Leopard Geckos: Care and Feeding | VCA Animal Hospital | VCA Animal Hospitals (2023)

FAQs

Leopard Geckos: Care and Feeding | VCA Animal Hospital | VCA Animal Hospitals? ›

Leopard geckos eat a diet of live insects, which can include crickets, 'calci worms', waxworms and small locusts (no bigger than the size of your gecko's head). You'll also need to provide fresh vegetables and clean water to keep these insects hydrated. You should feed young geckos every day and adults every other day.

Leopard geckos eat a diet of live insects, which can include crickets, 'calci worms', waxworms and small locusts (no bigger than the size of your gecko's head). You'll also need to provide fresh vegetables and clean water to keep these insects hydrated. You should feed young geckos every day and adults every other day.

Leopard geckos feed primarily on live, moving insect prey. An appropriate diet may consist of commercially-raised crickets with smaller numbers of silkworms, roaches, mealworms, superworms, waxworms, and other live insects. Juveniles should be fed every 1-2 days and adults 2-3 times per week.

Because some health conditions are common with your pet, a routine exam every six to twelve months is a good idea for your little gecko.

Do leopard geckos need a heat lamp 24/7? Yes it is a good idea to leave your gecko's heat lamp (or other heat source) on 24/7. The bright light of morning created by a daylight bulb will help your gecko feel more like his tank is like his natural environment.

Leopard Geckos should have 14 hours of daylight during the summer months and reduced to 12 hours during the cooler winter months. Although Leopard Geckos are most active in hours of mostly darkness, many have been observed emerging for short periods during the day to bask - especially in the hours of dawn and dusk.

How often do Leopard Geckos eat? Leopard Geckos younger than one year should be fed every day. Healthy adult geckos should be fed every other day. Sickly geckos should be fed once a day until they regain their strength.

Crickets are a viable option for many people, but for those who do not want to deal with the smell, noise, and other disadvantages of crickets, a mealworm-exclusive diet may be the way to go! As a quick fact, the majority of leopard geckos who hold longevity records have been fed nothing but mealworms!

Yes, you can overfeed a Leopard Gecko but they will usually stop eating when they are full. Overfeeding is not usually something owners do on purpose but it can be fairly common among new gecko owners who are just a little too keen to make sure their new pet is happy.

What are the red flags for leopard geckos? ›

Watch for red flags, such as diarrhea; weight loss; lack of appetite; lethargy; dry skin; unusual movements or posture; lumps, bumps, and lesions; and/or respiratory issues. Call your vet immediately if you notice any of these warning signs. Do you have questions about leopard geckos?

Captive hornworms will be a blue/aqua color, and wild hornworms will be bright green. Leopard Geckos should also not consume dead, dried, or processed foods regularly. Leopard Geckos are designed to eat fresh, live prey. Insects that are dead, dried, cooked, frozen, or processed lose some of their nutritional value.

Leopard geckos are insectivores, meaning they only eat bugs. Their bodies aren't even designed to digest fruits, vegetables, or any other kind of meat. Just insects.

Water Recommendations for Leopard Geckos

Offer fresh water daily in a water dish large enough for the lizard to soak its entire body in. Additional soaks in shallow warm water for 15-20 minutes 2-3 times a week are helpful, especially during a shed.

Your Leopard Gecko will need 3 hides/houses. One on the hot side of his tank, one in the middle that will act as his humidity hide (this is helpful when shedding), and one on the cold side of the tank. The humid hide should be fairly enclosed and have moist paper towel (when shedding) or coco fiber for substrate.

Once you've brought your gecko home, it's tempting to start playing with him or her right away. But wait 2 weeks after buying before beginning handling — your gecko needs time to settle into their new home, and handling on top of that can cause additional stress.

Ideal temperatures Leopard Geckos range from 75-80°F on the cool side and 80-85°F on the warm side. Provide a 90-95°F basking area on the warm side.

At night, all of the lights should go off and the enclosure should be completely dark. This should make sure that the gecko has a clear day night cycle.

Leopard geckos, like all reptiles, need a temperature gradient in their terrarium for best health. At night, leopard geckos can tolerate a drop in temperature down to 60°F (16°C).

Anyway, yes, I suggest you give your leopard gecko some lighting. Whether this is done by adding an LED panel or incandescent light bulb on top of your enclosure, or simply giving your reptile indirect window lighting. Just giving the animal some way of telling night from day is great.

Do leopard geckos need it dark at night? ›

Their activity often extends into the night, true, but it is not when it begins. What is this? Their sensitivity to the time of day means that to maintain a healthy internal clock, leopard geckos require a balanced day (light) and night (darkness) intervals.

Red bulbs were designed with the thought they would produce night time heat without producing a bright light. In actuality, this disrupts the reptile's photoperiod, affecting their sleep, eating, behavior and overall health due to the stress it can cause.

As a general rule, most geckos can survive without any intervention for one or two days. If you plan to be away for a weekend, it's probably safe to leave your gecko alone, though it's always a good idea to have someone available in case there's a household emergency such as a power outage that will impact the geckos.

Baby Leopard Geckos should be fed 5-7 small crickets or mealworms every day until they reach about 4 inches. Larger food should be offered every other day until they become full grown in about 10-12 months. Adults can be fed 6-7 large crickets or mealworms 2 to 3 times a week.

Leopard geckos rarely need to be bathed. In fact, over-bathing your gecko can dry out its skin and cause disease. You should only bathe your gecko if it is having difficulties shedding or a veterinarian instructs you to wash it.

For instance, leopard geckos don't need a heat lamp but they do need a heat source of some kind so they will appreciate a heat lamp if nothing else is used to give them a temperature gradient. Some geckos, like day geckos, will prefer a heat lamp over a heat mat or heating pad.

Keep in mind that leopard geckos don't particularly like being held. If you get your leo used to being handled when it's young, it probably won't mind when you hold it, but it won't love it either!

Baby leopard geckos should be fed 2-3 small crickets or mealworms daily until they reach around 15 grams or four inches. Subadult leopard geckos can be fed up to 6 or 7 every other day with medium sized crickets or mealworms.

The best time to feed a gecko is in the early evening (7-9 pm) when it becomes active after its daytime snooze. Feeding can typically take 10-20 minutes - the gecko will know when to stop and will not 'over indulge'. For some owners, this is the most rewarding part of having a leopard gecko as a pet.

Can a tank be too big for a leopard gecko? ›

Many other leopard gecko care resources recommend that leopard geckos should be permanently housed in a 10 or 20 gallon enclosure to prevent them from getting “overwhelmed” in a larger space, or stating that more room is simply “not necessary.” However, reptiles will utilize every inch of space that we make available ...

However, we do know that bright lights of any kind do appear to be stressful for leopard geckos. This doesn't mean that you must keep them in the dark all the time, but it means they should always have hiding places available that they can retreat to, if desired.

Black Night. A completely black leopard gecko is melanistic. This morph is one of the rarest morphs in captivity. They come in a solid black color with white bellies.

Leopard geckos like to hide when they sleep, whether under tree bark, crevices in rocks, piles of leaves, or wherever they feel protected from predators. So, no matter whether your pet leopard gecko wants to take a nocturnal sleep or nap during the day, ensure it has a snug, safe place undercover to hide away.

Whether it be a fine-particle sand or calcium-based, sand is a common substrate that is sold for leopard geckos and other desert reptiles. The mentality behind it is that because leopard geckos are native to deserts, they should be housed on sand, but most deserts are not filled with loose sand.

Sleeping in Leopard Geckos

You may notice that your leopard gecko is sleeping a lot, and you may be worried if this is the same as being lethargic. Here's the good news: it is not. As crepuscular animals that are truly active for a short period of the day, leopard geckos tend to sleep a lot.

Most varieties of geckos (including leopards, African fat-tailed, tokays, house, flying, cave, and frog-eyed) are insectivores and prefer a diet of crickets, waxworms, earthworms, mealworms, fruit flies, moths, or grasshoppers offered every two to four days. Some adult geckos will also enjoy pinkie or infant mice.

Geckos don't eat dairy. They are reptiles.

Feeding leopard geckos dead crickets is not recommended for several reasons. Dead crickets have little to no moisture or nutritional value. Besides that, dead crickets attract parasites and bacteria that can harm your gecko's health.

Should I mist my leopard gecko? ›

When maintaining your Leopard Gecko, a light mist daily is recommended to provide hydration opportunities as well as light humidity spikes. Dew drops are readily drank by this species and will appreciate a light misting daily.

Reptiles and amphibians may carry Salmonella on their bodies, even when they appear healthy and look clean. Anything they touch can be contaminated. The germs can get on cages, aquariums, terrariums and the water reptiles and amphibians live or swim in. People become infected with Salmonella by hand to mouth contact.

Be careful as reptiles can carry Salmonella. Wash your hands before and after handling the gecko or its equipment to reduce the spread of infection between you and the lizard and other animals.

If you are feeding crickets as the primary staple food to a healthy adult, then you should offer around 5-8 large crickets to your Leopard Gecko. You may also wish to offer 2 larval feeders or another insect, instead of all crickets.

The ideal daytime temperatures for leopard geckos are 75° to 85°F (24-29 °C), with up to up to 90°F (32 °C) under the heat lamp. The nighttime temperatures should never drop below 65°F (18°C).

Whilst the cost of keeping a leopard gecko is modest compared with most other pets (a fraction of the cost of owning a dog, say), you still need to make a financial outlay and commit yourself to this over the life of the lizard, which can be as long as twenty years (although five to ten years is more usual).

As a general rule, most geckos can survive without any intervention for one or two days. If you plan to be away for a weekend, it's probably safe to leave your gecko alone, though it's always a good idea to have someone available in case there's a household emergency such as a power outage that will impact the geckos.

They are the few types of reptiles who like to be handled, but make sure to give it time before you can handle it, as it may be stressed out. Only bring it out of its terrarium 10 - 20 minutes at a time, as it may get cold (you can check by feeling its belly).

Do geckos prefer to be alone? You may be worried that your gecko gets bored or lonely alone, but they're perfectly happy lounging around their cage. Since they are cold-blooded animals, they are naturally inactive, and are adapted to sit still in warm spaces.

Water Recommendations for Leopard Geckos

Offer fresh water daily in a water dish large enough for the lizard to soak its entire body in. Additional soaks in shallow warm water for 15-20 minutes 2-3 times a week are helpful, especially during a shed.

What is the cheapest gecko to take care of? ›

Leopard, Crested, House, Flying and Frog-Eyed Geckos are the cheapest beginner friendly species. Gargoyles, Chahouas, Leaf-Tailed and Leachies are very expensive. Many geckos on this list are easy to care for, but some species become too stressed with handling.

Green Anoles are small, about 5-8 inches long, and have a shorter lifespan of three to six years. They tend to be very inexpensive, costing $10 or less. In summary, this is a great reptile for beginners who want to learn how to care for a lizard but do not want to handle them much.

It doesn't matter whether you handle during the day or night, although the gecko might be less skittish during the day.

Leopard geckos will be able to reach the top of their enclosure without decorations to climb on so the basking lamp must be surrounded by a guard. The basking lamp is left on for 10-12 hours per day. At night, all of the lights should go off and the enclosure should be completely dark.

Can a gecko live without a heat lamp? Yes, but only if you are providing supplemental heat from another source like a under tank heater, heat pad, or heat rocks. The best way to obtain the correct temperatures is to use a digital thermometer to measure both the hot side and the cool side.

These colorful creatures are small, have minimal care requirements, and can be left alone for several days if necessary. They are also quiet, don't smell, and don't need a lot of attention.

In fact, leopard geckos sleep for 12 to 13 hours on an average day. However, throughout the night, leopard geckos are most awake and active.