Frequently Asked Questions
There are lots of very passionate and differing opinions on the internet. People are successfully keeping their animals one way and think that it’s the only way, but I believe there are multiple ways to keep the animal safely. Below are my most frequently asked questions, with answers based on my experience and how I keep my animals.
What size tank should I have?
We ship our juveniles young, so they would be comfortable in a 10 gallon for a while, but I recommend getting a 20 or 40 gallon for them to grow into. A 20 gallon is the minimum I recommend for a single adult. If housing more than one adult together – i.e., multiple females or a breeding group (do not house males together!) – I would recommend a 40 gallon.
Is substrate bad? What should I use?
Substrate is natural. The biologist in me wants to replicate the wild as much as I can, so I chose to use substrate whenever I can...except for stressed or sick animals, or weak hatchlings because I want to monitor their poops closely and/or because some stressed, sick, or hungry animals will eat things they should not. For substrate, I almost exclusively use excavator clay and moistened sphagnum moss in their humid hide, but I sometimes use ReptiSoil or a 50:50 mix of reptisoil and excavator for laying and digging. For excavator, I use it to secure structures and as a hard base layer. To secure any climbing structures I use moderately moistened and well-packed excavator. For large ledges, I pack the excavator around aluminum wire mesh for reinforcement. I also lay down a thin layer along the bottom of the whole tank and mist it thoroughly so that it is moistened all the way through. Then I let it dry out for a day before I add the gecko(s); I check that all structures are secure before adding the gecko(s). The thin layer on the bottom ends up being a pretty compact substrate, but they can still dig in it and it will absorb some water during misting to help keep some humidity in the tank, which helps with sheds! Excavator is a natural clay that you can mist lightly without damaging the structures, but it does not form a new indestructible material, like concrete, when mixed with water and left to harden. It will erode over time so you will need to do maintenance.
But won’t substrate cause impaction?
Substrate is natural. My opinion on impaction is that if the animal is impacted something else is going on and we need to reevaluate the set up or treat an ailment. It is almost always caused by dehydration or low heat. And because of that, it’s the food that gets impacted and things build up behind it. Sometimes an impacted animal will intentionally eat substrate, making the condition worse, and I do not know why. But, if hydration and heat are good, the animal should not get impacted (parasites, stress, and excess hunger are an exception). In the wild these animals are on substrate and incidental ingestion of a few particles is natural and not a concern, the animal should pass it very easily; just like when we eat corn, the outer layer is not digestible and gets passed right through us. Sometimes hungry or stressed animals will eat moss, then pass it or regurgitate it. I only use paper towels or something similar if there is a health concern.
How many hides should I provide?
I like to provide at least 2 hides and additional branches or cork. I always provide 1 warm, humid hide that I mist down daily; I use Zoo Med’s ReptiShelters with their New Zealand sphagnum moss. The other hide I leave dry and place on their cool side; I use Zoo Med’s Habba Huts. The branches/cork provide some additional cover and you’d be surprised how much they like to climb! For climbing branches, I use any of Zoo Med’s wood and cork products except Spider Wood because it is too slick for them to grip and climb.
How much water do leopard geckos need?
I always provide a water dish and access to a humid hide. I also lightly mist the tank daily because they like to drink off the walls and decor. Their food can become impacted if they are dehydrated (or too cold).
What about heat and lighting?
This is definitely the most confusing topic and takes the most time to understand! To simplify, we want to replicate natural sunlight indoors. There are 3 main components from that we need:
1. Heat - for metabolism, food digestion (this is the most intuitive, and most important!! Always provide this, always have backup heat sources in case yours goes out)
2. UVA (Ultra Violet A) - this is just another color reptiles can see, like red, green, or blue for us. In order to see a color in objects, it needs to reflect off of objects. If there is nothing emitting this wavelength of light, it will not reflect and therefore not be visible. Normal ambient household light will not emit this wavelength of light. Almost any reptile bulb that emits full spectrum visible light will, including any UVB bulb, halogens, and any incandescent.
3. UVB (Ultra Violet B) - for D3 production and calcium absorption
Is providing a visible light source okay?
Absolutely, it is essential during daylight hours. There are a lot of people who think you should not provide visible light because they are nocturnal animals. While they are mostly active at night, they would not be in the dark 24/7 in the wild and need light to regulate their sleep cycle/circadian rhythm. I see mine come out quite often to bask during the day. (Albinos can be an exception to this, as they are often photosensitive).
I think what is important is providing them options to regulate themselves. So, while I do provide visible lights, they have many options to avoid the light if they wish. I personally provide an overhead heat source that provides full spectrum light during daylight hours (I have mine set up with Alexa to follow sunrise and sunset in my area). Some of the heat bulbs I use are daylight blues, basking spot lamps, halogens; whatever is available or cheapest at the time. They all work well to produce heat and full spectrum visible light (including UVA which reptiles see as another color).
I’ve heard I should provide a heat gradient?
Yes. While basking heat is important, if the rest of the tank is too cold, the animal will stay in that one spot for too long and burn itself. You want to make sure there is a heat gradient (a warm and cool side) and the ambient air in the tank is warm enough, not just concentrated in one spot. For that reason, I always provide a secondary heat source (some summer days are an exception to this - I don’t have AC!). I use this secondary heat source as a nighttime heat source in the winter as well (or all year if necessary), so I always pick a secondary heat source that produces low or no light. Under tank heaters (either side mounted or under the tank with lots of airflow), ceramic heat emitters, deep heat projectors, or red lights are all great options. Larger tanks may need additional heat sources.
Wait. Did you say red light? Aren’t red lights the devil’s work?!
Researchers have investigated and found that red lights at night to do not disturb the sleep or the circadian rhythm of leopard geckos. The technology of incandescent heat bulbs makes them short lived, so I tend to avoid the red bulbs for that reason only. Ceramic heat emitters and heat projectors are my go-to because of their long lives, but red bulbs are cheap so I always have them on hand as backup bulbs. Red light wavelengths do not blind geckos. Red is just a color within the visible light spectrum and will not damage their eyes. Full spectrum lights emit a rainbow of colors, including red.
What temperature/wattage do I need?
For wattage, it will depend a great deal on what temperature your home is so you may have to play around with it at first or use a thermostat. Always monitor the temperature throughout the year, as your home temperature will change with seasons and you may need to adjust wattages.
You want to aim for the warm side to be 78-85 degrees and provide a basking spot of about 90-100 degrees. I use at least 2 thermometers, one on the warm side to check ambient warm temperature and a thermometer with the probe in the warm humid hide (because this will be where they spend most of their time). I aim for 80-85 degrees for this hide.
For a larger tank, I like to put another thermometer on the cool side to make sure it’s not too cold and they’re not avoiding it. You may need to provide another heat source on this side if it’s getting too cold.
If using a thermostat or rheostat to maintain temperatures, these should not be used with any self-ballasted UVB producing bulbs. However, thermostats and rheostats are great for incandescent bulbs, ceramic heat emitters, undertank heaters, and deep heat projectors. It is important that you are aware of where the probe is, however. Some people forget about the probe, leaving it on the outside of the tank, measuring the temperature of the home, the bulb continues to heat, heat, heat, not knowing the temperature in the tank is rising; if using a high-wattage bulb in this situation, you can serious harm an animal…be aware of the probe!
Do I need UVB?
I will always use UVB for my breeders because it helps with calcium absorption and laying females have a large requirement for calcium. However, there is research that all Leo’s can benefit from it, so I may start providing UVB to everyone soon. With UVB, you always want to provide shelter from it. Animals are pretty good at regulating themselves as long as you give them all the opportunities. Leopard geckos are Ferguson Zone 1 animals. If you want more information on that let me know, it can be very complicated for those new to the wonderful world of reptiles and I’m happy to help! People have been keeping Leo’s without UVB and only supplementing with D3 with no issues.
What should I feed and how often? What about supplements?
Mealworms (or superworms for adults) and crickets (small for babies and large for adults) are my go-tos. Superworms are easier to keep, but are high in fat and easy to over feed. Crickets are low in fat and a great opportunity for exercise hunting for the speedy insects. Variety is great, so we will sometimes treat with black soldier fly larvae, roaches, and especially hornworms (they go nuts for hornworms!). All of our babies know how to hunt and tong feed.
For supplements, I like having my Calcium without D3 and my vitamins with D3 because you will use that a little less often than the calcium. Reptiles need a calcium to phosphorus ratio in their foods of 2:1. The only feeder insects that have this ratio are black soldier fly larvae. All other insects will need to be supplemented to correct this. I like to feed 2-3 times a week for adults. 1-2X calcium, 1X with ReptiVite. The 2:1 ratio is a goal for the overall diet. When supplementing calcium, you are likely to offer more calcium than necessary, so skipping some feedings without supplementation is OK, as long as it is not long term. Vitamins 1X a week is important, but many vitamins are fat soluble, and the animal can overdose on them. Do not over do it with vitamins. Calcium is water soluble and can be excreted if they offered too much.
I feed non-breeding, fully grown adults, on average, either 12 large crickets a week or 6 superworms a week. Make sure to split these values into 2-3 feedings a week, do not feed too much at once, or you gecko may have trouble digesting and regurgitate the meal. If the gecko’s poops are not fully digested, where you can recognize the feeder insect, you may have fed too much at once (or your temperatures are too low). Keep an eye on your gecko’s tail, this is how you can tell body condition and they are often overweight. You may send me pictures if you have questions!
What is bioactive and should I do it?
Bioactive is super fun! I do that for all of my tropical tanks (my gargoyle and crested geckos). I’ve tried to do bioactive in my adult leopard gecko tank, by just securing the climbing structures with excavator then using a half soil, half excavator mix for the rest of the tank. They enjoy digging in the looser substrate, especially when laying, but I haven’t been able to keep any succulents alive long term :(