I have decided to do a care sheet based on the many questions I get asked regarding the care of leopard geckos, I hope you will find this way of doing a care sheet a easy to understand format.

Q. what do i need to keep a leopard gecko happy and healthy?

A. Listed below is a basic list of items needed to get started with.

• Vivaruim or tank ( minimum size 25" by 25" by 12" for one adult.)
•  Heat mat and thermostat
• Thermometer ( I use the aquaruim type glass one not plastic strip)
•  Chosen substrate/flooring
• calcuim powder (calci pure) OR you can use grated cuttle fish as a pure calcuim supplement.
• calcuim/vitamin powder (with D3) Nutrobal or Repton is fine.
• Live food
• Gutload ( food to feed the livefood on.
• Hide or cave
• Humid hide
• Water dish
• Calcium dish.

Q.  Do leopard geckos need height?

A. No leopard geckos can't climb and are a terrestrial species, they require housing which is longer rather than higher.

Q. Can i keep more than one leopard gecko in the same enclosure and can I keep males together?

A. you should never house two males together as they will fight and cause horrible injuries which can lead to death.however you can keep  a group of females together (2 or 3) and it's ok to keep a male and female together but bare in mind they will breed and he will continually pester her which will stress her out and so it's better to keep a group of females inless you want to breed.

Q. Do I really need a heat mat and is a thermostat necessary?

A. Leopard geckos like all reptiles are ectothermic and rely on a external heat source in order to regulate their body temperature. A heat mat provides the best source of heat and is best placed at one end of the viv or enclosure. A thermostat is needed to make sure a temperature of 88 to 90 degrees farenheight or 31 and 32 celsius is maintened down the warm end and to prevent the risk of the heat source failing and becoming too hot. I use a thermometer placed on the substrate to give a accurate reading.

Q.  What can I put on the bottom of the enclosure as a substrate?

A.  There are alot of different substrates which can be used and there are alot that i personally would not recommend below is listed whats good and whats not.

• Paper towels, kitchen roll (cheap and easy to clean,safe to use and comfortable to lie on.
• Newspaper (again totally acceptable although not very pleasing as a decorative substrate.
• Lino (safe and easy to clean)
• Slate/cork bark and drift wood will help to make you're geckos enclosure more attractive.

NOT RECOMMENDED AND WHY

• Sand especially calci sand due to gecko eating it and becoming impacted. calcuim should be provided seperatly and in a dish.
• wood chips/shavings risk again of impaction due to gecko eating it while trying to eat livefood.
• gravel and paper clumped granules again will cause serious blockage which will cause death.

Q. Do leopard geckos need UVA/UVB lighting?

A. No leopard geckos are nocturnal and therefore do not need it.

Q. Why do geckos need calcuim and vitamin D3?

A. Geckos require alot of calcuim in order to maintain strong bones and good growth, vitamin D3 aids in the absorption of calcuim which is why livefoods should be dusted once a week. Recommended powdered supplements are either NUTROBAL or T- REX 2:0, REPTON.

Q. Can I use crushed cuttlefish bone as a calcuim supplement and is it best to have a dish in the enclosure so the gecko can help himself?

A. Yes you can use crushed cuttlefish bone you can also buy calcuim ready to use CALYPSO OR CALI PURE. yes always keep a dish of calcuim in the viv so you're gecko can help themselves,they know when they need it and will readily help themselves.

Q. What livefoods do geckos eat?

A. Mine eat a wide variety of livefoods you can feed them on all or just one of these:

• Regular mealworms (I personally  only feed these  to my geckos and nothing larger definatley not marios).
• Black or brown crickets. (I don't feed these to my gecko's but that is down to personal choice)
• Locusts (hoppers) I introduce these to my babies when they are sub adults and my adults are fed these weekly.
• Lobster roaches
• Wax worms (not too many and mainly as a treat due to their high fat content.)

Q. How do i know if a live food item is too big to feed.?

A. As a general rule, food items such as  insects should not be more than the length, and less than half the width, of the lizard's head.

Q. When do i feed my gecko/geckos?

A. For steady growth and good weight maintenance, many leopard geckos owners and breeders keep a dish filled with mealworms in the enclosure  at all times. I dust the mealworms twice a week with Repton as a vitamin supplement. When adult this diet can be supplemented once or twice a week by offering locusts and the occasional wax worms.  Clean water in a shallow dish should also be kept in the enclosure.

Q. What does 'gutload live food' mean and why is it necessary?

A. All livefood must be 'gutloaded' ie. fed before being fed to you're gecko, by gutloading I mean to make sure all livefood have been fed for at least 24 hours before feeding to you're gecko.

For Crickets and Roaches you can use carrot,apple,orange,leafy greens as well as commercially bought PRO GRUB.

For mealworms I use bread, fish flakes,apple,orange as well as pro grub.

For locusts I use spring greens,spinach and broccoli.

wax worms do not need to be fed.

Q. Whats a hide and does my gecko need one.

A. A hide is a hiding place for you're gecko to sleep in during the day due to their nocturnal nature, you can make you're own by cutting a hole in a old margarine or tupperware tub or you can buy a commercially made reptile cave.

Q. Do I need a 'humid hide as well?

A. Yes leopard geckos shed their skin and in order for them to do this easily they require a humid hide which they can climb into, this helps the shedding process and helps prevent loss of toes. I use ECO EARTH moistened in a round tub with a hole cut in the top of the lid for my geckos to climb in and out of easily. You can also use damp paper towels,spagnum moss, vermiculite or pearl lite.

When you buy a baby from me I also supply the hatchling box, This box was used by me to successfully raise your'e baby in and i recommend you keep you're baby in this box during the quarentine period.

To help aid your'e baby to shed please use kitchen roll as the substrate and when you notice a ghost like appearence of the geckos skin please add a few drops of water at the back of the box to create a humid hide, once the gecko has shed you can they replace the kitchen roll with a nice fresh dry piece.

Q. How long do leopard geckos live for?

A. leopard geckos have a long life expectancy and can live easily upto 15 years or more, my first gecko is still going at 20 years old.

Q. do they make good pets and are they ok for kids?

A. leopard geckos make great pets, easy to look after and calm and docile and love being handled, a great first lizard for kids and adults alike.

Q. what does 'tail drop' mean?

A. Geckos can drop their tail by this I mean that if grabbed by the tail by a person or another gecko, the gecko will drop his tail in order to escape, although this looks nasty, you're gecko will be ok and it will heal up and grow again (although not quite the same as before).

Q. Is it cruel just to keep one gecko?

A. No it's not cruel as long as you dedicate some of you're time to spend with him/her during the day although it must be said leopard geckos seem to be highly addictive and not many have just 'one' for long. if you are busy alot you could buy another leopard gecko as company for each other.

I hope you enjoyed this question and answer care sheet and I hope i have answered most questions, however if you feel i need to add another then please get in touch and i'll add it to the page.