Leopard Gecko's Husbandry - June 28th, 2009

The leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius) are undoubtedly the most kept reptiles in the world. Their manageable size, docile temperament, ease of care and exist in many colors and patterns make them desirable as ideal pets for anyone looking to purchase their first reptiles. The animals that most of us are keeping today are very different from the ones in the wild. Therefore their captive requirements may differ in order to make them thrive in one’s collection. In this article, I will be sharing the information on leopard gecko's husbandry based on what is being practiced here in my facility - The Gecko Shop (TGS). My main aim is to provide novice and advanced reptile keepers with useful information required to care this wonderful reptile in captivity.

Housing – One of the vital components that contribute to the popularity of leopard geckos comes from their simple care requirements. In my facility, each individual animal is being housed in a plexi-glass enclosure, equipped with a secure, well-ventilated plastic top. The main reason to this is due to the visibility of the enclosure that allows me to view occurring events without directly interfering with my animals, so that stress could be kept to a minimum level. Each enclosure is self-sufficient. It is equipped with a moist box, a water bowl, a hiding area, a food bowl and a calcium bowl. The dimension that I am currently using is 17 inch (Length) X 10 inch (Width) X 6 inch (Height). The enclosure is lightweight, making it easier to clean compared to other heavier materials such as glass terrariums. It exists in many appropriate sizes to accommodate a wide variety of needs and also durable. The secure plastic top that comes together with the enclosure helps to deter any possible “escape attempts” by curious and wandering animals. It is also able to provide ample supply of fresh air into the enclosure through its openings, thus preventing any stale air condition that could promote the growth of mold and in the end affect the health of my animals. Another reason is that it would be easier to monitor the growth of each of my animals and I would be able to respond to emergency situations more effectively, compared to when each animal is being kept in a community setup. From my experience, it is harder to spot a non-feeding or sick animal in a community compared to when each is being kept in its own individual enclosure. Keeping one specimen in a designated enclosure will ensure faster response during the time of need, especially when the animal is sick. Thus ensuring a more prosperous and healthier bloodlines in the collection. I believe that “a healthy leo is a happy leo!”

Substrate – There are a variety of substrates used by hobbyists. These substrates include artificially or naturally made substances. Some of these artificial substrates used include paper towels, newspaper cuttings or even reptile carpets while some of the natural substrates include play sand, calcium sand or even clay. Choosing the correct substrate to use is vital for ensuring the longevity of your leopard gecko’s lifespan. Whatever the substrates may be, I am sure that hobbyists are trying to provide the best naturalistic yet practical setup without the risk of illnesses (such as impactions) to their animals, as a result from using the wrong substrates. In my opinion, wood shavings such as from pine or cedar do not make a good substrate. This is because wood shavings could easily be ingested with food items and can cause problem with the animals’ gastrointestinal tract. Wood shavings are also known to be toxic to reptiles and may lead to permanent neurological damage. In contrast, I have decided to apply A4 size papers as substrates for all of the animals in my facility. I use 4 pieces of A4 size papers and fit them nicely to cover all of my enclosures’ floors, leaving no room for any “rogue” urine or feces made by my animals. Once the papers are soiled, I will simply take them out from the enclosures, discard and replace with new pieces as necessary. From my observation, A4 size papers are better because it is absorbent, inexpensive and easily replaced when soiled. It is also lightweight, makes feces become more transparent and of course looks cool yet professional. Nothing makes your animal to stand out more in its own enclosure compared to when it is being housed with a few pieces of white A4 size papers. But the most important reason would be due to its practicality and ease of maintenance. A4 papers are very practical and easily maintained because I can just replace them in a jiffy where they will fit nicely into my animals' tanks, will not cause the intestinal impaction problems mentioned with wood shavings or sand, will be easier to acquire and of course will look nice and simple. And I like to keep things nice and simple, especially when I have so many of them. Simple is best!

Shelter – Animals in general need shelter for sense of security. Reptiles such as leopard geckos are included. In the wild, nocturnal creatures such as leopard geckos seek shelters in a form of tin cans, rock crevices or burrows to retreat, hide and to feel more secure. Therefore, I believe that we need to provide such environment in captivity too. I have seen many hobbyists used a variety of items to form a shelter for their animals. These items include artificial caves, wooden boxes and tupper-wares. Here at TGS, I am using cut styrofoam containers that are commonly used for packing food. This item is easy to acquire at your local convenient stores. It is cheap, easy to adjust and fit into your animal’s enclosure. It is so cheap that I don’t even bother to wash and re-use. Why bother when you could just throw away the spoiled one and simply replace with another at a near zero cost. And that's exactly what I do. I just take the spoiled ones, throw them away and simply replace with brand new ones. I don’t think you would dare to do such as thing to a more expensive counterpart such as an artificial cave or rock. Styrofoam containers are also lightweight, thus preventing any risks of injuries to your animals. Heavier shelters may accidentally injure or crush your animal when displaced. Whatever the price or type of shelters it may be, as long as the objective is achieved, I am sure our leopard geckos will appreciate it.

Feeding – Leopard geckos are active hunters that feed mostly on a variety of invertebrates (Vosjoli et. al). Their feeding responses are triggered by their prey size and movement. Common prey items include mealworms, waxworms, grasshoppers, locust and roaches. For many, the easiest method to feed leopard geckos is through the available commercially-raised insects. Here in TGS, I am concentrating on three different types of insects to feed my animals. These insects include mealworms, superworms (giant mealworms) and crickets. Mealworms (Tenebria molitor) are mainly used in my facility to be fed to neonate and juvenile sized leopard geckos. Neonate means newly hatched leopard geckos that are a few weeks of age. I will usually provide them a handful of mealworms in a reachable container and replace or add more as needed. They are first gut-loaded (with vegetables or fruits) and dusted (with vitamin D3 and calcium powder) prior to be given to my animals. Superworms (Zoophobas sp.) on the other hand are mainly used to feed the adult and breeder leopard geckos in my collection. Similar practice to feeding mealworms is being used. Last, I offer crickets to my animals two to three times a week. Crickets (Acheta domesticus) are usually offered daily to animals that do not feed on anything else. The active movements of crickets seem to attract even the most stubborn of leopard geckos. Those which do not feed on worms will usually start to jump and feed on crickets almost immediately upon offerings. Similar to the previously insects, I will gut-load and dust the crickets prior to feeding my animals. This practice is to ensure that my animals get the best from their food, even if they are merely insects. I do not however, feed my animals with wild caught insects to avoid any bacterial contamination to my colony. From my observation, animals that tend to free-feed on everything especially mealworms or superworms tend to grow larger and faster than the ones that primarily eat crickets. Therefore, mealworms or superworms have become a “staple” diet in my colony.

Handling – Here at TGS, I try to limit handling my animals. This is to avoid them from being stressed, which in the end may suppress their immune system and lead to other serious illnesses. At most, I will usually touch them during cleaning, sexing or checking for follicle developments or health. Even so, many will usually get tame down with such practice, thus making further handling simply unnecessary. Proper care must be taken before one touch a leopard gecko. I practice judicial force whenever I touch my animals. Leopard geckos do not appreciate being restrained. Such action may suggest that they are under threats and therefore may retaliate by biting the hand that is holding them. Although small, a fully grown leopard geckos may cause injuries, especially to young children. But most of the time the level of injury is usually superficial and non-life threatening. I do not handle my animals in odd environments such as in public places. This is to avoid unwanted attention that may result in a conflict by those who do not understand them (leopard geckos). It is also recommended not to handle a leopard gecko at high places. Such high places may include holding them while you are standing. Leopard geckos are active creatures. They will usually not hesitate to run for cover whenever they perceive some actions as potential threats. Such action may result in your gecko to jump off you hand and fall hard on the floor, and eventually cause it to either lose its tail, or suffers from internal bleeding and organ damage and eventually die. Nothing is worse than to see your animals to re-grow distorted looking tails or dying in agony. Being gentle is the way to go with leos.

Quarantine – No matter how healthy a recently bought leopard geckos may look, I will quarantine any new animals and separate them prior to introduction to my established colony. This is to mitigate any risks of infectious disease from being transmitted to the healthy and established animals and wipe out the entire colony. Such diseases may include mouthrot (Ulcerative stomatitis) and crypto (Cryptosporidiosis sp.). Unlike the former, crypto has no known cure. Once infected, the animal is as good as dead. The only humane method is to euthanize it immediately before it infects the others in the colony. Once infected, a keeper may have nothing left in their collection except for empty cages that were previously used to house many animals. This is an important practice in order to prevent diseases from spreading to your other animals or perhaps even to you. The period of 30 to 60 days works well for quarantine. If I found the newly acquired gecko is adjusting well to its captive conditions, then it is probably does not have anything that could harm the rest of my animals. Therefore, I will usually deemed them as fit to be introduced to the established animals in my collection.

The above are some of the methods on how I do things at TGS. The article is merely for guidance and should not be considered as mandatory. It is in my opinion that the writing is a complete care manual for the interesting and fascinating leopard geckos and their relatives such as the African Fat Tail geckos. I do hope to further illustrate on more issues regarding to the husbandry of leopard geckos but all that will take place in due time. I do hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing about them.

Regards