to maintain some humidity inside the cave. We can do this using a suitable substrate to retain moisture, such as coconut fiber , or by spraying water. This type of substrate cannot be used in the entire terrarium, only in a small corner, cave or controlled area where the humidity is somewhat higher than the rest of the available space.
To know the humidity of our terrarium we will need a thermo-hygrometer like the one that we include in our terrariums.
Persistent high humidity will cause upper respiratory infection in leopard geckos.
What substrate does my Gecko need?
There are many different types of substrates on the market, but the most decorative and realistic is undoubtedly desert sand such as Excavator Substrate . In the following photo you can see an example of one of our clients, thanks to this substrate the gecko will be able to dig and create its own caves.
The substrate you use cannot be irritating or abrasive to the gecko's skin. A substrate that is easy to replace and clean and does not create dust should be used. Substrates to avoid are pine, gravel, sawdust, cedar, and hardwood chips.
As a curiosity, light substrates tend to favor a cleaner color in geckos, while dark ones tend to turn them more brown .
Geckos in the wild tend to live both on rocky and somewhat sandy soils (leopard geckos) and in trees (crested geckos). However, these types of sandy substrates are not the most recommended for a terrarium since our pet can ingest these materials and cause gastrointestinal blockages.
In the market you can also find carpets for reptiles , but you will have to renew it more frequently because they get dirty quickly and retain droppings and food leftovers. But a super practical option is the Sand mat , a blanket-like substrate, which creates a perfect imitation of compact desert sand.
Your gecko will always feel better in a natural environment , so natural substrates will always be the best option. These will allow you to add natural plants to the terrarium, with all the benefits they provide.
The third option to excavator sand and carpets are slate tiles or stones , they are completely safe and allow easy cleaning. Too often, people confuse leopard geckos with other sand lizards. Leopard geckos are arid creatures, they don't live in sand, they actually live in rock crevices and burrows. So with slate/ceramic tiles they would feel more natural than with the sand substrate.
What does a Leopard Gecko eat ?
MEAL
Leopard Geckos feed on insects , they are exclusively insectivorous. We don't have to go hunting flies at home, don't worry, in the market we can find a wide variety: crickets, cockroaches, grasshoppers, zophoba, tenebrio, dolas, silkworms, honey worms, fly larvae, etc... Yes We can give them alive much better, normally this is the usual way to buy them, both in pet stores and live food breeders, in small tupperware or tubs.
The variety in the diet will be important in the health of the animal
The ideal is to supply the insects in an anti-escape container ( Anti-Escape Feeder ) to prevent them from wandering around the terrarium stressing the gecko, in addition to preventing it from ingesting soil or other types of substrate when hunting food. We have this model that you can buy NOW:
As with most reptiles, it will be important to give them a calcium intake on a weekly basis, we can find specific powdered calcium for reptiles. To provide it, we will sprinkle the insects with calcium or we can also put a bottle cap with a little, they will lick it when they want or need it.
WATER
Geckos need constant water to be able to drink when necessary, for this it will be necessary to put a constant drinker in the terrarium. We must be careful to keep their water clean, they often dirty it with the substrate or fecal matter.
In our pvc terrariums we will not have a problem if the drinker overturns because our terrariums resist water without any problem, unlike the wooden ones.
We have a drinker/feeder , with security so that insects do not get out, it is available at a very competitive price and you can buy it for your terrarium right now, you can see it at the following link: ACCESSORIES
Decoration for Leopard Gecko
Cave: Necessary so that your animal can take refuge during the day to sleep and to reduce its stress. There are numerous models, the most practical are those that allow access without disassembling all the decoration, one that you can easily lift during the breeding season or shedding. We have a simple and cheap model that you can buy for your terrarium, however here is a series of very realistic caves:
- Rocks and logs: They help to make our gecko's habitat more realistic, which will make it better adapt to its new home and will facilitate more natural behaviors, which will be a good sign of the gecko's state of health.
- Branches and plants: Like rocks, trunks and caves will help make our gecko's habitat more realistic. The ideal would be to plant natural plants that can live in the temperature and humidity conditions of our gecko, but we can always opt for artificial ones. We have both branches/vines and strips of leaves, you can find them in our section: ACCESSORIES
