Many members have been asking about exactly what they need to have to get started in keeping leopard geckos. For people who are interested in entering the wonderful world of leopard geckos, we've generated a shopping list of things that you will need (and also not need) to keep your leopard gecko happy and healthy for years to come. This list is inspired by the Reptile Rooms forum members. Thanks to the knowledge and experience that our members bring to this forum, we've compiled this list and hope that it will help get you started.
LEOPARD GECKO STARTER SHOPPING LIST
- Minimum 10 gallon tank for one leo, preferably 20 gallon Long
- Good set of digital scales - sudden weight loss is often the first sign of medical issues, before other visible symptoms show
- Digital thermometer with probe and/or tempgun
- Minimum 2 dry hides (can be made or store bought)
- Humid hide (refer to this article for directions on construction)
- Water dish
- Mini dish for calcium dust (milk jug caps work well)
- Solid substrate
- For babies, papertowel
- For juvies and adults, reptile carpet, non-adhesive shelfliner, slate tiles
- Avoid particulate substrate like sand (any type), wood chips, coconut fibers, crushed wallnuts
- Heat source - Some options include:
- Highly recommend UnderTankHeater hooked to a thermostat
- Overhead heat lamp (fancy reptile basking light not necessary)
- A simple incandescent light is adequate
- Ceramic heat emitter
- Red bulb if you want heat and night time illumination
- AVOID heat rocks
- Feeder dust
- Pure calcium dust (no phosphorus, no vitamin D3)
- Calcium with vitamin D3
- Reptile multivitamins
What petshops may want you to buy but shouldn't
- Reptile packaged sand like calci sand or repti sand: contrary to claims, these are responsible for many impaction problems and fatalities
- Stick on dial and tape thermometers: very inaccurate, especially for leo enclosures where you want to measure substrate temps
- Special UV lights - leos are nocturnal and function perfectly well without special lighting
- Heat rocks-can develop hotspots that can burn your lizard
Finally, here is a link to a thread in the forum which gives you wonderful photos of our members' tanks. I'm sure they will be an inspiration for you and your leo's tank!
http://www.reptilerooms.com/forumtopic-14881.html
Good luck and enjoy your new leo!!
This article is a collaboration by the moderators of ReptileRooms.com
Copyright The Reptile Rooms ©2005
All images Copyright The Reptile Rooms ©2005 Unless otherwise noted.
