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| Leopard GeckoEnclosure Selection Health Feeding BreedingEnclosure Size Suitable Materials Substrates Décor Temperatures Hides Lighting Plants Maintenance Enclosure size A single leopard gecko can be kept in an enclosure with at least 2 square feet of floor space, however the amount of space increases exponentially. Length should be increased by one whole foot, and width increased by 0.5 feet per gecko. For example: One gecko = 2ft x 1ft Two Geckos = 3ft x 1.5ft Three Geckos = 4ft x 2ft Four Geckos = 5ft x 2.5ft And so on It is acceptable however to adjust the dimensions provided that the overall area remains the same. If you are keeping four geckos but don’t have enough room for 2.5ft width, you can increase the length accordingly. Material Your enclosure can be of a variety of materials, personally I prefer wood. There is a tendency for temperatures to fluctuate quite quickly in glass tanks as there is such poor insulation. The problem arises not only from heat loss but also from heat gains, so it is preferable not to locate the enclosure in direct sunlight. The other problem with glass is that the gecko may try to get through it, and may end up with abrasions and sores on its snout from rubbing against the glass. Wood can cost a fair bit more but in my opinion is worth it. It looks nicer, and is better for the health of the animals. It should be of laminated chipboard, sealed at all edges to ensure water-tightness and a long life.  Wooden Vivarium from Vivexotic. [source: http://www.evolutionreptiles.co.uk/img/library/lge/830.jpg]  Glass Aquarium. [source: http://www.mypetstore.co.nz/product_info.php?products_id=75] Substrate Substrate is a topic of much debate. There are a great many possible substrates on the market, however most of them have been generally regarded as unsuitable for use with Geckos. Sand is a popular choice, as is paper towels, newspaper and tile, while corn cob, bark, and Calci-Sand are deemed too risky. The main risk is impaction, which occurs when your animal ingests the substrate while catching prey, or while licking about looking for calcium. In the wild, Geckos and other lizards regulate their calcium intake by licking up and digesting small particles of bone lying on the rocks. In captivity, when they feel the need to take in more calcium they will wander around licking at the substrate looking for these pieces of bone, ingesting large amounts of sand eventually if they cannot get the calcium they require. I keep a light sprinkling of a calcium substance on the surface of the substrate to satisfy their need to do this, while a lot of people will place a small dish of calcium powder in the enclosure that they can lick as needed. I feel the sprinkling is more natural to them but it is up to you. Juveniles should be housed on paper towels until they are at least 6 inches long, at which point their digestive systems will be well enough developed to cope with sand ingestion. They should be monitored carefully to make sure they do not ingest too much however. Pay particular attention when they hunt, as the young can be very clumsy hunters. When deciding on a substrate, bear in mind that they originate from rocky desert, which will include a small amount of sand, with mainly rocks and trees. Décor You can create some quite beautiful vivariums for your gecko, using some clean and dry branches and rocks. With a bit of patience and trial and error a safe, natural environment can be produced. In his book "The Leopard Gecko Manual" Philippe de Vosjoli gives an excellent guide to setting up your own naturalistic design. Wood and rocks can, of course, be bought at rather extravagant prices. Depending on where you live this may be your only option but if you are lucky enough to have access to a public forest where you are allowed to remove one or two suitable branches this can be more economic. Various rocks and stones should also be collected and cleaned in the same manner as the branches. If you cannot source natural materials locally then a local aquarium specialist or reptile supplier will have dried and cleaned sections of wood in many interesting shapes which can be cleaned as below and used to furnish the enclosure. Recently there has been a significant rise in the availability of fake rocks and structures that you can purchase and place directly into the vivarium. These can look very realistic and are worth considering, since they are very lightweight compared to their natural counterparts. To clean items for use in a vivarium, use a stiff brush to remove all loose material, and in the case of wood strip it of its bark. Mix up a 5% bleach solution and thoroughly scrub the surface, making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies. Rinse well and allow to dry completely before use. When setting out, make sure branches cannot slip and that rocks and structures cannot topple over. Not all types of rock and wood will be suitable for your geckos. Avoid any sappy woods such as evergreens (conifers etc) and rocks which appear porous. Any rocks which are especially smooth and shiny may contain high amounts of metal minerals so should also be avoided. Temperatures Leopard Geckos are cold blooded, which means they take in the heat they require from the surroundings. They do this using a process known as thermoregulation, and they require a variety of temperatures within their enclosure to allow them to do this. By providing them with a warm end and a cool end, you can allow them to choose what temperature suits them best at any given time and promote good health and comfort. The temperatures should range from about 85-90F (29-32C) at the warm end to about 75F (23C) at the cool end. Night time temperatures should not be allowed to drop below 65F. There are a number of ways to heat the enclosure. The two most used methods for smaller set ups is either the heat mat or an incandescent bulb. If your house is likely to drop below 65F at night then a heat mat or red bulb should be used at night to maintain the correct temperature within the enclosure. Prolonged exposure to temperatures below 74F can result in respiratory infections, as can shorter periods of time exposed to under 60F. Which method you choose will depend in part on the size and layout of your enclosure. If you have a relatively small area then it is likely that an incandescent bulb will not allow for a proper gradient, resulting in overheating and inability to thermoregulate. Bulbs should really only be used with fully ventilated screen tops to ensure adequate ventilation and heat dispersal. For smaller enclosures, heat mats can provide a lower amount of heat and are more easily regulated. There are a few manufacturers of thermostats, and the heat mat manufacturer may recommend the one that works best with their product. To gauge the size of mat needed, aim to cover at the most about 25% of the floor of the vivarium. For glass tanks, the mat should be placed externally with a small amount of ventilation space underneath. This can be achieved using a small piece of cardboard or wood under each corner. Providing air movement reduces the risk of the glass overheating and cracking. If you have a wooden vivarium however the mat will have to be placed on the inside, preferably under the substrate. Care must be taken not to allow the geckos to come directly into contact with the mat, and I personally fix the thermal sensor for the thermostat directly to the surface of the mat to prevent it becoming too hot. I strongly recommend avoiding hot rocks. They are unreliable and in some cases can cause serious burns to your new pet. There is a high instance of faults developing within them, resulting in hot spots in excess of 100F. All temperatures should be measured using a digital thermometer with a probe. If possible, it should be left in place with high/low alarms set if available. This will provide an immediate alert to any problems that occur. Hides The hides are where your gecko will spend much of the day, as they are nocturnal animals. They will prefer security to temperature, so unless you have several hides at different locations throughout the temperature range it is possible that your gecko will choose to stay in a hide where the temperature is incorrect rather than move out of the hide to a comfortable temperature zone. This can lead to stress, which in turn will lead to parasitic infections and diseases. Hides can be fashioned from anything, such as a broken plant pot, an old margarine tub with a hole cut in one end, or a small structure made from stones. There are also a number of artificial hides available which can look great. As long as there is room inside for a gecko and it is safe and clean the possibilities are endless! Why not make an elevated hide with something from them to climb for access? One of the hides must be what is known as a humid hide. It was found that some of the burrows and homes built by geckos were relatively damp, and the inclusion of a humid hide in captivity has proved beneficial. Your gecko will use the humid hide to assist its shed, and to gain moisture if it is not used to the water dish. To make a humid hide, all that is required is a small to medium hid, partially filled with damp moss which you can purchase from your local reptile shop or online. Mist this moss daily to keep it damp, particularly during a shed. Lighting Lighting can be very basic. The geckos are nocturnal and will rarely venture out in the daytime. For this reason no special UVB lights are needed, and a simple strip light will be sufficient in most cases. If you are using an incandescent heat source this will often also be adequate, but for general light quality an additional strip light is beneficial. Consider the use of red bulbs to allow viewing without interfering with the geckos nocturnal habits. They can be used at night as red light does not seem to bother them. It is possible that they cannot see it but a number of people have disputed this. Any vivarium with live plants will need at least two full length full spectrum tubes to provide enough light to allow the plants to thrive. For optimum plant growth the lights should be on a 12/12 timer, which will also provide a reliable day/night cycle for the geckos. Setting the lights on a timer removes a lot of hassle, as it is best to ensure lights go on and off at the same time each day. Timers are available very cheap from B and Q in the UK and Home Depot in the US. Plants You can incorporate live plants into your setup to improve aesthetics, and create a more natural look. You can either use wide and shallow pots with a sandy compost mix, or use a sand/soil substrate and plant them directly into this. There are also attractive planters available made to look like tree stumps and other natural features. The following species of plants are well suited to Leopard Gecko enclosures: Snake Plants (Sanseveria) Pony Tailed Palms (Beaucarnea Recurvata) Philodendron (Zamiaculcas Zamiifolia) Haworthias (Hathworthia) Climbing aloe (Aloe Ciliaris) Caudexed figs (Ficus Petiolaris) Optunia (Consolea Falcate) Vivaria with live plants require suitable lighting. In order for your plants to thrive you will need to install at least two fluorescent strip lights, fitted with full spectrum tubes and running the full length of the tank. Plants will need watered one or two times a week. Maintenance Vivaria need regular cleaning and maintenance to ensure a long and healthy life for your geckos. There are a number of things that should be done routinely, either daily, weekly or monthly. Daily Scoop out any faecal matter lying around the enclosure Change the water in the water dish, clean thoroughly every 2 days Mist the humid hide Weekly Clean food dishes and hides in a 5% bleach solution Monthly Sift sand substrate, change every 3 months Clean entire cage with a 5-10% bleach solution and rinse thoroughly
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