Information on Keeping Geckos

Geckos are unique and entertaining pets. The average pet owner can keep a leopard gecko or crested gecko successfully when spending an average of one hour daily on its care and maintenance. The basic needs of most geckos include live food, heat, humidity, shelter, light and veterinary care if injured or ill.

Things You'll Need

  • Terrarium
  • UVB light for diurnal species
  • Heat pad
  • Substrate
  • Live gut-loaded crickets
  • Live gut-loaded mealworms
  • Misting bottle
  • Thermometer
  • Dry shelter
  • Moist shelter
  • Water dish
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Instructions

    • 1

      Purchase a gecko habitat. A 20-gallon terrarium is sufficient to house two or three adult leopard geckos. The leopard gecko is the most commonly kept gecko species and the easiest to care for. Young geckos can be housed in a 10-gallon terrarium. Geckos enjoy having plenty of room to wander, so purchase a larger terrarium if possible.

    • 2

      Fill the habitat with a substrate. Clean, unbleached paper towels changed regularly are the best substrate for juvenile geckos under 6 inches in length. Adult geckos should be kept on a fine sand substrate with grains no larger than 0.5 millimeters in diameter.

    • 3

      Add dry and moist shelters. Geckos like to hide during most of the day. An opaque plastic container turned upside-down with a hole cut in the side makes a fine dry shelter. A large plastic sandwich carton with a hole cut in the lid can be filled with damp peat moss and used as a moist shelter.

    • 4

      Provide a heat spectrum. Use a heating pad at one end of the cage to ensure that one side of the cage will be warm and the other will be cool. You may also need to use an infrared heat bulb. The warm end of the cage should be about 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Always measure the temperature at the level where the geckos spend their time, about two or three inches above the substrate.

    • 5

      Provide water and humidity. A small jar lid makes a fine water dish. Provide only a small amount of water for drinking. Juvenile geckos and shedding geckos should be misted daily with a spray bottle.

    • 6

      Feed live, nutritious food. Gut-loaded crickets are a nutritious food for most gecko species. For variety, use gut-loaded mealworms and waxworms. Don't allow live crickets to live with your geckos. Add only as many crickets to the enclosure as the geckos will eat in a day.

    • 7

      Handle your geckos carefully. Most geckos will be skittish until they have become accustomed to human contact. Gently pick up each gecko once a day for only a minute or two until it is used to being handled. Once your geckos are tame and friendly, they can be handled for up to a half-hour at a time.