Do leopard geckos need water?

Caring for reptiles is very different to caring for mammals, and many new potential owners wonder if it’s necessary to give leopard geckos water.

Leopard geckos do get a lot of their moisture from the insects they eat (some insects have a higher moisture content than others), but it is still very important to keep fresh water readily available inside their enclosure should they wish to have some.

I do not see my geckos drink very often, however if they do drink it’s usually when they haven’t eaten many insects, such as after a shed.

You need to make sure that your water dish isn’t too deep, particularly if you have baby leopard geckos, as they could easily stumble into it, get stuck, and possibly drown. I really like the pictured water dish, which is by Komodo, because it’s wide rather than  deep, and has nice little steps for the geckos to easily position themselves on. An added bonus is my geckos frequently trample through the water which could keep their toe skin nice and moisturised, possibly helping with sheds!

You also need to make sure the water is kept fresh and clean, taking care that no dead insects are in it, or that it looks dirty or contaminated. Refilling with cold tap water every day or two should prevent this from happening.

Also take care that the water doesn’t evaporate in the warmth created by your heat mat. For this reason I try to keep the water at the cool side of the vivarium.

Komodo Pet-Essentials Small Grey Terraced Dish Vivarium Decoration (Eco-Friendly Packaging)

Leopard geckos also need moisture for shedding purposes, so keeping the vivarium at 30-40% humidity is ideal. In order to do this, I’ll just spray the vivarium with water occasionally, and also ensure that their moist hides stay damp.

For more information about how to set up your leopard geckos’ enclosure, please see the section on Housing and Setup

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