Leopard Geckos
Leopard geckos make lively pets for beginner lizard-owners, boasting a docile and easy-going nature with plenty of personality. Regular handling will ensure that your Leopard Gecko enjoys your company, but when you’re not around they will be perfectly happy on their own. As nocturnal creatures, they’ll snooze most of the daylight hours away but they’ll come out to play as soon as the sun goes down.

Overview
- Behaviour: Crepuscular
- Diet: Insects
- Ease of care: Beginner
- Handling: Beginner
- Humidity: 20% to 40%
- Life span: Upwards of 15 years
- Origin: Middle East
- Potential adult size: 7 to 9.5 inches
- Scientific name: Eublepharis macularius
Top Tips
- House your adult Leopard Gecko in its own vivarium
- Mix up your Leopard Gecko’s diet to prevent boredom and create a balanced diet.
- Spot clean using a sand scoop
- Create a damp hidey-hole for a humidity boost and a place to shed its skin
Housing
In the wild, Leopard Geckos live in desert areas, so you will need to heat your vivarium. This temperature should be 20-24℃ (68-75℉) during the day to keep your lizard warm, dropping to 18-23℃ (68-74℉) at night-time. Your lizard will also need a hot spot to bask in at one side of your vivarium, which should be 30-32℃ (86-90℉). To do this, you will need a heat bulb that runs through a dimming thermostat. A dimming thermostat will help you to control the temperature, which you will need to check regularly to ensure that your lizard does not overheat or get too cold.
Your Leopard Gecko will appreciate a darker, damper area to hide in too. You can put this area in the middle of your vivarium. This will give your gecko a boost of humidity that will help it when its skin sheds. A moss hide will be ideal for this.
Your Leopard Gecko will also need plenty of light. You can fix lighting such as an Arcadia Pro T5 ShadeDweller UVB Kit to the inside roof of your vivarium. Make sure you read the instructions that come with the lighting to ensure it has been set up properly.
To keep your lizard feeling cosy, you’ll need to decorate your vivarium. Line the bottom with bedding, and then add in some cork, tea tree or grapevine branches for some shelter. You can also add in live or fake plants to make your vivarium really eye-catching!
Care
Equipment Needed
- For hatchlings or juveniles: HabiStat Hatchling Leopard Gecko Starter Kit
- For adult Leopard Geckos: HabiStat Standard Vivarium (36 x 24 x 24” / 91.5 x 61 x 61cm)
- HabiStat Heat Bulb
- Arcadia Pro Ceramic Lamp Holder & Bracket
- HabiStat Dimming Thermostat
- Arcadia Pro T5 ShadeDweller UVB Kit (7%)
- HabiStat Leopard Gecko Bedding
- HabiStat Cork, HabiStat Grapevine and HabiStat Tea Tree Branches
- Live or artificial plants
- HabiStat Moss Hide filled with HabiStat Sphagnum Moss
- Water bowl
Diet
Leopard Geckos particularly like to see crickets, locusts and roaches on the menu!
To keep your lizard healthy, it’s also important to give them some calcium and multivitamin supplements, such as Arcadia Earth Pro-A and Arcadia Earth Pro Calcium Mg. Follow the instructions on the packets so you know how much to give your gecko.

Overview
- Behaviour: Crepuscular
- Diet: Insects
- Ease of care: Beginner
- Handling: Beginner
- Humidity: 20% to 40%
- Life span: Upwards of 15 years
- Origin: Middle East
- Potential adult size: 7 to 9.5 inches
- Scientific name: Eublepharis macularius
Additional Information
Remember: always wash your hands, equipment and surfaces immediately after cleaning your vivarium or handling or feeding your Leopard Gecko.
Subscribe to the Reptili mailing list and get 10% off your first order.
Related Posts
-
Royal Python
September 30th, 2022
Royal Pythons are truly exotic pets and certain to be a talking point for any visitors to your home, but they possess a gentle and calm personality when handled regularly and carefully. This makes them ideal for beginners, although you need to be aware of how big they can grow! As a nocturnal snake, pythons are likely to spend most of the day catching up on beauty sleep, but will start to show off a bit more once the sun goes down.
Read More
-
Hermann's Tortoise
September 30th, 2022
Hermann’s Tortoises make the perfect life-long friend. They are undeniably adorable with fascinating yellow-brown shell patterns! Tortoises are most playful (and hungriest) during the day. Please remember that tortoises can live for at least 75 years, making them a serious commitment, however, you are likely to enjoy long-term companionship.
Read More
-
Yemen Chameleon
September 30th, 2022
These tree-loving lizards make attractive pets thanks to their ability to flush different colours depending on their mood. The brighter the colours, the happier and warmer your lizard is! With a tendency towards shyness and a preference for their own company, your Yemen Chameleon is unlikely to want to be handled regularly and could get quite grumpy if you try. However, this does depend on the lizard. If you start handling it carefully when it is very young, you can help your chameleon to avoid stress when you need to handle it or move it in the future.
Read More