Basic Leopard Gecko Supplies
By Uno Birawan
The kind of leopard gecko supplies that you are going to acquire is fully under your discretion. You may provide your gecko with a simple cage that meets the minimal requirement of a good habitat, but you can also place your gecko in a luxury customized cage which is fully equipped with delicate decors to pamper your gecko. It is really up to you.
If you do not have any budget constraints you can buy all the needed supplies brand new in pet shops. But you can get those supplies in a less expensive way by making use of old or unused stuff like old aquariums, shoe boxes or Tupperware tubs. With a little creativity and modification you can get those things at work satisfactorily and look nicely too.
However you should recognize the basic supplies that are needed to fulfill the minimum requirement to keep and maintain a healthy gecko. Here is the list:
Vivarium/tank/cage/enclosure - The comfortable volume is a 10 gallons tank or a minimum size of 24"X12"X12" per adult gecko. You may need a 15 gallons tank for a pair and 20 gallons for two pairs if you want to keep multiple geckos and plan to breed your geckos.
Wire net or screen top - This is usually included with the cage and should be made of wire net to provide good ventilation and sufficient light.
Gecko safe substrate - This substrate should be non-irritating and non-abrasive materials such as artificial grass, newspapers and paper toweling
Hide box, moist box - A hide box is where your gecko will spent most of its time. You will need 2 hide boxes. Place one at the humid and hot side, above the spot where you place the Under Tank Heater and the other box at the drier and cooler side of the tank A moist or humid box is the 3rd hide box with some sphagnum moss to maintain humidity.
Rough decors - This is the interior of the tank which includes climbing rocks or logs, wood or bark that can be used to rubbing the gecko skin when shedding and artificial plants. Live and nontoxic plants are also beneficial to create a humid environment. Make sure that those climbing accessories are tightly fixed to the tank bottom to avoid tumbling of your gecko.
Thermometers and a thermostat - Two thermometers are needed to monitor temperature at both sides of temperature gradients, while the thermostat is for controlling the required temperature. There is a need to provide different temperature gradients to make it possible for your gecko to choose the desired body temperature.
Light and timer, dome lamp and black or red reptile bulb - These are the supplies to provide proper lighting for your gecko. This artificial lighting is not necessary if you could place your gecko tank at spots with sufficient natural light. If artificial is needed, set your timer at 12 hours on and 12 hours off.
Dishes or bowls - These are needed to place the water, mealworms and calcium powder. Select the proper size and depth. The water bowl should be easy for the gecko to soak and drink from it without getting drown
Under Tank Heater or UTH - This is an extra heat source placed under one side of the tank. The suggested temperature setting is at 80 - 85F at daytime and around 70F during night time.
Mist spray bottle to wet the moist box - This is simply a sprayer bottle that is used to spray the moist box only, not necessarily the whole tank
Food - The common food stock for your gecko is live mealworms. Other foods that can be prepared include crickets, cockroaches and silkworms. Remember to gut-load all these live food 24 hours prior to feeding your gecko to ensure the healthiness of your lizard
Supplements - The powder form of calcium powder and vitamin D3 sprinkled on live food prior to feeding your gecko.
So, that concludes the basic supplies of caring leopard geckos. Again, those supplies are not necessary the expensive and brand new ones. As a beginner it is good to start with something simple and less expensive. An estimate to get you a nice natural looking cage with all those basic supplies will be around 100 to 150$.
Happy gecko caring!
Uno Birawan is a Leopard Gecko enthusiast and wrote a lot about caring for leopard geckos. His observation on gecko care is that about 86.5% of geckos have the chance to die within 2 years of captivity. You can obtain more information on how to properly take care of a gecko and how to save it's life at http://leopardgeckocenter.blogspot.com. Lets make your gecko healthy and live longer.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com - Basic Leopard Gecko Supplies
