What does a leopard gecko need?

A leopard gecko grows up to 25 cm (10 in) long and can live up to 20 years in captivity. It needs a long, low vivarium with a warm end, a cool end and dry air.

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Enclosure size

For one adult, RVC asks for at least 36 x 18 x 18 in (91 x 46 x 46 cm), the biggest of the three sources. RSPCA’s minimum is 60 cm long, 30 cm deep and 40 cm high, and it adds that the vivarium should be as large as possible. VCA gives a 10 gallon tank at least 6 in (15 cm) high.

A 10 gallon label is far short of RVC’s size: Aqueon’s 10 is 20¼ x 10½ x 12⁹⁄₁₆ in outside. Even its 40 Breeder, 36³⁄₁₆ x 18¼ x 16¹⁵⁄₁₆ in, is about an inch under RVC’s 18 in height. Zoo Med’s 40 gallon terrarium is exactly 36 x 18 x 18 in. Exo Terra prints its 90 x 45 x 45 cm terrariums as 36 x 18 x 18 in, but 90 cm is 35.4 in, a little under. More on why gallons don’t tell you the floor size.

Keep one gecko to a vivarium. RSPCA says leopard geckos don’t need company and can even be aggressive.

Heat and light

• Basking spot: 28–30 °C (RSPCA) or about 32 °C (RVC).
• Cool end: 24–26 °C (RSPCA) or about 25 °C (RVC).
• Night: not below about 20 °C (RVC). RSPCA turns the heat off at night unless the room drops below 18 °C.
• UVB: a 2–5% tube, UVI 0.7 in the basking zone (RSPCA), or a low output lamp such as 6% (RVC).

Every heat source goes on a thermostat. For a heat lamp, RSPCA puts a dimming thermostat’s probe above the substrate and checks the basking zone with a digital thermometer. Guard heat and UV lamps so the gecko can’t burn itself, and run them on a plug-in timer, 12 hours on and 12 off. VCA advises against hot rocks inside the tank, which can create hot spots.

If the room drops below 18 °C at night, RSPCA adds a heat mat under half the base of a glass vivarium, on an on/off thermostat set at 30 °C, or a ceramic heat lamp that gives off no light, set at 18–20 °C. See heat lamp vs heat mat.

The sources disagree on how much UVB. RSPCA aims for a UV index of 0.7 in the basking zone, falling to zero in the shade, while Arcadia, a lamp maker, suggests 2 to 3. VCA says UVB isn’t required but is recommended. Mesh blocks some UVB, so a taller vivarium or a mesh lid may need a stronger lamp. See UVB strength explained.

Substrate, humidity and hides

Keep the humidity at 30–40%, read with a hygrometer. A second hide with a waterproof bottom and damp moss gives the gecko a humid spot.

For a healthy adult in a well set-up vivarium, RSPCA uses a mix of about half organic soil and half sand: clean children’s play sand or reptile sand, never builder’s sand, which can be sharp. Leave out calcisand, beech chips and other non-natural loose substrates (RSPCA), and coarse sand, corncob and crushed walnut shells, which VCA says can be swallowed and block the intestines.

Everyday diet

Leopard geckos eat live insects: crickets, calciworms and locusts, each no bigger than the gecko’s head. Mealworms are for moderation, and waxworms and morio worms are occasional treats because of their fat.

RSPCA feeds juveniles daily and adults every other day; VCA gives juveniles every 1–2 days and adults 2–3 times a week. Dust the insects lightly just before feeding and keep a small dish of plain calcium powder in the vivarium at all times. RVC alternates a calcium powder with a vitamin and mineral one.

Reptiles can carry salmonella. Wash your hands before and after handling the gecko or its equipment.

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