| Heating is the number one requirement when it | | | | box and look for food, so you should feed it at the |
| comes to preparing a cage for a leopard gecko. | | | | same time you switch the light off. Even if there are |
| Without heating, cold-blooded creatures, such as | | | | still significant ambient light levels in the room your |
| these, are unable to move around or hunt, will have a | | | | leo's tank is in, the decrease in light levels should |
| weakened immune system and might not be able to | | | | trigger this behavior (it'll think it's dusk, which is an |
| digest food properly. So: heating is important. Once | | | | active time for nocturnal creatures). |
| you have heating for your leo figured out though, | | | | If you want light so that you can see your leo when |
| you be wondering what you'll do about light. | | | | it's active, you'll need to use a light that it can't see. |
| Leopard geckos are nocturnal, but of course we're | | | | For this you can use a red bulb (get one with red |
| not, so it's important for us that we're able to see | | | | glass, not just a red coating). |
| our pets at least for some of the day. The other | | | | Whatever type of lighting you are using in your cage |
| consideration is that leos need a day-night cycle like | | | | for the leopard gecko, use timer switches for it so |
| they would get in the outdoors. That way they can | | | | that your leo has a regular and predictable day/night |
| live in captivity like they would in the wild: hiding out | | | | cycle. You might think you'll just remember to turn |
| and resting during the day, and coming out to feed | | | | the lights on and off, but this is not something to rely |
| and be active at night. | | | | on as you're bound to forget once in a while once |
| If your heating scheme includes a heat lamp, then of | | | | the novelty of having a new and different pet has |
| course that's going to provide light during the day. If | | | | worn off a little. |
| you just use a heat pad with no heat lamp then you'll | | | | Some people think that leopard geckos need a light |
| need a light source as well to simulate daylight within | | | | that produces UV so that they get vitamins they |
| the tank (ambient light levels in your home almost | | | | need, but this doesn't make a lot of sense, as being |
| certainly won't be bright enough by themselves). In | | | | nocturnal they get very little direct sunlight in the wild |
| this case make sure that the light isn't also adding | | | | and don't suffer for it. As long as a vitamin |
| heat that you hadn't bargained for. | | | | supplement is given and feeder insects are |
| Whatever light source you have, it should be on for | | | | appropriately gut loaded, there shouldn't be any |
| about 12 hours per day, or 14 in summer. Switching it | | | | problems with vitamin deficiency. |
| off should prompt your leo to come out of its hide | | | | |