Leopard Geckos (Eublepharis macularius)

FEEDING

· Babies and juveniles should be fed every day until full (4-15 insects each). Adults should be fed 6 to 10 insects each every other day.

· As a general rule, food items should be less than the length and half the width of a gecko’s head.

· A staple of crickets along with occasional waxworms and mealworms makes a good diet. Full grown adult geckos can also be fed an occasional pinkie mouse once a week.

· If sand is used in the enclosure, feed the geckos in a separate container without substrate.

· Remove crickets after a half-hour to prevent them from harassing or injuring the geckos.

· Two supplements should be provided: calcium carbonate and a reptile multivitamin. Juveniles and gravid (pregnant) females should be supplemented at every feeding and adults at every other. Insects can be coated with these supplements and a shallow dish should also be used to provide calcium carbonate.

HOUSING

· For a single leopard gecko, the floor of the enclosure should be at least three times the lizard’s length; add another 6 inches of cage dimension for each additional occupant to the cage. Geckos do best in aquariums.

· To prevent territorial fighting, males should never be housed with other males.

· Groups of juvenile or female leopard geckos can be maintained in the same cage. Hatchlings, however, must be housed with others of their own size, or the smaller animals in the cage will be eaten by the larger ones.

· A shallow water dish should be provided at all times and changed daily to prevent bacteria and fungus growth.

· Newspaper or paper towels can be used as the substrate. Fine substrate sand (limestone or calcium carbonate - not silica) can be used with adults, but never juveniles.

· There should be at least two hiding places throughout the cage. In one hiding place, keep slightly dampened sphagnum peat moss to help the geckos shed - replace the moss weekly.

TEMPERATURES

· Enclosure temperatures should be between 80 to 90 F during the day and in the mid 70's F at night. Use an undertank heater or incandescent reptile lamp on one side of the tank. At night, a red bulb can be used to provide heat.

· It is important that one side of the tank remains cool so the geckos can thermoregulate.

· Thermometers should be placed near the floor of the enclosure and near the heat source.

CLEANING

· Leopard geckos will choose one comer of the tank to relieve themselves, and use it solely. This facilitates cleanup: you can place a piece of paper towel in the appropriate corner, and spot-clean quickly and easily.

· Every month, wash the enclosure and cage furniture with an antibacterial detergent, then soak them in a 5% bleach solution for 30-60 minutes. Rinse well with hot water. Dry thoroughly.

· The substrate should be changed when soiled or when a new gecko is added to the tank.

LIGHTING

Lights should be on 14 hours a day except for two or three months during the winter when they should be on only 10 hours a day to stimulate a reduction in photoperiod.

HEALTH

· Shed skin left on toes will cut off circulation and cause gangrene. So if you notice some shedding skin sticking, soak the gecko in a small dish of warm water to loosen the skin, then peel it off gently.

· A gecko that has dropped its tail should be separated from the other geckos until the tail has regenerated. Keep it warm and well fed.

· Signs of disease or illness include: chronic shedding problems; change in appetite; weight loss; lethargy; light-colored, bloody, runny or pasty feces; regurgitation; swollen limbs; mouth gaping; and/or mucus or cheesy looking matter in the mouth. Animals displaying these signs should be seperated from the other geckos and seen by an experienced reptile veterinarian.

RECOMMENDED READING

The Leopard Gecko Manual by Philippe de Vosjoli