Setting up a leopard gecko vivarium: heat gradient, thermostat, hides and UVB

Size and shape

• Leopard geckos live on the ground, so floor space matters more than height.
• Bigger is better. A larger enclosure makes a proper gradient easier, because the warm and cool ends are further apart.
• Front-opening vivariums are easier to work with and less alarming for the gecko than a lid that opens from above, where predators would come from.
• Keep only one gecko per enclosure unless you have experience. Males fight, and housing animals together causes stress that is not always visible.

The heat gradient

• Warm end: a basking spot and a warm hide. Care sheets vary in their exact figures, so pick a reputable one and stick to it. The RSPCA, for example, gives a hot end of roughly 28 to 30 degrees C and a cool end of roughly 24 to 26 degrees C, and other guides suggest a hotter basking surface.
• Cool end: noticeably cooler, so the gecko can step away from the heat.
• Night: heat can usually go off at night as long as the room stays reasonably warm. If your home gets cold overnight, you will need supplementary heat.
• Measure with two digital thermometers, one at each end, and an infrared temperature gun to check surface temperatures where the gecko actually lies.

Choosing a heat source

• Overhead heat from a basking lamp warms the gecko's back the way the sun would, and many keepers now prefer it.
• Heat mats are common and work, but they must always be on a thermostat and never placed where the gecko cannot move off them.
• Avoid heat rocks. They can develop hot spots and cause serious burns.

The thermostat is not optional

• Use a dimming thermostat for lamps and a mat stat or dimming thermostat for heat mats.
• Place the probe where the gecko will be, at the warm end, and secure it so it cannot be knocked away.
• Check the readings daily for the first few weeks and after any change in the room, such as the heating going on in autumn.

Hides

1. A warm hide at the hot end.
2. A cool hide at the cool end.
3. A humid hide, a box with damp moss or paper towel inside, usually placed in the warm half. This helps with shedding.

Substrate and décor

• For young geckos, paper towel or tiles are easy to keep clean and let you watch droppings.
• Many adults are kept on soil-and-sand mixes, slate or tiles. Loose sand on its own is often discouraged because of impaction worries; talk to your vet if you are unsure.
• Add rocks, branches and ledges for climbing low down. Leopard geckos are not tree-dwellers but they do clamber.
• A shallow water dish should always be available, refreshed daily.

The lighting and UVB debate

• If you use UVB, choose a low-output bulb, mount it so the gecko can move away from it into shade, and replace it as the maker recommends, because output fades long before the light looks dim.
• Albino and other light-sensitive morphs need extra care with bright light. Give plenty of shade.
• If you do not use UVB, your vet will expect vitamin D3 to come from supplements instead.
• Whatever you choose, keep a clear day and night cycle on a timer. No coloured night lights.

Before the gecko arrives