Keeping Desert Leopard Geckos

Among the lizards quickly gaining popularity among keepers and breeders are the desert leopard geckos. These naturally hardy creatures not only make easy pets, they are also known for their wonderful ‘morphability’ and wonderful colors and patterns that result from creative selective breeding. Read on to know more about these wonderful living jewels of the lizard world.

Native to the Deserts

Desert leopard geckos are native to the deserts of India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Here, they survive harsh temps and predators through evolutionary developments that make them the hardy pets we know today. They are nocturnal, avoiding the scorching heat and the sun’s light during the day, preferring to hunt at night. They are hunters and eat live crickets and cockroaches. Although they are known insectivores, they are not known to be picky eaters and will consume anything that will fit into their mouths. They get their names from the distinctive spots that grow all over their bodies.

Adjusting to Captivity

If you plan to keep them as pets, they will adapt pretty well to a tank as long as you have the proper gear and feed. The first thing you have to consider is the size of the tank. Around 20 gallons per lizard you plan to own should be more than enough. Lights and heat would be the next consideration. Unlike other lizards that use the sun to get their calcium content, your leos will not need any UV lights or special lights for such purposes. They are nocturnal and will prefer to hide away from the light during the day. For this purpose however, you need to have some hide boxes in the tank so the lizard can hide away from daylight. Without these boxes, your leos can become stressed.

Temperature

Temperature is the next consideration. You need two distinct areas of temp: a warm area and a cooler area just in case your leo needs to cool down. The temps would be around 90 degrees for the warm side and around 80 degrees or lower on the cool side. If you have a properly sized tank, it’ll be easier for you to create the two distinct areas of temp.

Feeding

The next consideration is the feed. As you already know, these creatures are insectivores and prefer live crickets as they provide them with much needed stimulation. They are hunters after all. You can give them meal worms that can be kept in a bowl and are not as active as crickets should your lizard become unable to hunt properly.

Crickets may not be enough, however. If you need more nutrients, you should try gut loading and dusting your feed. Gut loading is the practice of feeding your crickets healthy fruits and vitamin rich food before you give them to the leo. This will ‘load’ the cricket’s guts with healthy nutrients that the leo then consumes. Dusting your crickets with supplemental powders is also a common practice among keepers. Essential nutrients like vitamins and calcium (which they still need even though they don’t use UV lights for it) can be dusted unto the crickets before they are fed to the leos.


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

For more information about Desert Leopard Gecko, Visit Leopard Gecko Heaven.