Leopard Gecko Care Sheet: The Ultimate WNY Herp Society Guide

If you’re looking for a clear, trustworthy Leopard Gecko care sheet, you’re in the right place. This WNY Herp Society–style guide distills current best practices, no fluff, just what works. You’ll learn how to choose a healthy gecko, create a safe enclosure, dial in heat and humidity, feed correctly, and spot problems early. Whether you’re setting up your first habitat or refining a seasoned routine, use this as your go-to reference.

Species Snapshot, Selection, And First-Week Checklist

Leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius) are hardy, ground-dwelling lizards from arid regions of Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. They’re crepuscular, long-lived (15–20+ years in good care), and famously beginner-friendly, when you set them up right from day one.

What To Look For When Choosing A Gecko

Pick an animal that’s alert, with clear eyes, a rounded tail, and steady movement. Nostrils should be open, no wheezing or bubbles from the nose, and no stuck shed around toes. Check the vent for cleanliness (no swelling or dried feces) and the mouth for pink, healthy tissue. Ask the seller what it’s eating now and the frequency: a good source will be specific. If you’re choosing between morphs, prioritize health and lineage over color.

Quarantine And Initial Wellness Check

Quarantine any new gecko for 60–90 days in a simple, easily cleaned setup in a separate room if possible. Use separate tools and wash hands between animals. Weigh your gecko on arrival and weekly afterward to establish a baseline: a kitchen scale in grams works great. Schedule a reptile vet exam, especially valuable if the gecko is wild-caught, rehomed, or showing soft stool, weight loss, or wheezing. Ask your vet about a fecal test for parasites.

First-Week Setup And Monitoring

Keep things calm. Handle minimally while your gecko learns the new routine.

• Confirm thermostat is controlling your heat source and that your warm hide surface is 88–92°F.
• Offer the same feeder insects it’s used to: switch gradually.
• Provide a humid hide from day one.
• Check water daily: replace with fresh, dechlorinated water.
• Log feedings, stools, and weights. Consistency now prevents guesswork later.

Enclosure Setup And Habitat Design

Tank Size, Layout, And Hides

For a single adult, a 20-gallon long (30 x 12 in) is a practical minimum: 30–40 gallons give you better gradients and enrichment. Prioritize floor space over height. Plan a warm side and a cool side, with at least three hides: warm (directly over heat), cool (away from heat), and a humid hide. Include low clutter like cork, slate, and sturdy branches for confidence-building cover and exercise.

Safe Substrates And What To Avoid

Safe, simple options: slate or ceramic tile, sealed stone, paper towel for quarantine, or reptile carpet (washable). Many keepers also use compressed soil/clay mixes designed for arid reptiles once husbandry is stable. Avoid loose sand, calcium sand, and sharp or dusty substrates that raise impaction or respiratory risks. If you go naturalistic, pack substrate firmly so feeders can’t burrow away and your gecko has solid footing.

Enrichment And Bioactive Options

Leopard geckos explore more than people expect. Add varied textures, smooth tile, rough slate, cork tunnels, and small ledges. Rearrange décor occasionally to spark curiosity. Bioactive setups can work when done carefully: use arid mixes, drainage barriers only if needed, drought-tolerant plants, and an isopod/springtail crew that tolerates low humidity pockets. Even bioactive enclosures still need spot cleaning and periodic soil refreshes.

Heating, Lighting, And Humidity

Temperature Gradient And Thermostats

Leopard geckos regulate by belly-warming on hot surfaces. Provide a surface temp of 88–92°F inside the warm hide, with the cool side around 72–78°F. Night drops to 68–72°F are fine for healthy adults. Always run heat through a thermostat and verify with a digital probe thermometer placed on the warm hide floor. Infrared temp guns are great for spot-checking surfaces.

Heat Sources: UTH Vs. Overhead Heat Lamps

Under-tank heaters (UTH/heat mats) excel at creating a belly-warm zone. Pair with a thermostat and a heat-safe hide floor like slate or tile. Overhead options, ceramic heat emitters or deep-heat projectors, can supplement ambient temperature, especially in cooler homes. Avoid bright white basking bulbs at night and skip colored bulbs: they can stress geckos and disrupt their day-night rhythms. Many keepers combine a UTH for surface heat with a low-watt overhead source to stabilize air temps.

Light Cycle And Optional Low-Level UVB

While leopard geckos don’t require intense UVB like some diurnal lizards, low-level UVB can support vitamin D3 synthesis, appetite, and overall tone. A 2–5% UVB bulb (T5 or T8) mounted above a mesh lid with access to shaded areas works well. Offer a 12-hour light cycle to mirror seasons: if you use room lighting, keep it consistent. Always provide hides that let your gecko choose shade over light.

Humidity, Shedding, And The Humid Hide

Ambient humidity of about 30–40% suits them, with brief spikes during shedding. A dedicated humid hide, filled with damp sphagnum moss or paper towels, prevents stuck shed, especially on toes and tail tips. If shed sticks, don’t peel dry skin: increase humidity, offer a lukewarm, shallow soak for a few minutes, and gently roll off loosened bits with a damp cotton swab. Persistent shedding issues often point to low humidity, insufficient heat, or nutritional gaps.

Diet, Supplements, And Feeding Schedule

Staple Feeders And Occasional Treats

Build your menu around nutritious, easy-to-source insects: dubia roaches, crickets, and mealworms. For variety, add black soldier fly larvae, silkworms, or hornworms. Reserve high-fat options like waxworms and superworms as treats. Offer prey no wider than the space between your gecko’s eyes to avoid choking and encourage smooth digestion.

Juveniles typically eat daily: subadults every other day: adults 2–3 times per week, adjusting for body condition and activity. A healthy tail should be plump but not ballooned.

Gut-Loading And Calcium/D3/Vitamin A

Feed your insects well 24–48 hours before they become dinner. Use dark leafy greens, squash, carrots, and quality commercial gut-loads. Dust most meals lightly with plain calcium carbonate. If you don’t use UVB, add calcium with D3 1–2 times per week: if you do use UVB, reduce D3 to about once every 1–2 weeks to avoid excess. Include a multivitamin containing vitamin A (preformed or beta-carotene) about twice per month. More is not better, over-supplementation can cause issues.

Hydration, Water Dishes, And Feeding Tips

Keep a shallow water dish on the cool side and refresh it daily. Many geckos prefer to hunt at dusk: tong-feeding can help you monitor intake and avoid loose feeders chewing on your pet. Remove uneaten insects after 15–20 minutes. If your gecko is newly settled, feed smaller amounts more often until its routine is predictable.

Handling, Behavior, And Routine Care

Taming Techniques And Stress Signals

Go slow. Start by offering your hand as a platform inside the enclosure: let your gecko walk onto you rather than being picked up. Keep early sessions under five minutes and end on a calm note. Always support the body and never grab the tail, leopard geckos can drop it when frightened. Signs of stress include rapid tail twitching, vocalizing, glass surfing, persistent hiding, or refusal to eat. Reassess temperatures, traffic, and lighting if you see these.

Cleaning And Maintenance Schedule

Spot-clean feces and shed as you see them. Rinse the water dish daily. Wash and rotate décor regularly: disinfect with a reptile-safe cleaner and rinse thoroughly. For simple setups, do a full deep clean monthly. In naturalistic or bioactive enclosures, remove waste promptly, trim plants, stir or replace compacted areas, and refresh leaf litter. Replace the humid hide media weekly or sooner if soiled.

Seasonal Changes And Brumation Notes

Many leopard geckos slow down in winter as daylight shortens. Unless you’re breeding, you don’t need to force brumation. If you choose to cycle, do it only with healthy adults, after a vet check. Reduce feeding two weeks prior, ensure the gut is empty, and gradually lower temps and light. During any seasonal slowdown, continue to offer water and monitor weight: significant loss means it’s time to warm back up and call your vet.

Health, Lifespan, And When To See A Vet

Common Issues And Prevention

• Metabolic bone disease: from poor calcium/D3 or inadequate UVB. Prevent with correct supplementation and a proper thermal gradient.
• Stuck shed: usually from low humidity or insufficient heat. Provide a humid hide and confirm warm-side surface temps.
• Impaction: linked to loose substrate or oversized/too many mealworms. Use safe substrates and appropriate prey sizes.
• Respiratory infections: cool, damp conditions and drafts are typical culprits. Keep air temps stable and humidity moderate.

Red Flags Requiring Immediate Care

See a reptile vet promptly for wheezing, open-mouth breathing, swollen eyes, a prolapse, visible bone loss, sudden tail shrinkage, black or bloody stools, or refusal to eat for more than two weeks in an adult outside of known seasonal slowdowns. Pain, severe lethargy, or failure to shed toes are also urgent.

Fecals, Parasites, And Biosecurity

Parasites are common in new or stressed reptiles. Collect a fresh stool sample in a sealed bag for your vet, ideally within 12 hours. Annual fecals are smart: twice yearly is better if you keep multiple reptiles. Maintain strict biosecurity: quarantine newcomers, use dedicated tools per enclosure, and wash hands before and after handling. If one animal tests positive, treat under veterinary guidance and disinfect enclosures thoroughly.

Conclusion

A solid Leopard Gecko care sheet should make your daily routine easier, not harder. Set the foundation, safe substrate, three essential hides, a thermostat-ruled warm zone at 88–92°F, clean water, and a thoughtful feeding plan, and you’ll avoid 90% of problems before they start. From there, refine: add low-level UVB if you choose, rotate enrichment, track weights, and schedule routine fecals. Do the small things consistently and your gecko will repay you with decades of calm, curious company. And if something feels off, trust your notes, check your temps, and call a reptile vet early. That’s the WNY Herp Society way: informed, prepared, and kind to the animal.