Things You'll Need:
- A secure cage.
- A safe substrate.
- A heat source.
- A water source.
- A moist hide box
- A food dish.
- Vitamins/Supplements
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Step 1
This is how I professionally setup my leopard gecko collection.Select a proper sized home for your leopard gecko. A single 10g aquarium will be adequate, but a 20g long would work even better. You want to have at least 100 square inches of floor space. Make sure to have a nice tight top screen. This helps more to keep other animals from getting into your geckos home as opposed to keeping your gecko in. Leopard geckos cannot climb glass like some other species of geckos can.
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Step 2
Zoo Med heating pad available at any pet store.Once you have your cage picked out, the next decision is for heat control. Leopard geckos do not have to have an extremely warm cage to do well, but they will need access to a nice warm spot on one end of the cage. I like to set my temps at 90 degrees on the warm end, and let the cooler end of the cage drop into the 80s. An easy way to accomplish this is to purchase a zoo med under tank heater. It easily sticks to the glass on one side of your tank. I would also suggest plugging it into a temperature control device to keep the temps steady.
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Step 3
The next step is purchasing a safe substrate for the gecko to live in. I highly suggest newspaper or paper towels. It's free, safe, and can be removed in its entirety for cleaning. Lizard carpet also works, as well as tiles or slabs of stone.
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Step 4
Make sure to keep the lids on inside the humidity box.Next you will want three main items at least inside your new geckos home. First, a humid hide box located on the warm end of the cage. I simply use a rubbermaid container with a small hole cut into the side large enough for the gecko to fit through. Fill the container with sphagnum moss and mist every few days. This is critical for them to shed properly.
The next item is a small round shallow food dish for your geckos meal. I suggest feeding your gecko mealworms. Crickets can work but are a pain and can cause stress and injury to your gecko. Mealworms are safe and easy to feed. Fill the bowl with a shallow amount of calcium such as Rep Cal and let your mealies live in the bowl. When the gecko comes to eat it's dinner, it will ingest lots of calcium along with the mealies and that adds tremendous value to your geckos health. Make sure to also provide a small water dish that cannot be turned over easy.
