Congratulations, you've decided to get a leopard gecko or otherwise known as a Leo, one of the easiest of all gecko species to keep, not to mention one of the most beautiful.
But even though leopard's have a well-deserved reputation for being ' easy ' you need to get your new pet off to a good start with the proper leopard gecko habitat. The proper habitat will feel like home to your new pet, enabling him to live a long, happy and healthy life.
And the best part is it's not hard to set it up at all. Are you ready to set up your leopard gecko habitat?
The Housing
The perfect leopard gecko habitat starts with the aquarium. A single Leo will need an aquarium that's about 10 to 20 gallons. Now, many people are tempted to buy aquariums that are too big or too small to be leopard gecko habitats.
While the disadvantages of having a too small aquarium are obvious, the disadvantages of having a large aquarium are usually not so obvious.
If the habitat is too large, then your gecko will not feel comfortable in it. In some instances, a single Leo in a very large aquarium cannot find their favorite basking and hiding spots. This will not only upset your gecko but the stress will eventually make him quite ill.
Just remember when shopping for your perfect leopard gecko habitat, look for one that is between 10 and 20 gallons that is more long than tall. Leo's cannot climb glass, so a tall skinny aquarium gives them practically no room at all.
Flooring/Substrate
Now it's time to talk about the flooring, or substrate, of your leopard gecko habitat. Like a hamster, leopard's need some kind of 'stuff ' on the floor so they're not walking on pure glass. This helps contain the waste and makes a leopard gecko more comfortable. (They hate walking on glass).
However, the flooring that works for hamsters will not work for your leopard gecko habitat. Traditional hamster floorings like wood chips/shavings/sawdust will actually make a leopard gecko, very sick. While some people use sand, it's not going to be recommended here due to the risk of impaction. (Impaction means that a gecko eats it and it impairs their ability for normal bowel movements).
The best kind of flooring to use is artificial turf designed for geckos. Artificial turf creates no dust, and since it is non-abrasive, it's easy on a gecko's sensitive skin.
Lights/Temperature
Being reptiles, and gecko cannot "regulate" his own temperature, so it's important to provide a nice warm leopard gecko habitat. The optimal temperature for this would be between 80 to 85 °. Also, inside every leopard gecko habitat there needs to be a basking spot.
This is a spot where the gecko goes when he wants to get really warm. This basking spot should have its own separate heat source; usually a light designed for reptiles and is usually between 90 °. At night, Leo's like it a little cooler, around 70 °. This can be accomplished through a combination of heat, lights and under tank heaters.
Now, since it can be hard to parsed "regulate" the light/dark cycle for your leopard gecko habitat, and the timer is suggested so it will turn the light brighter and lower at regular intervals. (That way you won't have to worry about it.)
The optimal day night/cycle for Leo's are 14 hours of light to 10 hours of dark in the summer, and equal parts (12 hours) of day and night in the winter. Yes, your gecko will notice if there is no winter.
It's important to use only the lights designed specifically for reptiles as they re-create the filtered sunlight that is available to the gecko hiding under all that brush. Whereas if you try this using 'natural light ' like you do for humans or fish aquariums, it will soon prove too strong for your gecko.
Decorating
So now you have the perfect habitat right? Not yet, there's something wrong. It's empty. Just like people, geckos want to play. They don't want to stand around all day in an empty aquarium. It's time to put your interior design skills to work and decorate your leopard gecko habitat.
In the wild, and the leopard would be happily crawling around rocks, logs, and plants. There might be a waterhole for him to dip in when he gets too hot, and lots of places to hide and bask. You can actually re create this in your own leopard gecko habitat, by filling it with smooth rocks, logs and plants. They make artificial versions of all of these, usually in ceramic or plastic.
The artificial versions are recommended over the natural ones because a rough rock can actually hurt your gecko, while some plants and the logs are actually poisonous. Your gecko won't care about the difference, and you'll appreciate a that he's safe. Just remember to have something with a large enough hole that he can crawl into and leave a "flat spot" under the light for basking.
Conclusion
So now you have the perfect leopard gecko habitat. This will not only make your leopard happy and healthy, but he'll be more fun then as you watch as he goes in and out of all the fun little spaces, basks in the light, and just does all the fun things that the geckos.
Enjoy your new pet; you've created the perfect home for him.
Chris Newell is a film longtime gecko owner. Chris has developed a website designed which aids fellow gecko owners in the correct way to implement new and advanced care techniques.
If your interested in learning more, or simply just grabbing page after page of valuable leopard gecko information then take a look at the website. http://www.leopardgeckoinfoonline.com/
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