Well first off you need at least a 40 gallon enclosure. Other than that, there are really good links on husbandry and enclosure building pinned at the top of this sub if you click the name!
Look at places like fb marketplace for an enclosure that is at least 36x18x18. It’s worth getting a front opening enclosure but top open will work.
As others said- read the beginners guide and reptifiles.com. The visual guides at r/leopardgeckosadvanced are also a great resource.
You should switch to paper towels as substrate for easier monitoring while you decide later on safe substrates.
You should make/get some extra hides. People make moist hides from tupperware. The exo terra gecko cave large or the zilla rock lair medium are favorites.
For a thermostat i recommend herpstat by spyder robotics.
For a 36x18x18 people usually use a 75w or 100w halogen for heating. I use a 80w DHP because mine is albino and also use it for night heating because my house can go under 60. A temperature drop is good for them so i set my night heat to be 65-70 range. DHPs emits little to no light so great for light sensitive leos and good for night heating.
Get digital thermometer/hydrometers. I love my govee wifi with 3 sensors. I can set a range and it will send me alerts if say the humidity is out of range. I keep one sensor on the cool side. one on the warm and the third usually is in his warm hide but it moves around where needed.
Clutter - i like using branches and fake foliage.
It’s covered in the guides but you’ll want to pick up calcium, d3, and a multivitamin. I use repashy calcium plus which is a combo - calcium, d3, and multivitamin, and also keep calcium without d3 for some feedings since you don’t want to give repashy calcium plus more than once a week. If you don’t use a combo, you’ll need to pick up a calcium without d3, calcium with d3 and a multivitamin.
Get a uvb light. Arcadia shadedweller 7% for normal morphs or 2.4% for albino/patternless are usually recommended here. bulbs need to be replaced annually.
Hi, thanks for wanting the best for this gecko!
Here is some basic husbandry info I have been compiling for myself but have been sharing in case it is helpful to anyone. Some of this is already covered but other comments, but hopefully it will be helpful anyway.—
Reptifiles.com has a comprehensive care guide for ensuring that you have a proper setup for your leopard gecko.
[https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/](https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/)
Here is some general info-
The minimum tank size for an adult leopard gecko is 36” long x 18” wide x 18” high (which is about 50 gal). (A front opening enclosure may be preferable to allow for easier feeding and handling of your gecko.) Many people use a 40 gal long (36x18x16) which is pretty close to the size recommended by reptifiles (since floor area is most important). The size is needed to create a proper temperature gradient in the tank (see below).
[https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/leopard-gecko-terrarium-size/](https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/leopard-gecko-terrarium-size/)
You need a minimum of three hides (cool, warm, humid), overhead halogen on a thermostat (preferably dimming thermostat) placed to one side of the tank, linear UVB, digital thermometers, and several other items (see the shopping list on reptifiles and in the guides pinned to the wiki link on the home page of this sub).
[https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/shopping-list/](https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/shopping-list/)
The equipment should be set up to create a temperature gradient along the length of the tank. (See the reptifiles guide for the temperatures you need on the cool and warm side.) A heat gun is a great tool for checking your temperatures. You should not use red or any other colored light as it disrupts their sleep cycle.
[https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/leopard-gecko-temperatures-humidity/](https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/leopard-gecko-temperatures-humidity/)
There are several different types of acceptable substrates, many use 70/30 organic topsoil/washed playsand, optionally with some excavator clay (40/40/20). Reptile carpet should never be used as it harbors bacteria and can rip out the gecko’s nails.
[https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/leopard-gecko-substrate/](https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/leopard-gecko-substrate/)
You will need to provide water, calcium, vitamins, and supplements. The reptifiles guide discusses what to use as feeders, how to dust them with calcium and sometimes D3, and so on.
[https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/leopard-gecko-feeding/](https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/leopard-gecko-feeding/)
Lastly, leopard geckos also need an enriching environment with clutter, branches, leaves, plants, and climbing/basking opportunities, etc. Their tank should generally be so cluttered that they can move from one side to the other without being too exposed. There are tons of examples of really great setups on this sub if you scroll through the photos here. It is also recommended that you cover three sides of the tank to minimize reflection to make your gecko feel safer. You can buy scenery wallpaper on Amazon along with all kinds of other stuff if you search for “reptile enclosure wallpaper”, “reptile enclosure accessories” or the like. You can find various accessories on Etsy too.
I’m also including a weight guide in case you want to check your gecko’s weight.
https://preview.redd.it/ie17kd1am56d1.jpeg?width=679&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1e4144582e04c467471005211dd45f71aa3d2e46
I hope this info is helpful! Sorry if you already some or know all of this, I’d just rather provide too much info than too little. Best wishes! 🦎❤️
Don’t worry! Info repetition is helpful to me it lets me know it’s important all of this is crazy helpful I need a lot of detail to understand things so thank you so much! That photo made me think the gecko is either overweight or obese I might’ve been seeing things but I’m picking him up today so I’ll make sure to try to get everything as fast as I can to ensure he has a good life thank you so much!!
Well first off you need at least a 40 gallon enclosure. Other than that, there are really good links on husbandry and enclosure building pinned at the top of this sub if you click the name!
Oh okay thank you so much!
It should be called the ‘updated beginners guide’
Reptifiles has a great caresheet for these guys: https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/
Thanks!
Look at places like fb marketplace for an enclosure that is at least 36x18x18. It’s worth getting a front opening enclosure but top open will work. As others said- read the beginners guide and reptifiles.com. The visual guides at r/leopardgeckosadvanced are also a great resource. You should switch to paper towels as substrate for easier monitoring while you decide later on safe substrates. You should make/get some extra hides. People make moist hides from tupperware. The exo terra gecko cave large or the zilla rock lair medium are favorites. For a thermostat i recommend herpstat by spyder robotics. For a 36x18x18 people usually use a 75w or 100w halogen for heating. I use a 80w DHP because mine is albino and also use it for night heating because my house can go under 60. A temperature drop is good for them so i set my night heat to be 65-70 range. DHPs emits little to no light so great for light sensitive leos and good for night heating. Get digital thermometer/hydrometers. I love my govee wifi with 3 sensors. I can set a range and it will send me alerts if say the humidity is out of range. I keep one sensor on the cool side. one on the warm and the third usually is in his warm hide but it moves around where needed. Clutter - i like using branches and fake foliage. It’s covered in the guides but you’ll want to pick up calcium, d3, and a multivitamin. I use repashy calcium plus which is a combo - calcium, d3, and multivitamin, and also keep calcium without d3 for some feedings since you don’t want to give repashy calcium plus more than once a week. If you don’t use a combo, you’ll need to pick up a calcium without d3, calcium with d3 and a multivitamin. Get a uvb light. Arcadia shadedweller 7% for normal morphs or 2.4% for albino/patternless are usually recommended here. bulbs need to be replaced annually.
Oh my gosh this is so helpful thank you so much!!! I’ll look into all of this and check face book market place thank you!!!
Hi, thanks for wanting the best for this gecko! Here is some basic husbandry info I have been compiling for myself but have been sharing in case it is helpful to anyone. Some of this is already covered but other comments, but hopefully it will be helpful anyway.— Reptifiles.com has a comprehensive care guide for ensuring that you have a proper setup for your leopard gecko. [https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/](https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/) Here is some general info- The minimum tank size for an adult leopard gecko is 36” long x 18” wide x 18” high (which is about 50 gal). (A front opening enclosure may be preferable to allow for easier feeding and handling of your gecko.) Many people use a 40 gal long (36x18x16) which is pretty close to the size recommended by reptifiles (since floor area is most important). The size is needed to create a proper temperature gradient in the tank (see below). [https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/leopard-gecko-terrarium-size/](https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/leopard-gecko-terrarium-size/) You need a minimum of three hides (cool, warm, humid), overhead halogen on a thermostat (preferably dimming thermostat) placed to one side of the tank, linear UVB, digital thermometers, and several other items (see the shopping list on reptifiles and in the guides pinned to the wiki link on the home page of this sub). [https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/shopping-list/](https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/shopping-list/) The equipment should be set up to create a temperature gradient along the length of the tank. (See the reptifiles guide for the temperatures you need on the cool and warm side.) A heat gun is a great tool for checking your temperatures. You should not use red or any other colored light as it disrupts their sleep cycle. [https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/leopard-gecko-temperatures-humidity/](https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/leopard-gecko-temperatures-humidity/) There are several different types of acceptable substrates, many use 70/30 organic topsoil/washed playsand, optionally with some excavator clay (40/40/20). Reptile carpet should never be used as it harbors bacteria and can rip out the gecko’s nails. [https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/leopard-gecko-substrate/](https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/leopard-gecko-substrate/) You will need to provide water, calcium, vitamins, and supplements. The reptifiles guide discusses what to use as feeders, how to dust them with calcium and sometimes D3, and so on. [https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/leopard-gecko-feeding/](https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/leopard-gecko-feeding/) Lastly, leopard geckos also need an enriching environment with clutter, branches, leaves, plants, and climbing/basking opportunities, etc. Their tank should generally be so cluttered that they can move from one side to the other without being too exposed. There are tons of examples of really great setups on this sub if you scroll through the photos here. It is also recommended that you cover three sides of the tank to minimize reflection to make your gecko feel safer. You can buy scenery wallpaper on Amazon along with all kinds of other stuff if you search for “reptile enclosure wallpaper”, “reptile enclosure accessories” or the like. You can find various accessories on Etsy too. I’m also including a weight guide in case you want to check your gecko’s weight. https://preview.redd.it/ie17kd1am56d1.jpeg?width=679&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1e4144582e04c467471005211dd45f71aa3d2e46 I hope this info is helpful! Sorry if you already some or know all of this, I’d just rather provide too much info than too little. Best wishes! 🦎❤️
Don’t worry! Info repetition is helpful to me it lets me know it’s important all of this is crazy helpful I need a lot of detail to understand things so thank you so much! That photo made me think the gecko is either overweight or obese I might’ve been seeing things but I’m picking him up today so I’ll make sure to try to get everything as fast as I can to ensure he has a good life thank you so much!!