Leopard Gecko Care: Heat, Humidity and Feeding
Belly heat over basking bulbs, why a humid hide is non-negotiable, and a simple feeding and supplement schedule.
Heat from below, controlled
Leopard geckos digest using belly heat. Use a thermostat-controlled heat mat covering roughly a third of the floor, with a warm end surface around 32°C and a cool end near 24°C. A thermostat is not optional — unregulated mats cause burns.
Three hides, one of them humid
Provide a warm hide, a cool hide and a humid hide packed with damp moss. The humid hide is what makes shedding go cleanly, especially around the toes and eyes.
- Solid substrate, not loose sand, for young geckos
- Shallow water dish topped up daily
- Low-level UVB is increasingly recommended
Feeding and supplements
Feed appropriately sized insects every day or two for juveniles, two or three times a week for adults. Gut-load the insects, dust with calcium at most feeds and with a vitamin supplement weekly.
Leopard gecko setup essentials
A thermostat-controlled heat mat, an accurate thermometer and three hides cover the fundamentals of leopard gecko keeping.
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