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Anonymous
All leopard geckos need is a 10 gallon tank. In larger tanks they may have trouble finding or hunting for food. I keep mine in a 20 gallon long at home, and a 10 gallon in college.I use a paper towel substrate because it prevents any accidental ingestion, and it's very easy to clean. I switched over to playsand from home depot for a while and didn't notice any change in the geckos habits. I feed my leopard gecko by placing the food item directly in front of him. If he is hungry, he will attack it. It is best not to let prey wander around the cage as they can later harm the gecko while it is sleeping. I have never had any problems with crickets harming my gecko, but I have read they can be quite bothersome when trying to sleep. For food, I feed my leopard gecko mostly superworms. They are a good staple diet, but you should change it up now and then. Wax worms and pinky mice are great treats to feed sparingly.
As for tank set up, a paper towel or tile substrate would be the safest. Sand can create compaction within the geckos which causes death. This is mostly common in younger leopard geckos, as they become adults the sand will not have such a drastic effect. I kept mine in sand for a while with no issues. There should be atleast two hides, one dry and one kept moist with a spray bottle. My moist hide is basically a margarine container with paper towels inside and a hole which the gecko can enter. I leave the lid on so the moisture stays in the container and the gecko can shed when needed. For water, you just need a small shallow dish and it should be replaced daily.
For heat, you can either use a heat pad or a heat lamp. At night i use a heat pad, and during the day i use the lamp. Any regular 75 watt bulb will do, with a heat lamp. The basking spot should be around 85, the other end of the cage in the higher or lower 70's.
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