Leopard Gecko

Husbandry Guide

Diet:

Leopard Geckos are carnivores, they eat 100% insect protein. As their diet consists exclusively of a variety of insects, it is vital to your leopard geckos health to provide many different choices when it comes to their diet. In order to maintain a well rounded nutrient profile it is crucial that you feed multiple different kinds of insects on a weekly basis. This is extremely manageable as you can purchase bugs individually at Northern Pet Emporium, making it easy to buy what you need for the week and avoid uneaten insects going to waste. You should feed a juvenile gecko every day, and feed an adult gecko every other day. *Do not offer your gecko vegetation or fruits, they require only insect protein to thrive*.

Safe Bugs for Leopard Geckos:

Crickets (do not leave crickets in the tank after a feeding as they can molt & bite your pet), mealworms, kingworms, silkworms, hornworms, superworms (use superworms only as an occasional treat as their hard exterior can cause impaction), waxworms, butterworms, dubia roaches (in vacuum packs from Northern Pet Emporium, as live ones are illegal in Canada).

Supplements:

It is important to give your Leopard Gecko supplements to maintain optimum health, you can do this by dusting the geckos insects before feeding. For juvenile leopard geckos (5-18 months) , supplement with pure calcium once a week. Dust with calcium + vitamin D3 2 times a week. And then, dust with multivitamins once a week. You can find all these supplements in the reptile section at your pet store.

Enclosure:

Leopard geckos are solitary animals and require solo housing, meaning 1 enclosure= 1 gecko. Your gecko requires a minimum 20 gallon enclosure, you can purchase a glass enclosure from your pet store or a specialty reptile store. A can a mesh top will help with ventilation and maintenance. Leopard geckos enjoy many rock/wood like features in their enclosure, be sure to switch up the enclosure after a cleaning to give your pet an exciting environment for them to re-explore. The native habitat of the common leopard gecko is the rocky, dry grassland and desert regions of south-Asian Afghanistan, Pakistan, north-west India, and some parts of Iran. Ideally, the enclosure will reflect their natural habitat and provide enrichment and exploration opportunities to keep your gecko entertained & happy.

Humidity:

Strive for a relative humidity of approximately 40-60%. You can use a hygrometer attached to the inside of the enclosure, these can be purchased through most pet supplies stores. Provide a shallow water dish and a moist hide area, but make sure the remainder of the habitat is dry.

Heating/Lighting:

It is important to provide your gecko with a temperature gradient, meaning that one end of the enclosure is warmer than the opposite side, this is ideal so the leopard gecko can manually maintain its body temperature by moving to warmer parts of the enclosure when it needs to warm up, and cooler parts of the enclosure when it needs to cool down.

Provide a temperature gradient of 70-80°F (21-27°C) and a warm area that reaches 90°F (32°C). Drop night temperatures to the 70s (21-23°C). We recommend using a temperature gun to get the most accurate readings of your reptiles enclosure.