How to Set Up A Leopard Gecko Enclosure

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Hey guys

Been a while, I’m here with my buddy Eric who wants to know how to set up a leopard gecko ENCLOSURE. So we did a bit of a google hunt and here’s an awesome video on that very same topic. Enjoy!!!



http://www.supremegecko.com We have been asked how we setup our leopard geckos so often, we finally put a quick video together to show everyone. Let me know if you have any questions.

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Why you shouldn’t house your leopard gecko on sand and why impaction happens | Video

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Take a look at this short but useful video about the dangers of using sand as leopard gecko substrate and what is impaction. This guy  (nickname Birdboy93) looks so young, but he knows his stuff when it comes to leopard geckos.

The video is only about four minutes long and it’s well worth watching

When it comes to the dangers of impaction for leopard geckos and the problems involved in using sand as a substrate, here are some key points to note:

Don’t listen to people who say it’s fine to house leopard geckos on sand. Even people at the pet shop might tell you, ‘it’s fine to house a leopard gecko on sand, they come from the desert, from the plains of Afghanistan and Iran’. It’s not true that geckos can be housed on sand. They come from dry-packed mud areas, rocky areas, even grassy areas.

What is impaction and what causes it. Leopard geckos have digestive fluids in their stomach. When the sand they accidentally eat goes into their stomach, it gets clogged up, just like when you mix water and sand. This causes impaction…or basically clogging up. This is serious, your leopard gecko can die if they are impacted for too long (I added that part in..it’s not in the video).

They probably won’t eat if they are impacted, but try mineral oil.

So sand is very bad. There’s a product out there called ‘calci-sand’ and it’s junk. It’s worse than regular sand for leopard geckos. They say it gives leopard geckos calcium which it might do, but it’s junk.It’s made for easy clean up, like cat litter. In fact, it’s designed to clog up so it’s easier to clean and that is the worse thing for your leopard gecko.

Try paper towels, newspaper or reptile carpet. Some people have concerns about reptile carpet..the fact it gets dirty, but if you wash it well it will last longer than other substrates you could use.

I think this video on leopard gecko impaction and the dangers of using sand as a substrate is worth watching even though it’s just the guy talking to camera so you don’t see any leopard geckos and it ends pretty abruptly but he’s got personality and the points are well made.

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More leopard gecko care | your leopard gecko cage temperature and using a thermometer

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This video, created by ExpertVillage talks about the temperature of your leopard gecko vivarium. The temperature is very important. You need to check the temperature inside your leopard gecko vivarium or habitat often…on a daily basis when you are first starting out, and then maybe once every couple of days or so or with a change in the weather.

You will need to check the temperature in two areas of the vivarium..the daylight area (hotter…where your heat pad is) and the night area (cooler). Ideally, have two thermometers. The video gives two sample thermometers..one slightly bigger. The great thing is that these specially made thermometers can show the highest and lowest temperature during a particular time frame, so you don’t need to check it all the time, just once a day. You need a temperature of around 95-100 degrees fahrenheit in the hotter areas and around 80-85 in the cooler areas. The range of temperatures is called the temperature gradient…from hot to cold.

Hope this helps. Ensuring your leopard gecko is not too cold and not too hot, and has two different areas, one hot and one cooler to go to will help greatly in its well being and health. It’s worth investing in two thermometers..they are inexpensive, available online or from any good pet store and can save stress and discomfort.

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Is your leopard gecko sick?

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Leopard geckos make great reptile pets. They look stunning, have different and sometimes fun personalities, are pretty easy to look after if you know what you’re doing and don’t cost a lot of money to keep compared to say a dog or a larger lizard. However, having a pet leopard gecko does require care, just like any other pet, reptile or otherwise and you need to keep an eye out for any signs that your leopard gecko is sick or unwell.

One of the clearest indicators of a potential problem is when your leopard gecko pet stops eating. A couple of days without food is okay, leopard geckos do not eat every single day. But if they refuse food for five days or more, you need to look into what’s behind it.

Another sign of potential problem lies in the leopard gecko’s tail. Their tail should be a good ‘meaty’ size. If your leopard gecko’s tail appears to shrink and they become skinny and inactive (sleeping a lot and only moving to find another spot to sleep again).

Most of the problems that affect geckos are brought about by malnutrition or bad nutrition, stress, parasites, impaction (bowel obstruction) or an accident.

What do you do when your leopard gecko gets sick? First, if your leopard gecko is housed with other geckos or reptile pets then carefully  remove her immediately to a separate area just in case of infection.

Be sure never to house your leopard gecko on sand. This can cause digestion problems so put your leo on something solid such newspaper or paper towels or reptile carpet. Clean the cage carefully and see if there’s anything dangerous that has been accidentally left there such as some cleaning product that was not removed, or sharp/broken object. Check the temperature of your vivarium and then call a vet as soon as possible and describe the problem as precisely as you can. Try to find a vet who specializes in reptiles. If the vet recommends you take the gecko in for a proper inspection, take a sample of its pooh if possible.

Prevention is always the best cure, so make you know the basics of leopard gecko care if you have or are considering getting a leopard gecko as a pet.

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Leopard Gecko Care Tips : sample leopard gecko housing

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Here’s another YouTube video, also from a young boy by the youthful sound of his voice but it’s cute and interesting at the same time. He takes you on a tour of his leopard gecko vivarium…showing the rocks, heating pad, water.

Here are some key tips when it comes to creating the perfect leopard gecko housing

  • Have water available 24-7
  • Have a cooler and a hotter area of your vivarium so your leopard gecko can cool herself down or warm herself up as required.
  • You can decorate your leopard gecko housing with rocks you’ve picked up from outside but be sure to clean them thoroughly. The rocks you’ve bought from a reputable pet store have usually been well cleaned.

Many thanks to Kpilot786457 for producing this video. Although it’s been filmed hand-held style on a little mini-camera, I’m always curious to see other people’s leopard gecko housing, so I think it’s worth a view from that point of view. Happy viewing!!

By there way, here’s a link to another video showing some extremely unusual leopard gecko housing, including the use of an old iphone box as a shelter!

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Background info about leopard geckos. Leopard geckos are one of the oldest and most primitive forms of gecko

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SOME BACKGROUND INFO ABOUT LEOPARD GECKOS It’s always useful to know a little bit of background into your chosen pet. This way, you can understand why they act in a certain way, or why they prefer one type of habitat to another. Leopard geckos are one of the most early and primitive forms of gecko. They are part of the Eubleparidae subfamily. This means that that they are terrestrial animals which means that they live on the ground rather than in trees or in houses.

Leopard geckos are distinctive in part because of their moveable eyelids. Look closely at your gecko pet, notice how the lower lid moves up, instead of both lids moving, or the upper lid moving down. That gives their eyes their popular hypnotic quality and is one of the reasons for their popularity..you can just stare at them for hours.

These geckos originated from parts of Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan, even reaching into the north-west part of India. The conditions can be harsh in these areas, with a lot of wind, including fierce whirlwinds, intense heat and lack of water.

Because of the fierce heat and conditions in their native habitat, leopard geckos used to sleep mostly in the day to avoid the heat. They take shelter and protection under rocks, stones or ledges.People think they come from desert areas, but in fact it’s mostly dry mud areas and even low grassy regions too.

They come out at night to eat small insects and worms.


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Leopard gecko care | housing | creating the best leopard gecko habitat

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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!

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Leopard gecko housing | vivariums, terrariums and aquariums. What’s the difference anyway?

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Ok, most of time I just call it Leopard Gecko Housing, but officially you can use the term terrarium or vivarium for your leopard gecko dwelling.
TERRARIUM
This is a container or enclosure for housing either living plants or small animals. It’s often transparent (glass or plastic..bytheway glass is a slightly better option for leopard geckos) to let the sun and/or heat in and usually has plants in it, like a mini-garden. What’s the difference between an aquarium and a terrarium? An aquarium comes from the term ‘aqua’ meaning water so it looks like a water-based mini-world, and a terrarium looks like a land-based mini-world.
VIVARIUM
Like a terrarium but a vivarium usually contains an animal such as a lizard. Terrarium can contain just plant life. In Latin, vivarium literally means ‘place of life’. So by the way an aquarium is a form of vivarium.  Don’t worry…the terms can be interchanged when talking about the typical leopard gecko housing these days.

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How to breed Leopard Geckos. Useful video

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Isn’t Youtube the best?! Ok so there’s a lot of mindless rubbish on YouTube, but if you select carefully, there can be some genuinely useful videos too.

Oggiereptiles is someone I follow on Youtube for great leopard gecko tips. He’s super helpful with a down-to-earth, non-salesy style. And if there’s something you particularly want to know about, you can request via youtube and Oggiereptile might create a special video just for you and your particular queries. The video below is about breeding leopard geckos.It runs to about 10 minutes but it’s an easy viewing experience (despite the handheld camera!)

I recommend you view the video in its entirety and he opens up cages, boxes etc so you can see each part of the process in action.

To breed a leopard gecko in your own home, you’ll need:

1. A healthy male leopard gecko and a healthy female leopard gecko (I’m stating the obvious…but still!!). A male leopard gecko can mate with up to 7 females. Make sure the female gecko is healthy and robust enough. Only pick the healthiest females. You might want a slightly fatter one. Look for a particularly fat healthy tail. If they’re skinny, just leave them for a few weeks and get them nicely fattened up and super healthy.

2. A place the female can lay her eggs..you can buy egg laying boxes as seen in this video. The more females you have the more egg-laying boxes you’ll need and bigger ones too. Line the boxes with vermiculite. Vermiculite is a natural mineral that expands with heat and is the best insulator for leopard gecko eggs

3. A heat map: you should have one of these anyway if you’re keeping leopard geckos. Lay your egg boxes on this heat map and warmth is key for the eggs

4. More calcium as the female leopard gecko loses a lot of calcium in the breeding process

5. More vitamins and food: for the same reason as above.

6. Some patience, love and attention!

During breeding the male leopard gecko will bite the female on the neck, move their tail around and do their thing.

You’ll know they they have laid when you look in the egg box (do this gently) and you’ll see the vermiculite has been pushed to one side. Have a gentle prod and you’ll see the eggs in the mound.

The female will have a tell-tale bulge when she is carrying an egg, but she might re-absorb the egg if there’s a problem such as a lack of vitamins.

After the female leopard gecko has laid the eggs you should  fatten them up again with plenty of vitamins and minerals.

You don’t need to buy an expensive incubator, OggieReptiles has been breeding successfully with a basic cage bought from a local pet store. But an incubator can help provide more accurate temperature regulation which is useful if you want to have control over the gender of your leopard gecko. More females are hatched when the temperature is 80-84 degrees fahrenheit, 84-86 gives you a mix of males and females.

Keep the eggs in vermiculite, being careful not to turn them or harm them in any way.

After 45-90 days they should hatch. They are tiny little things that will hiss and bite initially but will grow out of it. Loads of babies can be housed together. Just make sure you give them lots of vitamins and minerals. After two-three weeks when they are strong enough, you can sell them. Albinos are worth slightly more than normals to most pet stores.

But OggieReptile makes a good point that you shouldn’t be breeding leopard geckos unless you have a place to sell them before hand. Or you want to keep them yourself. If you do find a good pet store willing to pay, then you can make fairly decent pocket money from breeding leopard geckos. It’s pretty simple when you have the tools and a little bit of experience. There’s a lot more in the video, so I’ll leave it to you to watch and enjoy.

Stay subscribed because I will be scouring the likes of YouTube, vimeo and other video sharing sites to get you the best leopard gecko care videos.

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Unusual, simple and must-watch leopard gecko set-up. How to use an iphone case to create a leopard gecko habitat

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This leopard gecko breeder on YouTube (the interestingly titled “checkoutmyballs305″) always has interesting videos about his collection of leopard geckos All of his stuff is worth watching.

His set-up is uber simple. Newspaper as a substrate, plastic stacked drawers as the terrarium or housing (watch the video, at the beginning he does state that the set up isn’t perfect as it doesn’t have air holes so he had to create an attachment).

Now the fascinating thing is the different, simple and effective hides he uses. From yoghurt pots to iphone boxes!! He does a tour of his leopard gecko collection from super hypo tangerine carrot tails, albinos, trempers, bell albinos…he has a pretty big leopard gecko collection.

The video ends with a quick show and tell of his ball pythons. Stunning colors, huge and really fascinating stuff too. Check it out..