Tips on Leopard Gecko Hides

Want to know more about the leopard gecko hides that your pets need? The nocturnal creatures need hideaways to remain hidden when they’re instincts tell them to. Without these hideouts, your pet can start to become stressed. So to help you out with these basic building blocks of the lizard habitat, here are some tips on these helpful hideaways.

Hide Box

The simplest form of hideaway you can do is the hide box. This is basically a box that allows the lizard to get in and take cover from the light. Now you can buy a commercial brand hideout but you can make one for yourself… built from a container like a Tupperware or plastic container. All you have to do is to cut out a bit of the lid so that the lizard has an access point and viola… an instant hide box. Some use an upside down container, with the floor of the tank or the substrate serving as the bottom floor of the box. You’ll still have to put a hole in to give the lizard access to it.

Some actually use rocks to make their boxes but there is a risk that the rocks could collapse and injure the pet. Make sure that your boxes are always secured and steady to prevent any mishaps.

Temperature

You may already know that you should have differing areas of temperature in your tank so that your pet can regulate its body heat. Now these differing areas of temperature should each have a box or shelter of their own. With a minimum of two areas, a cooler and warmer area, you should have two hide boxes, one for each area. This is to ensure your pet is comfortable regardless of what temperature your pet needs.

Shed Box

Another kind of hide box that you may be interested in is the shed box. This is a form of the shelter or box that is maintained in a more humid state to facilitate shedding. Without the proper amount of humidity, some lizards have trouble fully shedding their old skin. You can also equip your shed box with a couple of additions like rocks and moss so that the lizard has places to drag or snag the shedding skin. To keep the box moist, you can use moist towels or a mister. However, you’ll have to check up on the amount of moisture regularly. Too much can start to seep out of the box and you’ll have trouble with leaks on your substrate (which is generally kept dry). Also, too much moisture can start to promote bacterial growth.

Egg Box

The shed box often also doubles as a nursery or an egg box. This is where the pregnant females will lay their eggs to incubate and eventually hatch. Keeping the box at a temperature of around 90 degrees is recommended but there are certain tricks that you can apply to ‘customize’ your lizard eggs. By playing around with the incubation temperature, you can actually influence the future appearance and the sex of the lizards inside the eggs.


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

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