Note: The first half of this post is for those who just want quick info on leopard geckos and then continue on with their life. The second half is for all of you who are bored (stuck at home, in this situation) and have lots of time to sit back, relax, and read about leopard geckos.
Basics about leopard geckos
- Cold-blooded
- Cannot climb on smooth surfaces, unlike common house geckos (cicak)
- High falls (any falls around 7 cm longer than the length of head to tail of your gecko) can be fatal
- Normally are orangish-yellowish or white in colour
- Normal diet: crickets Treats/snack: Super worms
- Nocturnal
Environment
Needs:
- cool and dry area
- moist hide (a place for Leo to moisten up. Check moist hide everyday and spray with water when dry. Moist hide must have moss, or wet paper towel as an alternative)
- warm and dry area (for sunbathing)
- shady area (for sleeping in. Make sure it is shady during the whole day)
- newspaper floor cover
- water bowl (drinking water)
Can add:
- Play area and hideouts
- food bowl (for live foods)
- Decorative stones or sea shells (make sure they're not not too small so that Leo doesn't eat them)
- Vitamin powder bowl (place in some powder for leopard geckos that you can find online and Leo will take what he needs)
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Hello! Planning on getting a pet Leopard gecko? Already got one? Well, this is the place!
Basic facts you need to know
Leopard geckos are cold-blooded, so they need a warm and cool place to stay so that they do not get too cold or hot. No, when I say cold blooded I don't mean they're mean. They are actually very cute, cuddly, and famous for their adorable smiles. Don't believe me? Take a look:
credit: Google
Now what do you think? Anyways, as I was saying, they need a warm and cool spot to stay in so they don't freeze to death or become roasted lizards. They also need a moist hide, which is basically a beach for Mr Leo. It is where he chills and let all his worries leave him. Moist hides should be sprayed with water every time it starts drying up. You also need to give it a water bowl for drinking from and bathing in. Leopard geckos are also nocturnal, so they are active during the night. So if you are hand-feeding your gecko, feed him around an hour or so after sunset, or at 7:30 pm. They normally eat crickets, and as a little treat you can give them Super worms, aka king worms. Also, when you play with Leo, you should take care not to drop him. Any height about 7cm longer than their own length head to tail, could be fatal to it. Also, don't expect him to be able to climb on smooth surfaces like the typical house gecko. He can't do that, because he doesn't have the same grippy-feet as they do. He should be okay with climbing on slightly inclined and rough surfaces like rocks.
Environment
Now is a bit more detailed description of what your gecko needs in his tank/cage to be one happy gecko.
Leo needs a tanks to stay in, a newspaper flooring (not shredded), a moist hide, a water bowl, cool and dry area, warm and dry area, a shady area, and you can add some play areas or hideouts.
Moist Hide
The moist hide should be a kind of room filled with a moist substance like moss or even wet paper towel as an alternative if you don't have moss yet. Check the moist hide everyday and whenever it starts feeling dry, spray it with tap or drinking water. Make sure the moist hide is shady, because Leo doesn't like it too bright. If you want to make a quick moist hide, just find an empty plastic bottle or container that fits your gecko. Make a hole on the side, big enough for Leo to fit through. Then fill it with the moss or paper towel until right below the hole. Cover the top with something like black card to block the light.
Shady spot (for sleeping)
It is strongly recommended to give you Leopard Gecko a nice, shady, cool place to sleep in. My gecko, Sahara, loves the 'dome' I gave her, that belonged to my turtle (my turtle didn't like it). She sleeps in it everyday and seems to really enjoy it there. It is where she feels safe, and it stays shady even on a cloudless day. So that's basically a nice, cool bedroom for her.
Water bowl
Leo will need to drink, so get a nice little bowl or container and fill it with drinking water. Yes, the same water you would drink. She also uses that water to take a nice dip and bathe there. Make sure the container doesn't easily tip over, because Leo's cage should stay dry. Replace the water if it gets dirty and make sure it is quite full.
Flooring
For the flooring, I usually use newspaper, because if Sahara does a little... 💩💩💩, then it's easy to clean up. I just throw away the dirty newspaper and replace it with a new one. Once in a while, though, some of the waste will leak to the bottom of the tank. If that happens, I would wash the tank with non-toxic soap and water. Or if I'm in a rush, I would take a wet paper towel and wipe it clean.
Playhouse (optional)
If you want your gecko to be a happy one, give it lots of places to hide and play. This, however, is not necessary. If you are putting a playground there, make sure there aren't spots which Leo can climb that are too high. There should be some darks spaces it the playhouse to serve as a hideout.
That's pretty much all the basics to your gecko's happy home, so enjoy!
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| Baby leopard gecko credit: Lucario 360 |
