Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis Macularis) - Care Guide

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Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis Macularis) Care Guide
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Housing
A large range of housing is available in many pets shops and online. Alternatively, you could even make your own (providing you know how to).Wooden vivariums are a good cage for adult geckos being very securely built and with only the front viewable it has a calming effect on nervous/new lizards as it gives them a sense of security. Plastic housing such as geo-flats,large plastic boxes and really useful boxes are also used with high success. Glass tanks used in fish keeping are very ill fitting with regards to lids and don't really allow much air circulation but there are people who keep these with high success too.

A good sized vivarium for a leopard gecko of up to a pair would be approx 2ft x 1ft. Floor space is more important than height as leopard geckos do not climb like other gecko species.

Substraight
It is really up to personal preference what substrate to use, but substrates such as newspaper & kitchen towel are thought to be the best. Personally i use kitchn roll for my leopard geckos. Although some people use natureal sand, play sand, calci sand and wood chips, i would not recomend this as there is a posability of impatation (this is when the gecko eats the substraight and it cause a blockage in their stomach/intestines as it is not digestable). Never use a pertical supstraight with a gecko that is under 12 months of age.

Colonies
Although in the wild they would live in large colonies, it is highly recommended that if you do decided to keep a colony, then no more than five females and one male within each colony. (many people do recommend keeping them separate). Personally i recomend keeping males seperate. Males should never be put in the same housing as they are territorial and will fight, resulting in injuries, tail loss and even death! In my experience, females will happily live together, and even enjoy each others company, however, only similar sized geckos should be housed together to avoid bullying. A close eye should always be kept to make sure no bullying is going on and they all have their share of the food (some people put them in a separate tub/box just for feeding although this would only be necessary for feeding crickets, locusts ect). I find it best to make sure there are more than one dish for food, so they can all get at the food at the same time should they wish).

Hides
Make sure there are enough hides to cater for all the leo's, so that's one hide per leo at the warm end, and one hide per leo at the cool end. It would also be a good idea to provide enough moist hides as well (to aid shedding). Even if your leos do as mine and all sleep in the same hides together, they still need the option of their own hide should they wish some alone time.

Heating
Heating the cage is best by heat mat as they absorb heat through their stomachs but it must be controlled by a habistat that is designed to control such equipment. Bulbs can also be used if you have sand and want to try the 'natural' way of heating the sand during the day as would happen in the wild, however they to will need a thermostat (with a dimmer) and if using bulbs a guard must be fitted, both of which will stop your lizard sustaining injuries or overheating which both are extremely fatal. With housing where the heat mat would need to be placed underneath the cage, i.e. glass and plastic tanks, make sure there is an air gap to allow efficient heating and to avoid melting the plastic or cracking the glass.

If housing in a wooden vivarium, then the heat mat will need to be placed inside, however, it is important that your leo can not come in direct contact with the mat as they may sustain burns. Also, heat mats are not waterproof. This means that if they are not covered properly, then there is a risk of you or you leo getting an electric shock caused by either moisture or if they urinate on it. I find it is best to get some ceramic tiles or i use laminate flooring (from your local DIY store), place these on top of the mat so all of it is covered, then seal all the edges with aquarium sealant. This is very cheap to do and makes it safer for you and your gecko.

UV light is not required as these are nocturnal animals so it would be a waste of money and electric. It has also been said by some that UV can cause harm to thier eyes, which is something else to think about.

Temperatures need to be 84'F - 88'F during the day, with a drop to 74'F - 78'F at night and room humidity is fine as well as the water bowl being put nearer the hot end of your cage. They do not require much humidity inside the viv as they come from an arid, desert country.

Interior
The interior of the cage is up to personal preference with regards to decoration but cork bark and bits of wood make good hiding places for Leo's, but make sure all are free from sharp edges which could injure the lizard and stable enough to hold the geckos weight comfortably. A good sized shallow bowl for drinking is needed as well as a box with damp kitchen towelling or moss to be used a moist hide to help aid shedding.

Always Keep a small dish of calcium in their viv at all times (especially if you are using particle substrate) so the gecko can lick it as and when he/she feels the need. (this will also reduce the chance of them eating and sand if you are using natural or play sand)

Foods and feeding
Leopard geckoes are insectivores, they eat crickets,locusts,mealworms and the occasional wax worm/silkworm or all of which must be gut loaded with supplements available today such as nutrabol. Some do take soft fruits mashed up or fruit baby food, which mixed into a paste with some calcium, can be used to get reluctant feeders/ill geckoes to feed and get important nutrients to help it get back to full health. Its always best to offer a varied diet to keep their interest up.
The gecko's either like to hunt the insects or take it from your hand, which is a good way to get your gecko to trust you even if its to take the food, although they are attracted by the movement, so many will not be attracted to food that does not move.

Feeding is daily for younger geckoes/hatchlings and every 2 days in adults, its better to go for a time limit more than amount of insects to feed, a good guide would be amount eaten in 15 minutes. I also find it best to keep a bowl of mealworms in there at all times (so they have something to snack on should they wish. Waxworms should be fed as a treat only, as they are very fattening and highly addictive. If you gecko becomes addicted then they will refuse to eat anything else.

A good way to tell how big the food should be is to look at the leos head, the space between the eyes and the nostrils, that's roughly how big their food should be, it mustn't be any bigger than their mouths (or they could choke trying to eat it).

Handling your gecko
These are a quite handle able geckos but as new acquired babies can be very fast and skitterish. With time and regular interaction they'll calm down and be confident for you to handle occasionally.

The best way to handle a gecko is having a firm but not constricting hold of your gecko and gently let it walk from hand to hand and make sure there’s no open doors or things that can cause the gecko to have a sudden fright as their main defence is to drop their tail or to run off. This will also happen if you grab them but their tails, so never pick them up by their tails!
Once the original tail is lost, it will re grow, however the regenerated tail never looks the same as the original.

Sexing your gecko
It is important to every animal species that you don't have more than one male else fighting will ensue.
The best way to sex a gecko is to check for the v shaped pours near the tail on the underside. in the male, these are very prominent, where as on the female, they cannot be seen. Some people recommend you look for two bulges near the tail, however, this is not always a good way to tell as females have slight bulges as well. I have noticed too that a good way to tell with older males is that their tails tend to be almsot waxy feeling on the underneith.
For pictures displaying the differences, why not have a look at:-
www.thegeckospot.com/leobreeding.html#sexing

Shedding
Like a lot of reptiles, Leopard Gecko's shed their skin. When their old skin is ready to be removed, they remove it and eat it. It is believed that there are a couple of reasons for this. One is because of nutrients that are in the old skin, and the other is because it prevents predators finding it and picking up their scent.

When Your gecko has shedded, you should check, that all of the skin has been removed. Mostly around the toes keep a particular close eye on. If some old skin remains, then you will need to gently soak it and remove it with tweasers. If left, it can cause constriction and your gecko may lose their toes.
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