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Leopard Gecko Care Guide

Reptination editorial team · Reading time ~10 minutes · Last reviewed June 3, 2026

Is a leopard gecko right for you?

Leopard geckos are excellent beginner-to-intermediate lizards. They're hardy, manageable, and tolerant of brief handling. Their crepuscular activity pattern means you'll see them at dawn and dusk — they sleep most of the day. They don't need daily fresh produce like beardies. The main commitment is live insect feeding for the animal's lifetime and a 15-20 year horizon.

How big do leopard geckos get?

Adult leopard geckos average 7-10 inches in total length (about half tail) and 50-90 grams. Females are slightly smaller than males. "Giant" and "super giant" morphs can exceed 100 grams. They're fully grown by 18-24 months.

Lifespan

15-20 years is normal with proper care. Documented longevity exceeds 27 years. This is a multi-decade commitment — longer than many dogs.

Enclosure size and setup

Minimum adult enclosure: 36" × 18" × 18" (90 × 45 × 45 cm — roughly a 40-gallon breeder). Larger is increasingly recommended; 48" × 24" × 18" provides better thermal gradient and behavioral space.

Floor space matters more than height. Leopard geckos are terrestrial. Include at least three hides: one on the warm side, one on the cool side, and one humid hide (a plastic container with damp sphagnum moss) used for shedding and as a microclimate.

Substrate: tile, slate, smooth river rocks, or a tightly-packed mixture of topsoil/sand/clay (excavator clay) work well. Avoid loose calci-sand, walnut shell, or fine sand — impaction risk is real and high in young geckos.

Temperature

• Warm side surface temp: 90-95°F (32-35°C) measured at the surface, not air
• Ambient warm side air: 80-85°F
• Cool side: 70-75°F
• Night: 65-75°F. No heat needed unless room temperature drops below 65°F.

Traditional husbandry uses an under-tank heating pad on a thermostat. Newer recommendations favor a low-wattage halogen flood bulb (with a deep dome) on a dimming thermostat for natural overhead heat. Geckos thermoregulate behaviorally; overhead heat lets them basking-warm their dorsal surface as they do in nature.

Do leopard geckos need UVB?

This is a topic where the field has shifted. Older guidance said leopard geckos don't need UVB because they're nocturnal and synthesize enough D3 from dietary sources. Current research disagrees: leopard geckos are crepuscular, exposed to dim UVB at dawn and dusk in their native habitat, and benefit measurably from low-output UVB in captivity.

Recommended: Arcadia ShadeDweller ProT5 or Zoo Med Reptisun 5.0 T5 HO, mounted inside or above a screen top, positioned so the gecko at the basking spot sits in Ferguson Zone 1 (low UV index). Photoperiod 10-12 hours daily.

With UVB, you can reduce calcium-with-D3 supplementation frequency. Without UVB, dietary D3 must compensate, which works less reliably and is harder to dose correctly.

Diet

Leopard geckos are strict insectivores. Do not feed fruits, vegetables, or commercial "gecko diets" (those are for crested geckos).

Staple insects: Dubia roaches (best), crickets, black soldier fly larvae (calcium-rich). Variety/treats: hornworms, silkworms, the occasional waxworm (high fat, treat only). Avoid as staples: mealworms (high chitin, low nutrition), superworms (acceptable for adults occasionally).

Gut-load insects 24-48 hours before feeding with leafy greens, squash, and commercial gut-load. Dust insects with calcium (no D3) at most feedings; multivitamin with D3 once weekly if UVB is provided, twice weekly if not.

Feeding schedule:

• Hatchlings: 5-7 small crickets or equivalent daily
• Juveniles (3-12 months): every other day, age-appropriate prey
• Adults: 2-3 times per week, 5-7 large prey items per session

Prey size: no larger than the space between the gecko's eyes.

Handling

Leopard geckos generally tolerate gentle handling well. Start with short sessions after the gecko is established (1-2 weeks post-acquisition minimum). Never grab the tail — they can autotomize (drop the tail) under stress, which is a genuine welfare event. Support the body, scoop from underneath.

Common health problems

• Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD): From inadequate UVB and/or calcium. Signs: jaw deformity, soft bones, twitching limbs, weakness. Prevention is UVB + dusted insects.
• Impaction: From loose substrate ingestion or oversized prey. Signs: not pooping, lethargy. Emergency vet visit.
• Dropped tail: Stress-induced autotomy. Tail regrows but never identical to the original. Avoid grabbing the tail.
• Cryptosporidiosis (crypto): Serious parasitic infection. Causes severe weight loss despite normal eating ("stick-tail"). Often fatal. Always quarantine new arrivals; have new animals fecal-tested before introducing to existing collection.
• Egg binding (dystocia) in females: Even females not bred can develop infertile eggs. Provide a lay box. If a female appears swollen and is straining without producing eggs, see a vet.

Common leopard gecko husbandry mistakes

• Skipping UVB based on outdated advice. Current evidence favors low-output UVB.
• Mealworms as the staple diet. Convenient but low-nutrition. Use dubia roaches or crickets as the staple; mealworms are an occasional variety item.
• Loose sand or calci-sand substrate. Causes impaction in young animals. Use tile, slate, or compacted naturalistic substrate.
• Too-small enclosure. 10-gallon tanks are sold as "starter kits" but inadequate for an adult. 36" × 18" minimum; 48" × 24" is becoming the standard recommendation.
• Heat rocks. Cause burns. Use under-tank heating or overhead halogen.
• No humid hide. Required for proper shed; otherwise expect retained eye caps and toe-tip problems.
• Housing multiple males together. Males fight, sometimes lethally. Females may coexist in adequate space; even then, watch carefully for stress signs.
• Tail grabbing. Causes autotomy. Never reach for the tail.
• Feeding too many fatty treats (waxworms). Causes obesity and predisposition to fatty liver disease.

Where to buy

Reputable breeders are widely available. Big-box pet stores often have crypto-positive animals — a buying risk. Rescues often have healthy adults.

Related guides

• Crested gecko care — arboreal alternative
• Bearded dragon care — diurnal alternative
• All lizard guides

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