Leopard geckos are known to be one of the easiest reptile pets to care for. But you have to make sure the initial set up and maintenance of your leopard gecko housing is done properly. Our little leopard gecko pets require good, clean and appropriate housing if you want to keep the happy and healthy. The following guidelines will help you create an excellent leopard gecko habitat for healthy and safe lizard living.
LEOPARD GECKO HABITAT: A GLASS TERRARIUM
Plastic or glass terrariums offer the best type of leopard gecko housing. A terrarium simply means a container that simulates or replicates the natural habitat of your reptile pet. It’s like a mini eco-system. Terrariums are often called vivariums (and even aquariums). Glass is better than plastic if you had the choice, but both are fine.
Ideal terrariums for geckos are shallow and long.
The smallest recommended size for a single leopard gecko is ten gallons. What are the dimensions of a ten gallon fish tank or terrarium? In inches, that’s about 20″ (width) x 12″ (height) x 10″ (depth). In centimetres, that’s approximately 51cm x 31cm x 25cm
Two lizards will need a fifteen gallon tank and three to four leopard geckos will require about a twenty-gallon tank. I just did a quick ebay search and there’s lots available. You can search the internet for more too.
Wire cages aren’t a good idea. Unlike other geckos (the tree dwelling types), leopard geckos don’t have those sticky pads on their feet and so they can’t crawl up glass very easily and therefore they can’t escape.
Make sure they can breathe though: the terrarium should have a wire mesh cover at the top for fresh air and circulation but it shouldn’t be just open in case they escape.
TERRARIUM TEMPERATURE
Leopard Geckos are ectothermic meaning cold blooded so they are not able to generate enough of their own body heat. Thus they require additional, external sources of heat. Your glass terrarium should be heated to 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit (26 to 30 degrees centigrade) during daytime with a basking spot of around 88 to 90 degree Fahrenheit (31 degrees to 32 degrees). Make sure there’s a cooler spot too of around 70F (21C) And at night time, keep to around 70 degrees F (21c). You’ll need a thermometer to check on this, don’t just guess.
FURNITURE, LANDSCAPING AND PLANTS
This is where the fun begins! Now you can get creative and create an environment that simulates your gecko pets’ natural home. I’ve seen some amazing constructions.
The more things for your leopard gecko to climb over and explore, the more motivation for him to move around. Although ‘blinging’ up your leopard gecko terrarium might seem to be the fun bit, it’s also a key part of good leopard gecko care too.
Have a basking area and a hiding area (to cool off). A basking area could be a piece of wood like a dry branch or a flat rock. There should be one basking area per gecko.
For the hiding spot, you can use an old cardboard box, inverted pots of clay, overlapping rocks or portions of curved barks. Just as with the basking area, if you have more geckos you should also have more hiding spots.
Logs, rocks will make a natural living area and give him the areas for climbing and exercise. Artificial or live plants can also give your gecko more hiding spots and much natural feel, though you don’t really need them. If you want to install a live plant, select them carefully as some plants can be poisonous to reptiles. Dry cactus skeletons work well. Just make sure everything is clean.
CLEANING YOUR LEOPARD GECKO HOUSING
Maintaining good hygiene is a key part of leopard gecko care. About once a week, have a more thorough clean out: change the substrate (floor covering), clean all around the terrarium and disinfect the water bowls. Remember that strong disinfectants and bleach can be very harmful to your leopard gecko, so take care to fully rinse every thing off with water. Change the water every day and look around for any uneaten insects, mould or stagnant water pools and any other dirt. It shouldn’t take more than 5-10 minutes to have a quick daily inspection so there’s no excuse.
There’s so much more to know about leopard gecko care and creating the perfect leopard gecko habitat. I’ll be giving you more details in other articles to come but the key thing is to keep your terrarium clean, try to mimic a gecko’s native environment and most of all, have fun with it! Part of the fun of having a leopard gecko pet is working on their habitat. After a bit of practice it doesn’t take too long to clean out the terrarium and it can even be a weekly fun ritual if you have a friend or family member to help you out! I’ve seen some very creative, stunning terrariums and simple but stylist ones too, so it’s also a chance to exercise those creative juices!
Some useful websites about making a terrariums:
1. HOW TO MAKE A TERRARIUM: http://www.stormthecastle.com/terrarium/
2. HOW TO MAKE A TERRARIUM VIDEO: http://www.ehow.com/video_9374_make-terrarium.html
Here’s to your terrarium success!
