Leopard Gecko Care

Leopard geckos are members of the subfamily Eublepharinae (which derives from the Latin Eu meaning good/true, and blephar meaning eyelid). The possession of a “true eyelid” distinguishes members of this subfamily from other geckos. Leopard geckos are one of the easiest reptiles to breed. Leopard geckos are carnivorous and eat crickets, worms, locusts, and “pinkie” mice, among other things. In captivity they need crickets, or other food to be coated in vitamin and calcium powder.

It is best to only handle your gecko a couple of times a week. Leopard geckos adapt well to captivity and have been known to live 20-30 years. They are not highly susceptible to health problems, and seem to enjoy being handled. Leopard geckos do not need a fluorescent (UV) tube, as they are nocturnal, but low UV wave emitting bulbs can be used during the daytime. The geckos are not very active then anyway. The UV bulbs help the lizards produce Vitamin D and calcium.

Leopard Geckos are nocturnal, which means they are active at night. Most of the time they hide during the day. Leopard geckos need clean water every day and they need to eat roughly every two days when young and at least once a day when older. Leopard geckos do need some exercise but they get some when they try to catch a cricket so try to get fast ones.

Leopard Geckos have eyelids, which is quite very rare for Gecko species, and seems to give them more of a ‘personality’ when it comes to physical appearance. Leopard geckos can climb so you would be best to get a glass terrarium. Leopard geckos must be kept in the right environment to prevent health problems. They should be energetic and bright-eyed and have a fat reserve around the base of the tail.

Leopard Geckos are considered among the easiest lizards to start the hobby of caring for reptiles, although they are a bit more costly in initial cost and setup.

Leopard geckos are also commonly sold under the name of Indian or Pakistani fat-tailed geckos. Scientific literature also commonly refers to the leopard gecko species as the spotted fat-tailed gecko.