Leopard Gecko & Fat-tail Gecko

Hot side: 88°–92°F. Cool side: 78°–81°F. Evening: 73°–77°F. Thermometer on the ground, not the wall.

Keep thermometers on both the hot and cool side of the enclosure at all times. We strongly recommend a min/max thermometer on the cool side so you can monitor overnight temperatures.

If the enclosure drops below these temperatures, the gecko may start to brumate (hibernate) and stop eating; it thinks winter is coming.

Keep a small water dish on the cool side at all times. Add a small rock that sticks up above the water so feeder insects don't drown and foul the dish. Replace the water 2 to 3 times a week.

Humid hides are a must: stuff moistened moss or eco-earth into the hide to promote proper shedding, and check it 3 to 5 times a week to make sure it's still humid. Depending on the substrate (Eco Earth, Repti-Soil or Bio-Active Supply mixes), you can also spray larger areas of the enclosure to raise humidity outside the hide.

A hide on both the hot and cool side, and both should be humid hides. Big enough for the animal to fit inside, small enough to feel secure.

Baby/juvenile: floor space of 20 by 10 inches (10 gallon).

Adult: 30 by 12 inches minimum (20 gallon long); preferred 36 by 18 inches (40 gallon long).

Keep baby geckos on paper towels or newspaper until they're at least 5 inches long to avoid impaction. From 5 inches up, loose substrate is fine: Repti-Soil and Bio-Active Supply formulas, which can be mixed with play sand or Repti Sand. We do not recommend a sand-only substrate.

Impaction typically happens when a reptile isn't getting enough calcium and vitamins; it goes looking for minerals in its environment and eats the bedding. Improper temperatures also play a large part.

Leopard geckos come from arid, mountainous deserts, mostly rocky outcrops.

Fat-tail geckos come from savannah and woodland habitats, often sheltering in termite mounds. Both species reach 8 to 10 inches.

These are terrestrial geckos that can't climb glass the way many geckos can, so floor space matters far more than height.

Both usually pick a favorite corner for their droppings.

Both geckos eat crickets, Dubia roaches, mealworms, king mealworms, hornworms, waxworms and other small insects; crickets and roaches make up the bulk of the diet. Insects should be narrower than the gap between the gecko's eyes or they're a choking hazard. Gut-load all feeders by feeding them healthy items for 24 hours before offering them.

Baby/juvenile: 4 to 5 times a week.

Adult: 2-3 times a week

Even gut-loaded insects can't match a wild gecko's diet, so supplement with a calcium + D3 supplement and a multivitamin. Keep a small dish of calcium in the enclosure at all times and dust the feeders regularly with the multivitamin.

UV lighting isn't required for leopard or fat-tail geckos, but we encourage offering it when possible; a 5.0 UV bulb or lower is more than sufficient. If offered, run it 12 hours on, 12 hours off. Geckos are nocturnal and typically hunt at night.