Desert reptile · Ground-dwelling gecko

Know whether your leopard gecko's care is actually on track.

Your leo can't tell you the warm spot has drifted cool, that a shed is going wrong, or that its tail is thinning. baskr watches the pattern across your logs, temperature, humidity, weight, feeding and shedding, and shows you what needs attention before it becomes a problem.

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Leopard Gecko

Shed overdue, humidity low

5 weeks since a clean shed and humidity averaging 22%. Top up the humid hide.

Warm spot

30–32°C · 86–90°F

Cool side

22–25°C · 72–77°F

Humidity

30–40%

Ideal ranges for Eublepharis macularius, the same targets baskr scores your logs against.

Basking and warm figures are surface temperatures at the spot; cool and ambient are air. Measure with a probe or infrared thermometer at the animal's height.

Leopard Gecko: a few things worth knowing

Unlike most geckos, leopard geckos have movable eyelids, they can blink and even wink at you.
They store fat in their tails, so a plump tail is one of the clearest signs of a well-fed, healthy leo.
If a predator grabs the tail it drops off and keeps wiggling; a regrown 'regenerated' tail looks fatter and stubbier.
They're crepuscular, most active at dawn and dusk, and take belly heat from warm ground rather than basking in the open sun.
With good husbandry a leopard gecko commonly lives 15–20 years, among the longest-lived small reptiles.

When is your leopard gecko active?

Crepuscular

Active at dawn and dusk

Where leopard geckos come from

Rocky drylands of Afghanistan, Pakistan and NW India

Wild climate. Arid rocky desert; hot days, cooler nights, active at dusk.

Why the care is what it is. This is why it wants a warm dry floor (28 to 32°C), snug hides and low-level UVB, not a humid, brightly-lit setup.

What baskr watches for your leopard gecko

Logging is the input. The product is spotting when a single off reading becomes a pattern worth acting on.

Warm-end floor temperature

30–32°C (86–90°F) belly heat over the warm hide

A few degrees cool for a week and digestion slows, leos need warm ground to process food.

Thermal gradient

A cool side of 22–25°C (72–77°F)

No real gradient leaves a gecko unable to regulate, and skews appetite and activity.

Humidity

30–40%, with a humid hide for shedding

Too dry and sheds stick to toes and eyes; persistently damp air is a respiratory risk.

Weight & tail condition

A full tail and steady, stable weight

A thinning tail or downward weight trend across weigh-ins is an early red flag.

Feeding & appetite

Regular insect meals, more often for juveniles

A run of refusals that isn't a shed or a cool spell is worth a closer look at warmth and weight.

Shedding

A clean shed in one or two pieces every few weeks

Stuck shed on toes or eye caps can cause lost toes if it's missed, baskr flags the interval.

How to set up a leopard gecko terrarium

Minimum size
90×45×45 cm (3×1.5×1.5 ft) for an adult, floor space matters more than height.
Temperatures
Warm-end floor 30–32°C (86–90°F), cool side 22–25°C (72–77°F), night drop to ~18–20°C.
Substrate
A firm, dig-friendly base like a topsoil/play-sand mix, bioactive soil, or tile. Avoid loose sand for juveniles and calci-sand, both are impaction risks.
Hides & décor
At least three hides, a warm hide, a cool hide, and a humid/moist hide with damp moss for shedding.
Layout
Run a warm-to-cool gradient across the floor: gentle overhead heat and warm hide at one end, a cool retreat at the other, plus low ground cover to feel secure.

Plants for a leopard gecko terrarium

Safe to include

  • Snake plant (Sansevieria)
  • Haworthia
  • Prickly pear pads (Opuntia, despined)
  • Aloe (as a hardy accent)
  • Spider plant
  • Bromeliads

Avoid

  • Ivy
  • Oleander
  • Elephant ear
  • Most bulb plants (daffodil, tulip)

An arid species doesn't need a jungle, a few hardy succulents and sturdy plants add cover and hiding spots. Skip anything you can't confirm is non-toxic, and make sure plants don't push humidity too high.

What to feed a leopard gecko, and what to avoid

Staples

  • Dubia roaches
  • Crickets
  • Mealworms
  • Black soldier fly larvae

Occasional / treats

  • Hornworms
  • Silkworms
  • Waxworms (a rare treat, very fatty)
  • Butterworms

Never feed

  • Any fruit or vegetables (leos are strict insectivores)
  • Fireflies (toxic, can be fatal)
  • Wild-caught insects (pesticides/parasites)
  • Prey larger than the space between the eyes

Supplements. Dust insects with calcium (with D3 a few times weekly if UVB is minimal or absent) and a reptile multivitamin about once a week.

Good to know. Leopard geckos are strict insectivores, no veg, no fruit. Always gut-load feeder insects, and keep prey no wider than the gap between the gecko's eyes.

The gear that matters for a leopard gecko

The right kind of kit, pick brands you trust.

Belly heat

A gentle overhead heat source or under-tank heat mat on a thermostat, positioned to hold a 30–32°C warm spot on the ground. Warm ground, not a bright basking beam, is what a leo needs.

Thermostat

Non-negotiable, it controls the heat source so the warm end can't overheat or scorch a hide floor.

UVB lighting

A low-output T5 HO UVB tube (~5–6%, Ferguson zone 1–2) is beneficial for a crepuscular species, mount it over the cool-to-mid area so the gecko can choose its exposure.

Thermometer + hygrometer

Digital, with a probe read at floor level on the warm end, not stick-on dials. Check both ends of the gradient.

Humid hide

A closed hide with damp moss or paper towel on the warm-to-mid side, kept moist to support clean shedding.

The kind of thing baskr will tell you

Grounded in your own logs and the ideal ranges above, plain language, never a diagnosis.

Warm spot read 26°C for 6 days, below the 30–32°C your leo needs to digest. Check the mat, thermostat or hide placement.

Luna has refused 3 feeds in a row and there's no shed logged, keep an eye on tail thickness and warm-end temperature.

It's been 5 weeks since the last clean shed and humidity is averaging 22%. Top up the humid hide before shed sticks to toes or eye caps.

Is your leopard gecko's setup on track?

Enter your own readings for an instant care score, the same check baskr runs for you every day.

Do you have a UVB light?

Enter a reading or two above to see Leopard Gecko's care score.

A quick guide, not a diagnosis. Ideal ranges vary with age, morph and setup, and individual animals differ, so confirm anything critical with an experienced keeper or a reptile vet.

Leopard Gecko vs other pets

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Leopard Gecko care questions

What temperature should a leopard gecko's warm spot be?+

Aim for roughly 30–32°C (86–90°F) of belly heat over the warm hide, with a cooler side around 22–25°C (72–77°F) so it can thermoregulate. Leos take heat from warm ground rather than basking, so measure at floor level. baskr checks the temperatures you log against this range and flags a sustained drift, but always verify with a good thermometer on the warm end.

Can leopard geckos eat fruit or vegetables?+

No, leopard geckos are strict insectivores and can't properly digest plant matter. Feed a variety of gut-loaded insects like dubia roaches, crickets and mealworms, dusted with calcium. If you ever see a care sheet suggesting veg, treat it as a red flag and check with an exotics vet.

Why is my leopard gecko having trouble shedding?+

Stuck shed almost always comes down to humidity that's too low or a missing humid hide, watch the toes and eye caps especially, since retained shed can cost toes. Provide a moist hide and keep humidity around 30–40%. baskr tracks your shed intervals and humidity together and flags a shed that's overdue; for retained shed that won't clear, see an exotics vet.

How do I know if my leopard gecko is losing weight?+

Watch the tail, a healthy leo has a plump tail, and a thinning tail is often the first sign something's off. Weigh regularly and track the trend rather than a single reading. baskr charts the trajectory so a slow decline stands out early; steady weight loss warrants a vet check, as baskr is a husbandry assistant, not a diagnosis.

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Last reviewed August 2026. General husbandry guidance, not veterinary advice, and ranges vary with age, morph, subspecies and setup. Confirm anything critical with an experienced keeper or an exotics vet.