Leopard Gecko Habitat Setup

Leopard Gecko Habitat
by DFS
Though Leopard Geckos are some of the easiest lizards to care for, it is still very important that you set up their habitat properly. They have unique housing requirements that must be met if you want to maintain their overall health and well-being. The following tips will help you provide your Leopard Gecko with a healthy, safe, and enjoyable home.

Dome lamp and black or red reptile bulb or ceramic heater Mesh or screen top Thermometers and a hygrometer Artificial plants Moist hide box, filled with damp moss or Eco-Earth Dishes for water, mealworms, and calcium powder Cage Carpet or another gecko-safe substrate Under Tank Heater (UTH) if needed to maintain proper temperature Shelter or hideaway (at least one per gecko)

Enclosure/Cage
The best terrariums for Leopard Geckos are those that are long and shallow. The minimum size for one Leopard Gecko is 10 gallons, and you will need to increase the size of the terrarium if you have multiple lizards. A pair will need a 15-gallon tank, and three or four lizards will need at least a 20-gallon tank.

Wire cages are not acceptable. Leopard Geckos must be housed in glass terrariums for their safety and to prevent them from escaping. Unlike some other geckos, Leopard Geckos cannot climb glass very well. The terrarium should have a wire mesh lid that provides proper ventilation and allows light through.

The substrate that you use should be non-abrasive and non-irritating to your Leopard Gecko's sensitive skin. It should be something that you can easily clean and replace, and it should not create any type of dust. Improper use of substrate can result in infection, respiratory problems, and toxic reactions. Substrates to avoid include cedar, pine, hardwood chips, gravel, cat litter, sawdust, and corncob bedding. Safe substrate that you can use in your Leopard Gecko's enclosure includes artificial turf, paper toweling, and newspaper. Many people use sand as well, but there have been some instances of problems, including ingestion of the sand and sand in stools. If you are using sand and you see any problems developing, switch substrates immediately.

Landscaping, Furniture, and Plants
The items that you put in your Leopard Gecko's cage will help to make his environment as natural as possible, and the more elaborate the setup, the more you will encourage your gecko's natural behaviors. Things like rocks and logs will create a natural living space as well as provide him with places to climb and exercise. Live or artificial plants can be used to provide more hiding areas and a more natural feel, but they are not necessary. If you wish to use a live plant, choose carefully - by researching the plant or consulting a veterinarian - as some plants can be toxic to reptiles.

Every Leopard Gecko enclosure needs areas for three things: Hiding, activity, and basking. Hiding areas consist of commercial hide boxes, overlapping rocks, inverted clay pots and sections of curved bark, and any other shelter that supplies your gecko with a place to sleep and conceal himself. There should be at least two hiding areas, and the more geckos you house in one terrarium, the more hiding spots you will need.

Activity areas are open areas where your gecko can climb, exercise, or just move around. You can place smooth rocks and wood in these areas to facilitate climbing.

Basking areas can be a flat, smooth rock or wood under a light, and there should be at least one spot per gecko. The more geckos you have, the more basking spots you will need.

When creating the above areas, there are certain materials that you should not use. Avoid using sharp or abrasive rocks, as they can injure your Leopard Gecko's skin if he rubs against it during shedding. Cedar and other resinous woods should also be avoided, as they are toxic to Leopard Geckos.

Temperature
Leopard Geckos are "ectothermic," meaning that they cannot produce their own body heat, so they need supplemental heat sources. Their tank should be approximately 80° to 85°F during the day, and the basking area should be about 88°-90°F. Nighttime temperature should be in the 70s. To ensure that your gecko's enclosure is the proper temperature, use a thermometer.

However, the area outside of the basking spot should not be a uniform temperature. Leopard Geckos practice "thermoregulation," meaning that they will move into hotter or cooler areas to raise or lower their body temperature as needed. The terrarium should consist of several different temperature gradients, and there should be at least one hide in each gradient.

Primary heat sources are used to maintain the overall temperature throughout the cage, and they can include heat tapes, under tank heaters, and overhead heat sources.

Secondary heat sources are used to create hot spots (such as basking areas) within the cage, and they can include red or black basking lights.

Light
It is important to recreate natural light cycles when setting up your Leopard Gecko's habitat. During the summer, they should have approximately 14 hours of light following by 10 hours of darkness. During the winter, they need shorter daytime periods of about 12 hours of light followed by 12 hours of darkness. To achieve the desired photoperiods, we recommend that you use automatic timers. Changes between summer and winter photoperiods should be made gradually.

Lights that you can use include black heat lamps (day and night) and red lamps (day and night). Since Leopard Geckos are nocturnal and dislike bright light, the use of UV bulbs is not necessary. In fact, if exposed to bright white light, the Leopard Gecko may become stressed. Make sure there are plenty of areas in the terrarium throughout the various temperature gradients where your gecko can hide and get out of the light. All light bulbs should be placed outside the terrarium above the lid.

Humidity
Leopard Geckos have very specific humidity requirements to encourage proper shedding cycles and prevent dehydration. A high humidity level can leave your gecko more susceptible to infections. The ideal humidity level should be 40% or lower, and you should monitor it using a hygrometer. Leopard Geckos require "humidified shelters" or a "moist box" to help facilitate shedding. These moist hideaways can be created by lining a shelter or box with moist substrate, such as sphagnum moss, peat moss, damp soil or other products.

Cleaning
Keeping your Leopard Gecko's habitat clean is an important part of maintaining a healthy habitat. Daily chores include:

• Remove waste, debris, dead feeder insects, and shed skin.
• Remove and clean any objects that have fecal matter on them.
• Clean and disinfect water bowls.
• Remove and replace soiled substrate.

Weekly chores include:

• Clean and disinfect enclosure thoroughly.
• Clean and disinfect interior items such as decorations, feeding and watering items, and any other items in the terrarium.
• Replace soiled substrate.

Avoid using cleaners that contain phenols or pine scents, as these are toxic to your gecko. If you are unsure of what products to use or how to use them, consult your veterinarian.

Because Leopard Geckos are nocturnal, the best time to clean the enclosure is at dusk or during the early morning hours. This will prevent you from disturbing their natural sleep cycles and causing unnecessary stress.

Water
Leopard Geckos need constant access to clean water. Provide water in a flat, shallow bowl, and change it daily. If there is fecal matter or drowned feeder insects in the water, change it immediately. Avoid using deep bowls, as this will limit your gecko's access to his water as well as present a drowning hazard to both your gecko and the feeder insects you give him.

Housing Multiple Leopard Geckos
Male Leopard Geckos are instinctually very territorial, so you can only have one male per enclosure. Females can be territorial as well, but it isn't as common as in males. If you plan to house multiple Leopard Geckos, be sure to purchase multiple females or multiple females and one male. Always watch them for signs of territoriality and aggression, and set up the habitat in such a way that it provides multiple hiding and activity areas. Because housing multiple geckos requires more space, we recommend a terrarium no smaller than 20 gallons for three or more geckos.

For a complete selection of Leopard gecko Supplies check out our website at http://www.thereptileking.com, don't forget to enter to win an Exo Terra Cameroon habitat kit and live reptile!

Leaf Tailed Geckos

LEAF TAIL GECKOS
(Uroplatus species)
Origin: mainland Madagascar and surrounding islands.
Family: Gekkonidae

The leaf-tailed gecko family has nine members ranging in size from 30cm to 8cm. This cryptic gecko has excellent camouflage skills making it “blend” in to its natural environment of the rain forests of Madagascar. Larger members of the genus have beards and fringes around the whole body. When at rest laying head down on a mossy or lichen covered branch are almost impossible to see, the beard and fringes are flattened to the branch creating a perfect match and avoiding any shadow being cast. Small members have tails mimicking leaves, bodies resemble dead leaves and twigs. Overall this species is a master at disguise. Large eyes help this nocturnal species hunt its prey, large mouths are capable of tackling over sized prey. The common leaf-tailed gecko has more teeth than any other lizard on earth. After a night’s hunting an individual will often return to the same resting place, reports of lichen covered branches with bare patches where the geckos rest are reported. Color change is possible and most dramatic at night, some specimens can be stunning in colors of lichen and mosses from pinks to oranges, on the other hand some can be dull patterns of browns.

This species is totally adapted to life in a primary rain forest, so cryptic are their disguises species and sub-species are still being discovered today. The locals are afraid of them and refer to them as the devil. When disturbed larger members of the species especially Uroplatus fimbriatus stand up open mouthed and let out a large hiss, to an observer I can imagine a branch “coming to life” and hissing at you would be disturbing.

In captivity a tropical rain forest set-up is required heavily planted with lots of climbing branches. I would highly recommend live plants & mosses planted in a peat substrate, as high humidity is required. As with all highly humid vivariums air circulation is essential to avoid stagnant air. This species does not like it hot and will dehydrate quickly if kept so. A temperature range of 75-80°F is ideal remember this species will not move during the day unless disturbed, so it will hopefully settle in a thermally comfortable place itself. Water requirements are critical especially when dealing with newly acquired specimens. Re-hydration is critical and should be done as a priority, once settled they usually adapt well to drinking from a dish at night, regular sprays are essential. To stimulate drinking gentle airflow in the water dish works well. Food can consist of all suitably sized commercially produced live foods, and hedge sweeping, remember to only collect from areas you are sure pesticides have not been used. Nectar may be licked.
On a final note after you have carefully made your “rain forest”, marveled at your achievements and settled your gecko in, it will probably rest all day on the glass doors! A happy, hydrated leaf-tailed gecko of the following species should be resting head down with a completely flat tail: U. fimbriatus, U. henkeli, U. sikorae.

The species:

Common leaf-tailed geckos Uroplatus fimbriatus This species is as its name suggests the most common species on Madagascar, and the largest. Occurring along almost the length of the east side, in primary rain forest. Attaining a total length of almost 30cm this is one of the biggest geckos in the world. It can be distinguished from other large species by its amber eyes with vertically striped pattern. Usually two eggs are laid in leaf litter and take 90 days+.

Henkles leaf-tailed geckos Uroplatus henkeli This is one of the most variable colored species. Specimens can range from almost completely white to stunning oranges and pinks, with all the mossy colors in between. Attaining a total length of 25cm it is slightly smaller than the common leaf-tail and differences can be seen in the eyes. This species usually has pink eyes with little or no markings. Usually two but up to four eggs are laid on the forest floor where they take 90 days+ to hatch. This species is found in the north west of the island.

Mossy leaf-tailed geckos Uroplatus sikorae This species is one of my favorite, smaller than the before mentioned species reaching a total length of 18.5cm. Resembling a lichen or mossy branch some species have “twig” like pimples and bumps. Occurring on the on the east coast and northern tip on off shore islands. A sub-species is recognized on the island of Nosy boraha U. s. sameiti, difference in the sub-species can be determined by the inner coloration of the mouth U. sikorae has a black mouth whereas U. s. sameiti has a flesh colored inner mouth. Again usually two eggs are laid and hatch after 90 days+.

Lined leaf-tailed gecko Uroplatus lineatus This species occurs in the north east in bamboo forest. As its name suggests it has several longitudinal brown lines on the body and head, on a yellow background. Reaching a length of 25cm its quite a large gecko, the inner mouth is black in color, its tail is slim compared to the above species and is used in display, waving it slowly. In captivity bamboo canes work well.

Satanic leaf-tailed geckos (American name) Uroplatus phantasticus This is a stunning species reaching a total length of 9cm, its range is the central eastern side of the island. This species mimics to great success a dead leaf, its whole body resembles a curled up leaf, its tail leaf shaped. This is a truly amazing gecko. Coloration can be brown/grey to amazing yellows, green, oranges, and pinks. Called the Satanic leaf-tailed geckos as this species looks like it has “horns”, and some specimens have red eyes. Two eggs are laid and hatch after 60-70 days.

Nosey be leaf-tailed gecko Uroplatus ebenaui Found at the north western tip of the island, and surrounding islands. This species is similar to U. phantasticus but slightly larger in body, with a very small tail. Again this species mimics dead leafs well and can be very hard to spot even in captivity. Two eggs are laid and take 60-70 days to hatch.

The following species are very rarely imported, if ever and are locally rare in Madagascar.
Uroplatus alluaudi Only known from the type locality.
Uroplatus malahelo discovered in 1994 and only known from two specimens.
Uroplatus guentheri West coast.

Overall this is a wonderful gecko to keep and hopefully breed, not that common in collections, its unusual appearance gives it a certain appeal.

Tokay Gecko Info

Common Name

Tokay Gecko

Scientific Name

Gekko gecko

Wild Distribution

Tokay geckos have a wide range and are native to Northeast India, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, New Guinea and the Philippines. The Tokay gecko has also been introduced as an invasive species to Belize, Florida, Texas, Hawaii and some Caribbean islands.

The natural habitat of this arboreal gecko is the trees and cliffs of the tropical rain forest. They can often be found dwelling in and around human settlements where they can find easy shelter and are often valued for their insect pest control.

Description

The Tokay gecko is the second largest gecko in the world. Adult males can reach 12-14" in total length. Female Tokay geckos are slightly smaller averaging 8-10" long. An adult tokay gecko averages 5-7 ounces in weight, but particularly large males may achieve weights closer to 11.5 ounces. Hatchling tokay geckos start life at 3.5"-4" and reach breeding age in 9-12 months, but it may take up to 2 years for a tokay gecko to reach is full adult size. Male tokay geckos are a blue-grey body color with spotting that varies in color from redish-orange to whitish-yellow. Females tokays are a grey body color with the same spotting and generally not as brightly colored as the males. Both sexes have the ability to lighten and darken their skin to some degree to help them blend into their surroundings.

Lifespan

Wild Tokay geckos have an average lifespan of 7-10 years. In captivity, Tokay geckos can live up to 20 years with proper care.

More info

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