How to Care for an Albino Leopard Gecko
Albino leopard geckos have similar care needs to other types of leopard geckos, but they have red eyes, which are sensitive to light for the first few months after hatching, and no skin pigmentation. Albino leopard geckos do not require ultraviolet light because they are nocturnal creatures, and are active only at night. They need to differentiate day from night, and the natural light in your house is adequate for babies, or you can add subdued lighting to your vivarium once your albino leopard gecko's eyes are mature.
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Things You'll Need
- Wood or glass vivarium
- Substrate
- Heat mat
- Light unit and bulb
- Thermometer
- Wet hide box
- Dry hide box
- Branches
- Artificial plants
- Rocks
- Food dish
- Water dish
- Live food
- Multivitamin and calcium dusting powder
Instructions
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Prepare your vivarium before you purchase a leopard gecko. It is important to run the setup for a day or two to make sure temperature and humidity levels are stable before introducing your new pet to its habitat.
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Choose a glass or wooden vivarium with a screen top or good ventilation holes. In general, bigger is better for reptile habitats, but leopard geckos are the exception to the rule. They prefer compact homes with plenty of hiding places and dark corners, so providing a huge open vivarium will cause your pet more harm than good. Babies in particular need to feel safe in their habitat, and a 12-inch tall, 10-to-20-gallon tank or vivarium is ideal for one albino leopard gecko from hatchling stage to adulthood.
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Attach a heat mat to the base of the vivarium in one corner, following installation guidelines. Leopard geckos do not require light, but many owners like to view their pet through the day. Albino leopard geckos' eyes are sensitive to light for at least the first six months, so you may wish to wait until your pet reaches adulthood before adding a light source. Diffuse light through a screen top or create a low canopy of greenery, so your albino leopard gecko is not directly exposed to harsh light. Provide 12 hours of daylight and switch off all vivarium lighting at night.
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Cover the base of the vivarium with sand, reptile carpet, flat stone, slate or newspaper. Commercial reptile sand is available in a range of colors, but washed play sand is also suitable. Ensure play sand is completely dry before adding it to your setup to prevent mold growth. Avoid sand-based substrates for babies because they may accidentally ingest particles when feeding.
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Provide a small hide box filled with damp sphagnum moss. This helps your leopard gecko shed its skin efficiently, although some geckos enjoy sleeping in the wet hide area all the time. Use a commercial hide box or make your own from an upturned coconut shell, hollowed-out log or piece or cork bark. Add an additional, empty, dry hide if you wish, and position it near to the heat mat area.
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Create an attractive environment with artificial plants, rocks, branches and logs. Provide areas for your gecko to hide during the day, and interesting structures to explore during night time activity. Live plants are suitable for leopard gecko habitats, but they are more difficult to keep clean.
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Monitor temperature and humidity levels with a thermometer and hygrometer. Position both devices near the middle of the vivarium for average ambient readings. Around 73 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit is a comfortable ambient temperature, and the warmest part of the vivarium around the heat mat, should be between 84 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit. Leopard geckos are cold-blooded and require a heat gradient to thermoregulate their body temperature, so ensure there are warm and cool spots in your vivarium.
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Feed your albino leopard gecko a varied diet of live food, and dust insects with a multivitamin and calcium powder. Crickets and mealworms are suitable everyday food items, and locusts and wax worms make tasty weekly treats. Provide clean water at all times and replace it every day. Use heavy food and water dishes with smooth internal sides to prevent mealworms escaping, or a special mealworm dish. Albino leopard geckos hunt at night, so place food in the vivarium during the evening.
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Spot-clean your vivarium every day to prevent bacterial buildup. Leopard geckos tend to choose their own toilet area and go in the same place repeatedly, making cleaning a simple job. Deep-clean the whole vivarium, including decorations, with reptile disinfectant once a month.
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Allow a new pet to settle in for a couple of weeks before starting a handling routine, and keep sessions to around 10 minutes at first. Handle your albino leopard gecko regularly, and it will quickly become hand-tame. Remember to shield an albino's eyes from bright lights when outside the vivarium until it reaches adulthood.
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