How to Care for a Leopard Gecko

You've bought all the necessary equipment for the Leopard Gecko you've just purchased. He's settling well into his home and with his new family. To keep your Leopard Gecko happy, it's important to learn how to care for him properly. The following tips and instructions will help you care for a Leopard Gecko.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Line the cage bottom with newspapers. It is a cost effective way to keep the cage bottom clean and it lets you easily see the soiling. Newspaper is also strong, so it's a snap to roll up the soiled ones and replace them. You can also use paper towels, but it could get expensive. Paper towels are also flimsier and harder to pick up for clean-up time.

2. Keep the hide box moist by misting it daily. The hide box should be six inches wide with a 1 1/2-inch hole in the lid for your Gecko to get in and out of. It should be filled with Vermiculite or moist peat moss which helps with the lizard's shedding.

3. Add a screen to the top of your Leopard Gecko cage. This step is especially important if you have other animals or small children in the house.

4. Maintain a day temperature of 82 to 88 degrees F during the day and a temperature as low as 64 degrees F during the night. Use a commercially made reptile heat lamp to maintain heat. You can even use a 40-watt bulb or hot rocks.

5. Give your Gecko four live items of food every day. Place them in a shallow plant dish or lid for a gallon-sized jar.

6. Place a vitamin-mineral powder in a jar lid into the cage. Make sure there's always some of this powder in the lid.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't add fine sand to your Leopard Gecko's cage if he's 5 inches or smaller. Small geckos can eat sand. Sand is also expensive and labor-intensive to replace once it gets soiled.
• Never put more than one male Leopard Gecko in a cage since the males will fight each other. A single male can be put with up to 10 females without a problem, assuming that the cage is large enough.