Leopard Gecko Care Help

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BeardeddragonDino

Hatchling Member
I’m going to be getting a leopard gecko in January and just have some questions and want to make sure I have everything I need. Here is a list of everything I have for it and some questions:
18x18x12 exo Terra tank

Reptile carpet

Water bowl- reptisafe

Bowl for calcium- should I always have a bowl with calcium in it available?

LED light made by exo terra that has both white light and blue light for night- was wondering if I should keep the light on as I know they don’t need lots of light, but it will be in a corner of my room so I want to make sure it has some. And will it need the blue light at night?

Thermometer/hygrometer

Under the tank heat mat as the heat source- I also have a temp controlled for this so the gecko does not get burned

3 hides- including a humid hide

Am going to feed it Dubias and possibly mealworms also. I was wondering how often and how much I would have to feed it?

I think that this is everything. I may have left out some but I also have stuff that I use for my bearded dragon like vitamins etc. Also, if you have any other care tips or advice on what you do every day for your let, feel free to share. :)
 

KeyBlu422

Juvie Member
While I myself don't own a leopard gecko, I am getting one soon myself. I've poured countless hours into research to gather the most accurate info I can find. I also own an almost 6 yr old beardy.

Expo terra lighting : can be used but not for extended periods of time as, like you stated, geckos don't like bright light. However, If your rooms constantly dark, providing light for 10-14 hours may help with mimicking its natural environment(sun is out for multiple hours of the day) and assisting it in determining when its night or day.

Calcium in tank : Assuming you're giving the leopard gecko a multivitamin and calcium with d3, you can provide calcium without d3 in his cage. It's not an absolute must but... it will help if you are accidently giving it less than sufficient amounts of calcium. Again, some controversy surrounds it. I've heard some people giving calcium with d3 and putting it in the calcium bowl in the tank with no bad effects but the channel Leopard Gecko and other sources recommend calcium in the bowl only without d3 as to prevent possible d3 overdose.

Water safety : reptisafe is nice for swiftly eradicating chlorine and other chemicals within the water but you can also leave a bottle/jug of water without the cap on for 24 hours in the Sun to get rid of chlorine and other chemicals(source : Goherping).

Hygrometer : minimally required as the only humid area should be the moist hide but if you already have it, kudos to you for ensuring proper humidity in the tank.

Feeding schedule : schedules vary with sources but personally, Id follow Leopard Geckos schedule or geckocare.net's feeding schedule. 0-6 months :daily to every 2 days, 6-12 months : feed every 2-3 days, 12 months plus : every 3-4 days if I remember correctly. I don't remember the calcium/multivitamin supplement schedule but you can check out Leopard Gecko's newer calcium/ vitamin and feeding schedule videos. Also, I'm sure that one could possibly get away with more frequent feedings for the age groups as long as the gecko is getting sufficient exercise and the leopard gecko's tail's width doesn't exceed/majorly exceed the width of he/she's head. According to leopard gecko wiki page, superworms can also be a staple(id personally go with superworms as their fat percentage isn't significantly higher). Reptiworms and Phoenix worms can be had as staples but not calci worms as the calcium content is to high in them due to a differrnt diet than Phoenix and repti worms.Lastly, some owners follow the "how many you can eat in 10/15 minutes" rule while others give a certain amount of feeder insects per inch of the leopard gecko's body.

Heat mat : while some disagree, many leopard gecko owners leave the mats on 24/7

UVB : while not an absolute requirement, some owners, including Leopard Gecko on YT, provide daily uvb lighting for a short time period each day.

Water bowl : while leopard geckos usually receive nearly enough/enough water through their feeder insects, as long as the water bowl doesn't raise the humidity too much, it's a nice addition and can help hydrate a dehydrated gecko.


Hope this info helped. ?
 

lizardmom25

Hatchling Member
We have 2 leopard geckos we have raised from babies. I have one in a 20 gallon long and one in a 24x18x12 exoterra. Personally, I wouldn’t have an adult in anything smaller. It sounds like you have all the basics covered. Your heat mat will need to run 90-92 measured on the ground under the warm hide via thermostat, air temp on the warm side close to 80, no hotter cool side no lower than about 68. I havw to use a CHE to get my warm side warm enough. I have it on a dimmer. We feed every day until they are adults. I dust every feed with Repashy Calcium plus, which is a combo calcium and multivitamin. We feed a mix of mealworms and crickets, as many as they will take. They don’t eat like bearded dragons. They will let you know when they are done, often by turning away or walking off.
 
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