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 sign the guest book go to my other sites at www.maxpages.com/MKAA and go to my brother site at www.maxpages.com/fonzzyssite Free counters provided by Honesty.com.  Free Advertising from Click2Net! Leopard Geckos are among the easiest of lizards to maintain given the proper conditions. They rarely bite and tame easily. Leopard geckos that are handled regularly, remain relatively calm. However, be careful how you hold the gecko. Never by its tail! Geckos tails break off rather easily as a defense mechanism. They will grow back, but never as nice looking as the original tail. They are relatively clean animals. The majority will define one area of their tank as the "bathroom" and only use that one area, making it easy to clean.  HOUSING REQUIREMENTS Leopard Geckos are easily maintained. An ten gallon aquarium will adequately house a single gecko. A 20 gallon tank will house 1 male with 2 females. Never put two males together as they will fight. Temperature and Lighting: Daytime temperature should range between 85 to 90. As with any herp, the gecko needs a warm spot and cooler spot from which to choose. Night temperatures can go into the low 70's. As leopard geckos are nocturnal, UV lightning is not necessary, however the cage should have a 12 hour day and 12 hour night. Heat: Ceramic bulbs (Ceramic Heat Emitter) are excellent heat sources. These come in different wattage's and get extremely hot! Be certain the gecko can't touch it. Ceramic heaters are best used with a thermostat. This keeps the cage from overheating on warm days, particularly in the summer. I use the Electronic (Herp) Thermostat by Energy Savers . Ceramic heaters are a great way to provide heat at night since they don't produce light. Reptile Heating Pads which attach to the bottom of the tank work well. You may have to adjust the substrate thickness to get a good temperature. Incandescent Lights work well during the day, but you would have to rely on another heat source for night. You also may have to try different wattage to provide the right amount of heat. Nocturnal bulbs can serve as night time heat sources. Human heating pads, are good to bask on but don't raise the cage temperature much. Do not use hot rocks! They develop hot spots and many lizards have been badly burnt by them! Ask our water dragon, we once used a hot rock.  Water and Humidity: The leopard gecko needs only a small dish of fresh water each day. I also use a margarine tub as a hide box. Inside the tub I keep moist vermiculite. This provides the gecko with necessary humidity and aids in the shedding process. Substrates: Substrates that have been used with few problems are: playground sand (not for use with juveniles as geckos will ingest the sand and it can result in impaction and death) orchid bark mixture astroturf with bound or melted edges (I use a soldering gun to cut mine) newspaper Substrates that have been known to cause problems are: Sand for geckos under age 6 months. It causes impaction. bark, shavings and other products made with moss. They are easily ingested and have been known to cause impaction potting soil as the geckos may eat the perlite it contains cedar or pine as the fumes and resins can be toxic to reptiles astroturf with rough edges as the geckos will ingest the particles that fray off. When landscaping, include shelters for the geckos to hide in. Remember, they are nocturnal animals. Also include a rough stone or bark for the leopard gecko to rub on during shed periods. FEEDING Food Items: Leopard Geckos are carnivorous. In captivity they eat crickets, kingworms (zophobas), mealworms, waxworms, earthworms, grasshoppers, locusts, and pinkies. BE WARY of feeding insects from your yard! These insects may be contaminated by pesticides and or herbicides used in the area. Even if you don't use pesticides, someone in the neighborhood might, and therefore the insects may be affected. |
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