Advice on Leopard Gecko Problems

Do you need help with leopard gecko problems? You have to know how to deal with the problems to minimize the chances of harm being caused to your pets and even to you! Well fear no more; we’re here to help you with some of the common problems you may face when you want to take care of these beautiful designer lizards.

Crickets and Feeding

You should already be aware of the fact that lizards like to eat live food. This provides the lizards the stimulation it normally gets when it hunts in the wild. Crickets and worms are still one of the most highly recommended staple foods for these pets.

However, these live feeds carry with them certain problems. If a cricket gets away from a lizard for example, it can make a home for itself inside the tank and start to scurry about and even bite the lizard! This, needless to say, is very stressful to the animal and its best that you remedy the situation immediately. Try to catch and remove any unwanted insects from the tank. To prevent this, try to get a better feel for your lizard’s appetite. Start with around 4 crickets a day and gradually increase it as you get a better feel for your pet.

Worms are far easier to handle but they can still cause complications. They can burrow into loose substrate material like sand. This can make them very hard to find and remove from your tank. It is best to use a bowl or other similar container to put the worms in to make sure they don’t escape.

Diseases and Parasites

You have to be careful about diseases and parasites whenever you take care of reptiles or herpatiles. One of the dangers of handling a diseased herp is that the parasites they carry are often contagious to other animals and even humans (like Salmonella). Always be aware of your lizard pet’s health. Try to quarantine any new lizards that come into your home at least for a couple of days to ensure that they do not develop signs of undetected diseases. Always wash your hands after handling a pet. Inspect your pets regularly, including their fecal droppings as these can be your first sign of unwanted pathogens or parasites.

Using Sand

Sand is a very popular substrate but it is also a common cause of some of the leopard gecko problems that can occur in keeping a pet lizard. Whenever they hunt, it isn’t unusual for a lizard to get some of the sand into its mouth. This can lead to sand ingestion, a serious dilemma for any pet owner. Too much sand in their digestive systems can start to cause blockages or intestinal impaction.

You can get around this by using smaller grain sand; the finer the grain the better. Also, avoid using sand with geckos less than 6 inches in size. Smaller and baby lizards will always have problems with sand; even the finely grained sands because they’re digestive tracts are relatively smaller. Also, if you do run into complications with sand ingestion, giving your pet mineral oil has been suggested to help they’re digestive tract pass the sand.

Cleaning Out the Tank

As with many things, sanitation often proves very beneficial to prevent unwanted complications. Try to spot clean the tank daily, removing any fecal matter or insect remains. Try to clean out the entire tank at least once a month. If you use sand, it is best to replace the entire sand bed and use an antiseptic to scrub out any invisible trace materials that could have escaped your inspection.


Donna Perez is a lizard enthusiast who has vast experience of raising Leopard Geckos.

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