Leopard geckos are one of the most easy to care for lizards. This is because they don’t need a UV bulb, they don’t eat much and are low maintenance. IN the world, this is the most popular lizard as pets.
Housing
A single, maybe two leopards can be housed in a 3 footx1.5ftx1.5ft. But the bigger the better so there is more to hide to, play and climb wood or rocks.
Tank mates
Females may be housed together, 1 male to 6 females in a 4ftx2ftx2ft is sufficient. NEVER HOUSE MALES TOGETHER. They will kill each other or at a minimum injure each other.
There should be minimum 2 Hides in the tank, 3 if you include a HUMID BOX.
THEY NEED A HUMID BOX.
This is a box with moist peat, moss or vermiculite to assist shedding, this is not a option, they require this. They will spend most of their first 3 weeks in this box and after 2 to 4 sheds, willcome out more and hide elsewhere.
One hideshould be on the hot side, one hide should be on the cool side and the humid box should be in the middle slightly towards the warm side.
Hides can be caves, exo terra make awesome ones (I am not sponsored but if you can tell exo terra that I am endorsing them, maybe I can get free stuff)
Wood with caves, pots, rock formations, even ice cream containers or egg cartons, depends on how natural you want it to be.
Attached is my cage.
On the left is a cool cave, middle is humid box, right is wood and rocks forming shelter. 
Substrate:-
Sand:
There is much debate about this, most say sand will make them sick and is bad for them. Breeders have mixed opinions. The nz breeder uses a form of sand substrate and NO PROBLEMS at all. But some claim they have had impaction and death – reasons will be in supplementation section later. But if you use sand, you may take that risk and make sure you read the supplementation section.
Paper Towels:
Safest bet but ugly as helllll! Boring and really, sterile….. pakistans desert does not have paper towels… or do they?
Tiles:
Probably the best mix of hygiene and ease vs nice natural look. Make sure the tiles are rough and textured, NEVER SMOOTH. Make sure you fit them onto the tank and insects cant crawl under them and cause decay and smelliness. Also you don’t want the lep going under the times, it would surely crush its small tiny head.
Temperature
In Nature, the deserts drop down to very cold temps, of course this is captivity, some o them will die and get sick during the night, we want to avoid that and we don’t want the Darwinian principles considering we are paying a lot for these, so lets make it warm for them:D
Temps should generally be 20c (give or take 2degrees).
Tanks must have a hot and cool side.
Hot side must be around 28 to 25 celcius. The cool side 20 to 25.
Basking bulb is not needed, they don’t bask, they just get warm on ambient temps. Ceramic heater is probably best to have better cost long run.
Lighting
UV bulb or basking bulb is not needed. Fluro tube to show colours is nice, but if you want to put a reptile tube, this will only be good, but not needed. Doesn’t really make a difference. Apparently so long as they get d3 somehow.
Feeding
Diet
Leps are strictly insectivores. No veges no fruits. Mealworms, waxworms, moths, spiders, crickets and locusts.
Juvi
Juvies should be fed small to medium crickets, or small to medium mealworms. People say don’t feed mealworms till at least a few weeks old. But some say it doesn’t make a difference. Hotgeckos.com owner says he feeds his young ones mealworms from the get go, no ill effects ever.
Sub adult/Adults
All adults and sub adults can be fed medium crickets. Adults can be fed adult crickets. Really, adults crickets are fat and big, sub adults wont be able to swallow it. But you will be amazed, but why take the risk.
They will eat mealworms also which is a good cheap food. Waxworms is like candy for them, but fatty, so treats only. Occasional pinkie mice dusted or injected with liquid calcium or multivits.
Supplementation
Shedding
They will eat their own shed – when you see it itsw amazing, they curl up ripping their own skin off…. Its awesome. Needs a humid box always to shed. ALWAYS!
Breeding
I have not done this yet, so hopefully my pair is truly a pair.
But females can techinically breed from 12 months. Some say don’t do it
But some breeders say, if the female is fat, 45 grams up, they can breed. So long asyou pump them up with plenty of calcium, and multivits. Lots of food!
Males breed from 12 months also, some say that you should wait for 2 years, but some say it doesn’t make a difference.
If the female is TOO fat, it will be unable to lift it for mating. But for this to happen, this gecko has gotta be one obese gecko! Wow
Sexing
Sexing is easy, male have two bumps by the anus, and distinct pores
Females have no bump and really faint if not impossible to see pores.
Picture below
General comments:
Leopard geckos are gorgeous geckos, really entertaining, and the way they walk is like waddling. The look delicate when walking, like a graceful ballet dancer, waving its tail the opposite direction of its head. They stalk and when hunting, they will pounce on their prey and bite it. They are well camo’d, so if you have wood, its hard to even see them at times.
Colours differ.
Here in NZ, as far as I know we only have normal wild types, ranging from purple colours to slightly yellow to high yellow with purple in it.
My one is a yellow normal, not TOO yellow, he male I got seems to be more yellow on it.
Here is a pic of mine when it was 4 days from hatch.
Each picture is generally taken 1 week from the other.
All white and about to shed
5 mins after shedding
One week ago
Posing while drinking
These are the ones that i would probably give a kidney for.....maybe a lung too:)
