🦎 Introduction
Getting your first leopard gecko? Awesome choice! These hardy little reptiles are perfect for beginners—but only if their enclosure is set up right.
This guide gives you a step-by-step tank setup checklist, covering everything from heat and lighting to hides and substrate. Follow this, and your gecko will start life happy, healthy, and stress-free.
📏 1. Choose the Right Enclosure
| Gecko Age | Tank Size |
|---|---|
| Hatchling | 10–20 gallons |
| Juvenile/Adult | 20–40 gallons |
✅ Use a glass terrarium or front-opening reptile tank. Avoid plastic tubs unless you’re breeding.
🌡️ 2. Heat Source & Temperature
Leopard geckos are ectothermic—they need external heat to digest food.
Use:
- Under Tank Heater (UTH) with thermostat
- Optional: overhead ceramic heat emitter (CHE)
| Zone | Ideal Temp |
|---|---|
| Warm Hide | 88–92°F (31–33°C) |
| Cool Side | 75–80°F (24–27°C) |
| Night Temp | 68–75°F (20–24°C) |
💡 3. Lighting (Optional But Helpful)
Leopard geckos are nocturnal, so they don’t need UVB—but a low-level UVB bulb (2.0–5.0) helps with calcium absorption.
✅ Also helps simulate natural day-night rhythm.
Set light timer: 12 hours on, 12 hours off
🧱 4. Safe Substrate Options
🟢 Recommended:
- Paper towels (best for hatchlings)
- Reptile carpet
- Slate or ceramic tile
- Excavator clay (for natural builds)
❌ Avoid:
- Loose sand
- Calci-sand
- Wood shavings or bark
🏠 5. Hides & Layout
You need at least 3 hides:
- Warm Hide – Over heat mat
- Cool Hide – Opposite side
- Moist Hide – Mid-zone, filled with damp sphagnum moss or paper towels (for shedding)
🧴 6. Water & Feeding Dish
- Shallow water bowl—change water daily
- Insect dish (for worms)
- Optional calcium powder dish in tank corner
✅ Clean dishes weekly with reptile-safe disinfectant
🧪 7. Supplements & Feeding Tools
- Calcium with D3 – 2x per week
- Multivitamin – 1x per week
- Feeding tongs or tweezers – For safe, sanitary insect offering
- Insect gut-loader – For crickets, dubia, BSFL
🧼 8. Tank Cleaning Schedule
| Task | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Spot cleaning | Daily |
| Water change | Daily |
| Deep clean | Monthly |
| Substrate swap | Every 2–4 weeks |
✅ Final Setup Checklist (Print or Save!)
✔️ 20-gallon tank
✔️ UTH + thermostat
✔️ 3 hides (warm, cool, moist)
✔️ Safe substrate
✔️ Water & food dishes
✔️ Feeding tools
✔️ Calcium + multivitamin
✔️ Optional: UVB light & timer
✔️ Digital thermometer / IR gun
✔️ Décor for enrichment
🐾 Conclusion
A properly set up enclosure is the foundation of your leopard gecko’s health. Get the environment right from the start, and you’ll have a low-stress, low-maintenance reptile friend for 10+ years.