Lepoard Gecko care sheet

Lepoard gecko's are very good as starter lizards. But they do require care and attention and you should make sure you have enough money to buy the equipment needed and food and have enough time to care for them.

For one adult sized gecko you will need a 2ft tank. Wooden vivariums with a glass front are best although a fish tank can be used. Gecko's feel more secure when the sides are covered, so if you were to use a fish tank you could cover 3 sides with aquarium background.
Exo terra plastic vivs (1 1/2 ft can be used for smaller gecko's.)

Below is a list of the equipment you will need.

* Heat-mat (or heat lamp.) a normal bulb can be used (dont need to spend loads on the reptile brand ones) The heat-mat should be put underneath the tank and should cover 1/3 of the bottom. It is reccomended that you use a heat-mat as it helps with digestion as the gecko's can warm their bellies on it after eating. But it must be connected to a thermostat so it does not get too hot.

*Thermostat, this controls the temperature of the bulb/mat. They are quite pricey (about £30 or so) but is a necessity. If using a heat-mat you need to buy a heat-mat stat or temperature thermostat. If using a heat bulb you need to buy a dimming stat, and if using a ceramic bulb you need to buy a pulsing stat.

* substrate (stuff that goes on the bottom of the tank.) Never use sand or bark as they can swallow it when they eat their food and it can cause impaction. (get stuck inside them.) Kitchen towel, tiles or reptile carpet (pretty much like a carpet tile.) is fine.

* 2 hides, one for the cool end and one for the hot end. Small carboard boxes with a hole cut in them is fine, also plant-pots make great hides. We made ours out of lego! Its great as you can choose exactly what size they are! Empty coconut shells also work well.

* A water bowl and calcium dish bowl. Lids or shallow dishes are fine.

*Calcium dust and reptivite. Calcium is important to keep a reptiles bones healthy. You should put a dish of calcium dust in the tank and change it every few days as well as coating their food in it (this can be done by shaking it altogether in a bag.) Reptivite containes extra vitamins and should be used to dust their food twice a week.

*Thermometer. We use digital thermometers but any that are accurate can be used. The thermostats have a probe in them which needs to put inside the tank at the hottest point. The temperature at the hot end should be between 85-90'f. You should also place your humid hide at the hot end of the vivarium.

*Light cage. If using a heat bulb you will need to cover the bulb with a cage incase the gecko manages to get near it and gets burnt.

*Moss. Sphagum moss needs to be used in the humid hide and kept damp (we use a spray bottle.) It can be bought cheap from wilkinsons or a garden centre but should be microwaved for 30 seconds or so incase it has mites or other creatures living in it. (although gecko's do not need a humid environment, they need a humid hide for when they shed to help their skin loosen.) Gecko's shed every 3-4 weeks and eat their skin. They may not eat the day before or after a shed. If the skin does not completely come off you can put them in some warm shallow water and gently dab them with a cotton bud to help the skin come off. Never pull their skin as it can cause their skin to break, causing wounds which may get infected.

*Live-food. Gecko's eat either crickets, meal-worms or locusts. These need to be gut-loaded 24 hours prior to feeding so that they are full of nutrients. they also need fresh fruit or veg for moisture.
Mealworms can be fed the same formula but we make our own gut-loading formula using oats, bran flakes, wheatabix, tropical fish food and some fresh fruit and veg.
Crickets and locusts. die within a few weeks, so need to be bought regularly where-as meal-worms can last months. You should feed your gecko crickets that are no larger than the gap between their eyes. With mealworms its the length between their eyes and a half.
You can give a gecko wax-worms as a treat but not as a staple diet as they are very fatty and addictive.


The amount your gecko will eat varies between each one. We have a 3 week old gecko and she will sometimes eat 10+ small mealworms in a day. Our adults will sometimes eat 30+ daily. One of mine won't touch mealworms but will eat 8 crickets daily. With crickets we break their back legs to stop them hopping about. A pair of tweezers can be useful to pick the livefood up with as sometimes they will bite.

If you buy stuff from a pet-shop don't always take their advice as although they may be right they always seem to know a little about all animals and are not always accurate. When buying a gecko always check it has a fat tail (thin tails are a sign of malnutrition and may indicate more serious health problems too.) Check they walk upright, not slouching and that their jaw is not slack (these are signs of metabolic bone disease which is usually due to not being given enough calcium.) Also check their eyes are clear and not cloudy. Cloudy eyes indicate health problems in gecko's.

Once you have everything set-up they are not too difficult to look after, but the live-food can be a problem as you have to look after that as if it is a pet too. If they are not gut-loaded properly then your gecko will not get enough nutrients. Also, do not allow the freah fruit or veg to get mouldy as if the crickets/ mealworms eat it, it could harm your gecko.

Its not advisable to take your gecko out of its tank for more than 20 minutes at a time as they are cold-blooded creatures and their body tempartures change according to their environment. Getting too cold can cause them to develop respiratory problems.

Gecko's can become quite tame and can be lovely pets. When picking up a gecko put your hand infront of them so they can see it coming and pick them up from the middle of their body. NEVER grab them by the tail as their tail will fall off, and although it will grow back it doesnt grow back as straight as the original and will cause them stress.

I hope you found this care sheet helpful, if you need anymore advice feel free to ask on this forum