The leopard gecko is a ground-dwelling, crepuscular lizard from the rocky scrublands of Central and South Asia.
It is hardy, slow-moving and tolerant of gentle handling, which makes it a reasonable first reptile for a committed keeper.
Unlike most geckos it has movable eyelids and lacks adhesive toe pads, so it cannot climb smooth glass.
These geckos are long-lived, often reaching their late teens, so acquiring one is a real commitment.
They are quiet and low-odour and need only modest space, but they still require precise heating and a properly furnished terrestrial vivarium to thrive.
Housing
Provide a vivarium of at least 90x45cm floor area for one adult, larger if possible, with a tight-fitting lid and good ventilation.
Establish a warm zone with a basking surface of about 30-33C and a cool end around 22-24C, all controlled by a thermostat.
A low-output UVB tube (around 5-7%, T5 in a suitable enclosure) supports vitamin D3 synthesis and bone health and is now recommended despite older care advice.
Offer at least three hides: a warm hide, a cool hide and a humid hide with damp moss to aid shedding.
Use a solid or fine, particle-free substrate such as a bioactive soil mix or tile, especially for young animals or first setups, since deep loose sand alone can contribute to gut impaction.
Spot-clean daily.
Diet
Leopard geckos are strict insectivores.
Feed a rotation of appropriately sized live insects such as crickets, dubia roaches, locusts and black soldier fly larvae, reserving waxworms as an occasional treat because they are high in fat.
Gut-load insects and dust them with calcium and a vitamin/D3 supplement on a regular schedule.
Feed juveniles daily and adults every two to three days, offering insects no longer than the space between the eyes.
Always provide a shallow dish of fresh water.
Obesity from over-feeding fatty insects and metabolic bone disease from poor supplementation are the two most common diet-linked problems.
Health
A healthy gecko has a plump tail (its fat store), clear eyes, alert behaviour and a good appetite.
Watch for retained shed on the toes and around the eyes, which can constrict and cause infection; a humid hide and correct husbandry usually prevent it.
Tail loss is a defensive response, and the regrown tail differs in shape and colour.
Common ailments include metabolic bone disease, impaction, and respiratory infections from cold or damp conditions.
A wobbly gait, soft jaw or weight loss warrants a veterinary visit.
Use a vet experienced with exotics, as general practices may lack reptile expertise.
Temperament
Leopard geckos are calm and generally tolerant of handling once settled.
They are most active at dawn, dusk and into the night, so expect a quiet animal during daylight hours.
With patient, regular short handling sessions most become confident and rarely bite.
They are solitary and should be housed singly.
Males will fight, and mixed or same-sex groups frequently lead to stress, injury or competition over food and warm spots.
Keeping one gecko per enclosure avoids these problems.
Small geckos dehydrate and lose condition quickly, and the tail is the fuel gauge.
Go now
Tremors, weak grip, or a jaw that will not close properlyGo now. Calcium and D3 deficiency.
Now
Today
Tail visibly thinning in a species that stores fat thereWeigh, then call with the trend. The fat store goes before the body condition does.
Today
Stuck shed around the toes or over the eyesRaise humidity, offer a damp hide, and call if it is not clear within a day. Constricting shed rings cost toes. This is the most common avoidable injury in geckos.
Today
Refusing food with weight lossCheck the cool-end and warm-end temperatures, then call. A gecko that cannot reach its preferred temperature cannot digest.
Today
This is general guidance for a healthy adult, not a diagnosis. An exotics vet who knows your animal always overrides it — and the time to find one is before you need one.
Can a leopard gecko eat that?
Geckos split into two diets that share almost nothing: insectivores like the leopard gecko, and the fruit-and-insect species like the crested gecko. Check which one you have.
Never (13)
AlcoholNo safe amount at any body weight on this site.
never
AvocadoPersin.
never
CaffeineCoffee, tea and energy drinks. Cardiac and neurological toxicity at tiny doses for an animal this size.
never
ChocolateTheobromine and caffeine. Small mammals and reptiles cannot clear either.
never
CitrusAcidic, and it blocks calcium absorption.
never
FirefliesLucibufagins. Fatal to geckos.
never
GarlicSame allium toxicity as onion, and more concentrated by weight.
never
Insects larger than the gap between the eyesA recognised cause of impaction and neurological injury in small geckos. Size the feeder to the animal, every time.
never
LeekAllium family. Same mechanism as onion and garlic.
never
OnionOrganosulphur compounds damage red blood cells. The whole allium family is out.
never
RhubarbVery high in soluble oxalate, high enough to cause acute kidney injury. The leaves are worse than the stalks.
never
Salty or seasoned human foodSalt, oil and seasoning. Crisps, chips, seasoned leftovers and processed meat are all out.
never
Wild-caught insectsPesticides and parasites.
never
Rare treats (1)
WaxwormsVery fatty and habit-forming. Useful to get weight on a thin animal. One or two, rarely.
rare treat
Occasional (4)
HornwormsHigh water content; useful for a dehydrated animal. One occasionally.
occasional
Mashed fruitFor crested and gargoyle geckos only, and only as a supplement to a complete diet. Never for a leopard gecko. A small amount, alongside the complete diet.
occasional
MealwormsHard chitin and a poor calcium ratio. A leopard gecko fed only mealworms is a leopard gecko heading for calcium problems. A few alongside better feeders.
occasional
SuperwormsFatty. One or two.
occasional
Everyday foods (4)
Black soldier fly larvaeHigh in calcium, and readily taken. Several per feed.
everyday food
Complete crested gecko diet powderFor crested, gargoyle and chahoua geckos only, mixed with water. A complete food and the simplest way to feed those species correctly. Fresh, every other day, for fruit-eating species.
everyday food
CricketsStandard feeder. Gut-load for 24 hours before offering. Sized to the eye gap.
everyday food
Dubia roachesThe best routine feeder for insectivorous geckos. Sized no wider than the space between the eyes.
everyday food
That food is not on our list. Check which kind of gecko you have first — the two diets barely overlap — then ask an exotics vet.
Dust feeders with calcium to the schedule in the species guide, and keep a small dish of plain calcium available for insectivorous species.
Setup, monthly, first year and across a whole life, itemised and with the electricity worked out from the actual wattage. Published figures for the same animal disagree by a factor of four, so the calculator shows ranges rather than picking one.
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