Anyone know anything about Leopard Geckos?

[maxQ]

Anyone know anything about Leopard Geckos?

Good Pets/Bad pets?
High/Low Maintenance?

They have one (about 6 months old) for adoption at my local pet store, tank, light, heater and all but I know nothing about them.

You expert opinions and knowledge are welcome here

[poison]

Good and easy pets.

[Tongue Flicker]

Agreed. Good pets and low maintenance than i once thought.

[Hellsrage]

Yup, very easy pet.

Here is a some good info on caring for them.
Leopard Gecko Care and Environment - BambooZoo


One thing too take away from that is definitely get yourself a UTH, Heating Pad or Heat Tape for under half the tank. I would also get a dimmer if the method you choose doesn't have an appropriate setting for just the right heat.


Other than that I can tell you that they are very hardy, one the best if not the best starter lizards is the Leopard Gecko.

[Namio]

Anyone know anything about Leopard Geckos?

Good Pets/Bad pets?
High/Low Maintenance?

They have one (about 6 months old) for adoption at my local pet store, tank, light, heater and all but I know nothing about them.

You expert opinions and knowledge are welcome here

Hellsrage has provided you a very nice care sheet, so make sure you read through it carefully. Keep in mind leopard geckos are nocturnal lizards, which means intense light/basking area will stress them out. Also even though they do not need UVB lighting, you do need to provide calcium and vitamin dusting regularly. Very crucial to their health. The substrate for a young gecko I would recommend paper towel. It's cheap, clean, handy, and not much of an impaction hazard, unlike sand, should ONLY be used as a substrate for an adult gecko. I would recommend using a mixture of half sand and half EcoEarth as you substrate. This mixture is nice because you can plant succulent plants (if thats your thing) which maintains some humidity in the terrarium and looks highly aesthetic. Choose the succulents wisely, spiny, thorny, or toxic plants need to be avoided. Keep in mind gecko will climb up or over the plant, so you want a hardy plant that won't hurt your gecko.
Another substrate option is something called excavator made by zoomed. It looks sandy but can be molded into shapes can forms a solid substrate, which can prevent superworms from digging into the substrate and prevent impaction even for a baby gecko.
One last thing I do like how they are genetically potty trained. They will pick a corner of the tank and always poop there

[poison]

Mike, I know several people who use basking lamps over heat pads for their leos and the leos will bask and at pretty high temperatures. So long as the gecko has a way to get away from the light I don't see how it would get stressed out.

[Namio]

Mike, I know several people who use basking lamps over heat pads for their leos and the leos will bask and at pretty high temperatures. So long as the gecko has a way to get away from the light I don't see how it would get stressed out.

Hi Daniel, if the basking light is red or black then it would be okay. I meant to say bright light can stress the geckos out and therefore it's not recommended. Thanks for asking for the clarification, my fault for not making it explicit. Leopard geckos won't need a heat source over 90F. A UTH and an ambient temp of mid to low 80s will be ideal. Comparatively, leopard geckos requires a lower temperature than most desert lizards such as bearded dragons.

[poison]

The basking lights are actually bulbs that give off normal light (household or floods are often used). A good reason to offer higher temps with reptiles is to allow the animal to warm up fast and go about its business. These leos are also offered lower temps too but often seek out the high temps. I've found it very hard to get a high ambient temps with just a UTH to be honest, they seem to only heat up the surface.

[poison]