Meet the animal
Leopard geckos live mainly on the ground and are usually most active around dusk and darkness. They have movable eyelids and claws rather than sticky toe pads. Their natural dry habitats still contain sheltered damp places, so dry surroundings should not mean a dry shedding hide. Morph names describe colour and pattern variations.
Before you choose one
Plan for 10–15 years or more; some geckos reach 20. Keep one animal and include food, lighting and reptile-vet costs in your budget. The first enclosure should already provide the warm, cool and sheltered areas an adult needs.
Set up its home
Specialist guidance and recent RVC advice support an adult enclosure of around 91 × 46 × 46 cm. Provide a warm hide, a cool hide and a separate humid hide, plus stable low climbing routes and digging space where appropriate. Secure heavy furnishings before adding loose substrate so burrowing cannot undermine them.
Temperature and safe heating
Measure air and heated surfaces separately. ReptiFiles describes a basking surface around 34–36°C, a warm hide around 32–33°C and cool air around 21–25°C. RSPCA gives lower basking-zone figures. These are different recommendations, with measurement differences to consider; have the full plan checked. Use compatible thermostatic control and never heat the whole enclosure to a surface target.
Daylight, shade and UV
Give your gecko a regular light-dark cycle and low UV exposure with complete shade. RSPCA suggests UVI 0.7 at the exposed position. Measure at the gecko’s back height through the fitted mesh. Reduced-pigment or red-eyed animals need individual advice. Plan UVB and dietary supplements together, and keep both parts of the care plan in place.
Water, moisture and airflow
RSPCA describes background humidity around 30–40%, alongside a damp hide. Check the hide material itself, keeping it clean and moist without soaking every floor area. Provide shallow fresh drinking water. Suitable soil-based digging material can be used in established husbandry; plain paper helps with quarantine. Avoid calcium sand, dust, sharp material and contaminated bedding.
Food and nutrition
Feed varied cultured insects sized for your gecko. Gut-load them by feeding a nutritious diet before they become prey, then use calcium and vitamins according to a coordinated plan. Growing juveniles need more frequent meals; two or three adult meals weekly is one veterinary starting schedule. Adjust to body condition and remove uneaten biting insects.
Behaviour and handling
Let a settled gecko step onto supported hands, keeping contact brief and low over a safe surface. Never lift or restrain it by the tail. Leave it alone if it backs away or struggles. Provide hiding, low climbing and digging opportunities inside the enclosure rather than relying on handling for activity.
Health and life stages
Keep records of weight, appetite, stools and sheds. Check toes and eyes after shedding. Stuck skin, weakness, jaw or limb changes, wounds, diarrhoea or declining condition need a reptile vet. Females may lay eggs without a male, so provide suitable digging access. Do not peel shed, improvise supplement megadoses or induce seasonal cooling without an individual plan.
Buying and keeping records
Choose documented captive-bred stock with feeding and health records. Retain the scientific name and origin information; a morph label is not a health certificate. Confirm current rules before importing. Wash hands after contact and keep reptile cleaning tools away from kitchens and other animals’ quarantine equipment.
Your care routine
Before arrival, test the furnished enclosure through day and night, including the cool hide. Each day, check water, the animal and measured conditions. Remove waste and prey leftovers, inspect the damp hide and probe placement, and review prey size and enclosure fit as the gecko grows.
YOUR CHECKLIST
0 of 7 ticked
Leopard gecko — Eublepharis macularius
Care hub: wildformexotics.co.uk/animals/leopard-gecko/
Ticks are kept only while this page is open. Print or download a copy before leaving. Completing the checklist does not establish that an animal is well or an installation is safe.
Use these reminders alongside the full guide. Adjust feeding and maintenance to your animal’s condition and measured enclosure conditions.
Sources
- How to care for a leopard gecko (RSPCA)
- Leopard geckos: care and feeding (Gregory Rich DVM / VCA)
- Eublepharis macularius (Vickie Woods (2001) / Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan)
- Eublepharis macularius (The Reptile Database)
- Choosing a leopard gecko enclosure (ReptiFiles)
- Leopard gecko care (December 2024) (Royal Veterinary College)
- Leopard gecko temperatures and humidity (ReptiFiles)
- The nocturnal leopard gecko uses UVb radiation for vitamin D3 synthesis (Oonincx et al.; Wageningen University and collaborators)
- Leopard geckos and African fat-tails (Winter Park Veterinary Hospital)
- Importing non-native animals (GOV.UK / APHA and Defra)
- Guidance on section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (GOV.UK / Defra)
- Import of pet invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles: IIN (GOV.UK / APHA and Defra)
- Import or export endangered species: check if you need a CITES permit (GOV.UK / APHA and Defra)
Equipment checklist
Equipment examples for Leopard gecko, grouped by care need. Read the checks before choosing. Shop links are Amazon affiliate links. Items without a verified Amazon match have no shop link.
Plan the whole setup: These examples cover only part of the setup. Meet every care need and test the finished enclosure before arrival. Suitable equipment you already own may meet the need; optional tools are labelled.
Check each item for your animal’s size and life stage, safe access, compatible controls and measured conditions. The list does not certify an installation.
Secure enclosure
Essential care need
Usable adult dimensions and escape-proof ventilation
Plan first: Verify inside measurements after décor and lamp guards; choose floor or climbing style for the species.
Alternative equipment
Repti-Life 72 × 24 × 24 inch vivarium — black
Amazon-selected 72 × 24 × 24 inch black flat-pack; 18 mm MFC, 4 mm toughened glass, six vents. External/nominal sizing, not certified usable space.
External dimensions are not usable internal space. Check actual individual size, access, secure gaps, load support, furnishing clearance and any substrate depth before choosing this example.
This is an 18 mm melamine-faced chipboard enclosure with glass doors. Check the delivered internal length, depth and height against the care requirement after substrate, guards and furnishings; the inch label is external/nominal and is not proof of usable dimensions. Fit a suitable lock, protect board edges and keep water in watertight containers. Do not use unprotected board for a wet substrate build. Choose larger housing if any usable dimension or full-body extension fails.
Temperature control and measurement
Essential care need
A thermostat for every heat source plus independent warm/cool readings
Plan first: Match dimming or on/off control to the heater, guard exposed lamps and put probes at animal level.
Exo Terra Digital Thermometer
Model: PT2472
Measure air temperature at animal height. Take independent warm and cool readings where the care plan needs a gradient.
Fit check: The remote probe measures air at one location. Keep it away from direct lamp heat, secure it safely and keep the display outside. Use separate probes for warm and cool areas where needed. Minimum/maximum readings help track changes; this device does not measure surfaces or control heating. Use a water-rated thermometer for submerged readings.
HabiStat Digital Dimming Thermostat Day/Night + Timer
Model: HTDD
Only for a compatible heater when extra heat is needed
Regulate a compatible heater using separate day and night settings. The thermostat does not produce heat.
Fit check: HTDD controls compatible heaters up to 600 W, with no minimum load and a 0–50°C setting range. Socket I regulates the heater; socket II switches a separately verified load on a timer without temperature control. Never connect UVB to the dimming heater socket; the 600 W rating does not confirm T5 ballast compatibility. Guard the heater, secure the probe as instructed without tape and keep electrics dry. Check warm and cool areas with independent thermometers. The controller cannot cool a hot enclosure.
Zoo Med ReptiTemp Digital Infrared Thermometer
Model: RT-1
Spot-check basking surfaces and other accessible surfaces; use an air probe for air temperature.
Fit check: Use this for surface temperatures, with air probes for air readings. Follow the distance and spot-size instructions, and account for reflective surfaces. It cannot measure internal body temperature.
Also plan for: Select the heat source, fitting and guard for this enclosure and room before buying the controller; no heater wattage is selected here.
Lighting and shade
Essential care need
A predictable day/night cycle and species-appropriate measured UV gradient
Plan first: Check the installed lamp, mesh, distance and animal-accessible basking position; preserve zero-UV shade.
Arcadia ShadeDwellerPro 8 W 7% UV-B Kit
Model: RARTP8S
Provide a measured UV option alongside warm and cool opaque retreats.
Fit check: RARTP8S is a 8 W, 315 mm UK 220–240 V fitting. Keep it away from water and spray; IP20 is not waterproof. Follow the manufacturer’s minimum animal clearance of 250 mm. This is a safety limit, not a recommended mounting height or UVI target. Check the complete fitting length, guards and reachable animal positions. Measure UV Index through the installed screen at each reachable height, with full shade available. Use a separately verified lighting circuit, never a heater’s dimming outlet. Allow for pigmentation and keep opaque warm and cool retreats.
Solarmeter Model 6.5R UV Index Meter
Model: 6.5R
Use your own meter or arrange an exposure check
Measure UV Index at the animal’s reachable basking and resting positions, with the fitted screen and guards in place.
Fit check: Use a 6.5 or 6.5R UV Index meter, rather than a UVB irradiance meter. Measure all reachable positions and shaded retreats through the fitted screen and guards. You can borrow a suitable meter or arrange a competent exposure check instead of buying one. Confirm UK supply if buying.
Also plan for: If a timer is needed, choose one confirmed as compatible with the actual lighting load, including the UVB ballast. A suitable existing timed socket may meet the need.
Water and hygiene
Essential care need
Accessible clean water and species-safe cleaning tools
Plan first: Choose a stable bowl/ledge sized for the animal and clean it when fouled.
Exo Terra Water Dish Small
Model: PT2801
Provide accessible drinking water in a small, clean dish.
Fit check: PT2801 measures 5.5 × 6.5 × 3 cm externally. Check the usable basin, stability, safe water depth and easy entry and exit for your animal. Outside measurements do not establish a soaking fit. Clean and refresh water at least daily and whenever soiled. This is a small drinking dish, not an adult snake, dragon, frog or tortoise basin. Tiny spiderlings may need a smaller receptacle.
Ground cover and hides
Essential care need
Secure warm/cool retreats and a substrate matched to age and health
Plan first: Avoid sharp material and collapse risks; use a separate clean humid hide when required.
Also plan for: Select and fit separate warm and cool retreats and a suitable substrate for this individual. One medium cave is only a component; its external dimensions do not prove that the animal fits. Provide the separate clean humid hide described in the care section.