If you have questions on anything leopard gecko-related, then please ask away in the comments below.
I was getting so many questions through my contact form; they are often very similar and take quite a lot of time to reply to individually, so by publishing your questions in the comment section here, you’ll be able to get the answer you need and also see what others have asked 🙂
Disclaimer: I am not a vet, just a leopard gecko owner who wants to share knowledge with other owners. If you believe your leopard gecko is seriously unwell, then please seek veterinary care and advice.
Leopard Gecko Care 
I adopted a sickly leopard gecko from a local pet store. First off I will say I didn’t buy him, they let me adopt him because he was just failing to get better and they didn’t have the right set up. I’ve had him now for a little over a month and he has little improvements. Should I be seeing a lot more ? He isn’t interested in eating really at all, I tried to force feed him but he is strong enough in that way to not let me. Or he rubs the mixture off his nose when I drop it on. He ate 5 meal worms in a month of having him. And possibly a few bites of the food I’ve been leaving out for him since he is pooping. But is not gaining any weight. He also came to me improperly shedded and now only opens one eye. He gets a warm bath twice a day, and can open the other eye a bit in there but shortly after it is closed again. Our vet in our community is low on staff and isn’t taking really any appointments just emergencies & won’t see me. He drinks water, has a moist hide and dry hide, warm side is 90-95, has a uvb bulb and a heat mat. Not sure what else I possibly can do? He doesn’t want crickets or worms when they’re infront of him he closes his eyes, but is active in his tank. He looks like he has stick tail but will that improve? Thank you
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Oh the poor little guy, you have done so well to care for him. It’s really hard to advise on and I wish I could help you more.
In the short term maybe it would do some good to feed him wax worms to fatten him up, and dab a little calcium and vitamin D3 powder on them?
As for his shedding problem, it must be so hard to get it off his eyes. Have you tried creating a sauna for him (a humid Tupperware box that he can’t escape from – I wrote about it more in my shedding blog post) and then trying to pick the skin off with your finger nails once it’s softer?
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Thank you so much for the reply. It’s so frustrating because I feel like I’m doing everything possible to help and it isn’t helping a ton. His eye that struggles to open, there’s no skin visible or anything I can see the remove from his eye so I’m worried it’s deep in his eyelid that it stuck or bothering him, I’ve tried wiping it really well with warm Kleenex and he lets me because it feels good. I’m going to try maybe morning afternoon and evening saunas. Also I didn’t try wax worms but tried solider fly larva and he’s not interested at all, also tried pinhead crickets. He shows zero interest in food ever 😦 it makes me so sad. Maybe he is still adjusting to a good environment?:( ugh
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Yeah maybe, and I imagine it’s all quite stressful for him. I wonder if maybe he’s impacted on top of everything else? Maybe when you’re bathing him try and rub his belly.
Have you tried the method where you crush up a bug and dab a tiny little bit onto his nose or mouth area, so that he licks it off?
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My leopard gecko has just gotten done shedding and I have noticed he is not opening one of his eyes. Not sure why or what to do…..
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I’ll add that it doesn’t look like any shed is remotely stuck or in his eye. It was fine up until he shed the day before yesterday and then I noticed it that night
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I’m so sorry it’s so impossible for me to recommend anything based on the info you just told me. This is perhaps something for a vet. In the UK it cost me about £30 for my gecko to have a check up
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I have had my leopard gecko for 13 years now. His personality has always been chill and calm. Recently he’s been acting erratic. Bursts of nervous energy. I took him out a few hours ago and he was exploring like normal, but stopped and just shook his front leg like crazy. Then bolted.
A while after i put him away i went out to check on him and he acted scared and spazzed out running into his cage.
I’ve noticed these strange behaviors for a few weeks now. He’s never really had these strange fast movements.
He’s also been eating (saw him eat today). I’ve been very worried. What does this mean?
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i meant hideout not cage***
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So, i have Leopard gecko and i wonder can i have flashing colorful lights like for a party in my room not on his terrarium not 24/7 just like 20/30 minutes evening every 3rd day or so
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I think that will be ok as long as your gecko has plenty of space to hide if he/she needs to get away
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Is there any safe alternative to a heat lamp?
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Please answer as soon as possible! So I’ve had my gecko for like 6 months now and he is around one year old. Ice feed him mealworms since I’ve gotten him and the coworkers at the store fed him mealworms too before I got him. About a week ago he stoped eating the mealworms all together but will still take his weekly calcium and drink lots of water. I’m really worried about him. I know he is not injured and isn’t sick. He still is somewhat active and loves for me to hold him. I don’t know what to do, I don’t want him to die or suffer from starvation and his tail is already starting to lose fat. Please help me figure out what’s wrong!
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What morph?
I got my leo, Tangela, last April when she was a baby. She is about 9-10 months old now. She is 9.5 inches long and 103 grams. (before you say anything, she is on a diet and her weight is being managed) She’s been this size for a while but appears to still be growing. She is yellow with almost no spots on her body or head with a very vibrant carrot-tail. When I bought her I had no information about her morph or genetics, and was told she was just a “regular” leopard gecko. I was told she would be able to fit comfortably in a 10 gallon for about a year, but she gained mass SO quickly and I had to upgrade her enclosure twice. As she grew she lost her stripes and became one color with the carrot tail and I knew she was a bit different. Does anyone know what she is? I cant upload a photo but I did my best to describe her.
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I have a leapord gecko hes 19 months old and my daughter has been feeding him quite a bit td but we went through a period where he wouldn’t eat and lost some weight well now we got him back to where he has an appetite and is eating crickets meal worms and his first super worm today well shortly after he ate last I looked at him and behind his left ear there is was looked to be somethin sticking out of him a bum I pressed on it a little doesn’t seem to bother him but came on super quick and had never happened before my first thought was maybe he at to much his food hadn’t digested and he was maybe storing it there in the back of his mouth and part of it may just be poking out ive looked online everywhere and can’t seem to find anyone else with this issue and I have no reptile vets around me anywhere I was hoping by morning it will be gone as it just popped up out of know where he did eat multiple things td so I’m not sure if anyone has ever seen this before and maybe know anything about it ide appreciate any info
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Sorry I’m trying to follow what you’re saying, do you mean it looked like there was some food sticking out of his ear? Or the back of his mouth?
If it’s the back of his mouth, it’s ok, it just takes a while for the food to make it’s way through. I’ve seen my gecko yawn and a locust is still in the back of his throat
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I have three leopard geckos in a 48 inch long 16 inch deep 24 inch high cage (plenty of space) two female one male. They have been living like this for over a year now well but recently my oldest female (maybe 3 4 years old has lost her ability to catch food. She try’s but they misses or has trouble completing the swallow and is losing weight more and more over 2 weeks to the point where her tail is thin while the other two are completely fine. No food change (crickets main then meal super works mix in as extra) feed them every other day. And I’m worried she’s sick but vets that would work on her in my area of the USA are hours away at best. Can you tell me what might be going on
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I have three leopard geckos in a 48 inch long 16 inch deep 24 inch high cage (plenty of space) two female one male. They have been living like this for over a year now well but recently my oldest female (maybe 3 -4 years old) has lost her ability to catch food. She try’s but then misses or has trouble completing the swallow and is losing weight more and more over 2 weeks to the point where her tail is thin while the other two are completely fine (Nice and plump) No food change (crickets main meal, then meal or super works mix in as extra) feed them every other day. And I’m worried she’s sick but vets that would work on her in my area of the USA are hours away at best. Can you tell me what might be going on
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Hi there. My wife and I have a 10 year old leopard gecko, and we’re thinking of changing her flooring from those fake grass mats to tile flooring. We saw your post about vinyl flooring and it peaked our interest. We were just wondering. Should we swap out the grass flooring entirely, or would you say it is OK to put the tiles on top of the grass? Thanks very much.
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My geckos shed is stuck and he over sheds like once every 2 weeks it also looks and feels like hes lost some scales on his back from shesding too much ive tried all i can to get it off, ive tried a soak ive tried tweasers ive tried cotton buds ive tried litrally everything i spray his house everyday he eats and drinks and moves about just fine and his temperature is fine and his food always gets covered in calcium before i feed it to him. but i just cant get much of his skin off especially on his hands and fingers which is most important cause i dont want them to fall off 😦 and the most annoying part about it is that he wont even bother to get any of it off i have to do it for him. I’ll appreciate any help.
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My questions is regarding hides. Someone in my. group suggested that bark hides are not good for leopard geckos. I understand you don’t wan’t a bark substrate because they could swallow some while feeding and get obstructed, but what about a natural hide that has bark on it?
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Hiya! We are going on holiday for two and a half weeks, so I was planning on taking our leopard gecko to my sister-in-law’s to be looked after while we are gone. Will a gecko be okay in a large faunarium for that long? Will a heat mat be enough to keep it warm? It’ll be October, so not so balmy like now. Thanks for any advice, Saamah
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can you use dirt for substate
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I do not recommend any loose substrate as they all have a very high chance of causing impaction in your Leo, especially fine sub like sand. Use vinyl/Lino flooring, looks nice in the viv, very easy to wipe clean and super safe for Leo 🙂
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I have a year old gecko. He was happy about a month ago. He shed and then hasn’t been the same since. His tail dropped about two weeks later and now is not eating.
Trying to push calcium powder he will lick it off my finger. He also appeared to have a seizure today!
Any help would be more than welcomed.
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My leopard gecko, Charlie, recently dropped his tail. Now he has pooped only one time per week – very large yellow poops with a small white end (this is for the past three weeks). He is still active and eating well. His tail is growing back just fine. When he does poop it has been in my hand, seems like when he is stressed and wants to go back in his cage. Any idea as to what is wrong? I am worried about him.
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Your gecko must have been stressed to have dropped his tail, so it is very likely he is pooping from being nervous (mine did a nervous poop at the vet). Glad his tail is growing back, maybe he needs a little time on his own as he’s very vulnerable right now and all his energy is going into healing. If you’re worried please contact a vet because I am not qualified to give any further info on this. Hope he’s ok!
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Thanks so much. I’ll keep an eye on him but from a distance.
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I have a 9 year old leo, Oscar, that I originally didn’t know anything about how to take care of him because I was young and my parents were naive to the “simplicity” of a gecko. In the past few years I’ve learned a lot about leopard geckos in particular and I’ve taken much better care of him. His health has improved and he is more friendly, still not wanting to be held, but not scared of newcomers either. I got an albino leopard gecko about 2 months ago, Leopold. He wouldn’t eat what Oscar eats, crickets, so I tried several other kinds of foods dusted with different powdered supplements until I found that he likes mealworms that aren’t dusted (I still give him solid supplements though). He doesn’t seem to be growing much. Oscar is on sand, which I know is bad but I’ve tried mulch, carpets, sphagnum moss, etc and he hates all of them. Leo is on a mix of carpet in his shed box and soft wood fibers everywhere else.
So, my question is: I’m researching how to help him shed because it’s been awhile and his whole head is still stuck. I’m reading that young geckos should shed about once a week but this is his first time. He also is much less energetic, curious, and friendly than Oscar, even when he’s not shedding. I understand that each animal is unique and that applies to leos too but Leo is starting to concern me. Is the fact that Oscar is a giant and Leo is albino causing this difference? Is it maybe his diet? Or the fact that I use different beddings for them? Is Leo not shedding on a regular basis because he’s unhealthy?
I understand that these are lots of questions and that you aren’t an expert but I’m hoping you can help. I live in the USA and regular vets here don’t see lizards, you have to go to a specialist which can cost hundreds and I can’t afford that but I also can’t stand seeing Leo unhappy and unhealthy.
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Hi, a few things:
– I highly recommend moving them both onto a solid substrate
– they probably are shedding but you’re not seeing them do it! I’ve only seen mine shedding a few times over the 5 years I’ve owned them
– I have quite a few posts on substrate, shedding, and geckos not eating. Take a look at those and if there’s anything I haven’t answered let me know!
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hi, I’m a first time keeper of a leopard gecko around 5 months now & I bought him at a reptile showing. we are about 81 days together and I’ve grown more concern. His eating habits have never been where the recommendation is and At first he would eat 2-3 roaches/crickets everyday then starting early November he’s become lethargic staying in a corner under one of his makeshift log hides and eating 1-2 roaches once a week. (He’s slowly eating more but he has eaten a total of 3 roaches in 2 days) He isn’t losing weight his tail is thinner than his midsection but doesn’t look like stick tail according to photos online or it just hasn’t gotten that severe yet. he isn’t really pooping just Urates but they are about 1/3-1/2 yellowing in color. this morning I saw one poop ,finally , it looked like it had been there for a while so it had dried up I didn’t see concerning colors but it was a lighter brown and had thin stringy like things coming out looked like cricket antennas but I honestly don’t know what I’m looking at. Parasites? To much D3? Impaction? I barely see him drink i also checked under his belly no dark spots or bruising but his color is slightly duller than when I first got him. I know leopard gecko eat their shed but it rubs me the wrong way that I’ve never even spotted the signs of the start of shed so I can spray a warm hide to make it a humid hide. Tank description: 40 gallon with bio dude terra Sahara and I did add potting mix because I just felt that there wasn’t enough dirt and to just help the plants a little. There are live succulents/isopods/ springtails in the tank (I don’t see them anymore now but I also haven’t found them dead) he has a 3 hides & 2 makeshift hides I created with cork bark spread across his tank but he only uses two on the warm side and only goes to the cold side to use the restroom. For lighting I have a shade dweller 7% on from 8a.m-8p.m
a bio dude led for the plants growth but its never on for more than 6 hours and because I was so worried about warmth he does have a basking light sitting on Standby if temps drop to low but his main supply of heat is a heating mat underneath the tank. I do not have a humidity gauge it’s on its way but I avoid spraying down the tank to much. The probe inside his warm hide reads 88-90 & I have the thermostat set to 90. There is also a calcium (with D3) dish inside (never uses it that I can tell) and water of course which is mixed with reptisafe water conditioner. for supplements I only use repashy since it’s an all in one. He doesn’t like hornworms and he almost got addicted to wax-worms because I was attempting to fatten him up but I fixed my mistake. Perhaps he’s being stubborn as the internet says but his other signs are making me believe that isn’t the case. Lastly to just give as much context as possible I have changed/moved around items in his tank 3 times since I first got him simply because I realized mistakes and attempted to fix them from temp gradient to unsafe rocks worrisome possible accidents and because I felt some hides I bought where just too small so I upgraded them as I went. I also did not properly quarantine my friend I have no excuse I just didn’t. I stopped feeding crickets now since they are from pet-smart and I’m convincing myself that if it is parasites it’s because of that. His main staple are dubias bought from dubia.com and I attempt to feed them well but they mainly have blue gel water Oats carrots and I pour on top the powder mix that is sold on the website. I tried giving bananas but I don’t think they even touched them. Any and all advise is appreciated and highly needed. Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns.
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I have a leopard gecko I’ve had for a couple years. When I bought him the pet store didn’t tell me anything to do for the lil guy. So I thought it would be fine and didn’t need anything specific being this is my first time with a leopard gecko. Well now a few months back his eyes started looking sunk in and completely black. Now that I’ve been researching (which I should have done when I first got him) they need allot of special things to stay healthy. Anyways I suspect he has gone blind bc I’m having to tweezer feed him but I was wondering if anyone had advice? I’ve not found an answer that settles well with me. Help! Is there anyway to get his eyes back? Is he gonna die? Ect. I have all the freaking questions!
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my lepord gecko has white dryish skin on his head. i know its not from shedding bc the rest of his body isnt pale. im worried. can u please ansewr what this is? thanks so much!
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My leopard gecko is licking from the wet glass and not her own water bowl. Is she trying to help with her shedding?
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if you get rid of a male leopard gecko and want to get a female gecko can you put the female in the old tank that the male was in?
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Do I still need my UV light on if I have my curtains and blinds open for my leopard gecko? Will doing this hurt it?
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I bought a leopard gecko from the pet store in my area. It has not really been interested in eating. To get him to eat, I have to squish the bug a bit so he can lick the juice, then he will eat it. His tail is almost the same size of his body. Is he overweight, and should I stop trying to feed him like this?
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