Enclosure

What type of enclosure used is mostly a matter of personal preference. Anything from a plastic tub, to a glass aquarium, to a "rack" situation can used successfully. The most important thing to consider with regards to enclosure is size. A single leopard gecko should have at least the floor space of a 10 gallon aquarium, however some individuals do need more space than that. In general, when housing multiple geckos, all individuals should be able to avoid one another easily in either temperature zone of the tank (e.g. they should all be able to hide in the warm area without having to touch or see each other). 3 to possibly 4 adult leopard geckos can be housed in a 20 gallon long aquarium via this "rule" if the space is adequately "furnished." For hatchling leos a much smaller enclosure is beter than a large one, as a large space can be intimidating and make it difficult to find food. Enclosure size is really a judgement call...do not keep a leopard gecko in a space that just seems too small for it...and if individuals just don't get along, chances are how much space they have won't matter. Also, please remember never to keep two males together as they WILL fight, most likely, to the death.

Temperature

Being cold blooded animals a temperature gradient is very important for leopard geckos. The most important heat direction for leos is belly/surface heat as it allows them to digest properly. The warmest belly temperature in the enclosure should be in the low nineties (but never above 95) while the coolest anywhere from the low seventies to low eighties (basically room temperature). There should be a range of temperatures between the two extremes. There are a couple different ways to provide heat for the gradient. Generally accepted as the "best" way is to use an undertank heater (uth) of some sort (heat tape, heat cable, store bought uth) with a thermostat. The probe for the thermostat should be set above the hottest area of the heat source and thermostat should be set to the low nineties. It is also possible to use a rheostat/dimmer with uth's, but temperatures need to be monitored more closely. Another acceptable heat source is heat lamps/heat emitters. If a lamp is used it should be red or a very dark color so as not to disturb the leos' nocturnal behavior. The biggest concern with using such overhead heat sources is belly heat...temperature need to be monitored very closely with these sources and something that will absorb the heat needs to be placed below the lamp/emitter to create a source of belly heat. Be sure when measuring temperatures to measure SURFACE TEMP and not just air temps.

Substrate

Substrate is the most highly debated topic in leopard gecko husbandry...Discussed below are my OPINIONS on the matter. I have researched the substrates and seen many differing opinions and reasons for opinions, however I have not used every substrate and am certainly no expert on the subject. Tile: Tile is my personal favorite substrate. Tile can be purchased at home improvement and flooring stores very inexpensively (usually less than $2 a tile). It can be attained in stone, ceramic, or vinyl in very nice stonelike patterns and textures. If tiles can't be purchased to fit your enclosure exactly they can be cut to fit (vinyl tiles can be cut with a good pair of scissors, ceramic or stone will have to be cut by the store). Other advantages of tile are that it holds heat, looks very nice, is more natural than most other choices, is very easy to clean, and nothing can get under it (no hiding crickets/worms like with paper towels!). Paper towels can be placed in the "potty corner" to make it even easier to keep a tiled enclosure clean. The only thing to note with tile is to avoid smooth glossy tiles as they can be slippery. Sand: Sand is the source of most of the debate for leo substrate. Many believe that sand caries too high of a risk for impaction for ANY leopard gecko and believe that it should never be used. Others believe that it only poses much of a risk for young geckos and will use it for adults, but not for babies. Few will use sand for hatchling/juvenile leopard geckos. Some will only use non-calcium based sands, some prefer calcium based sands. Many who do use sand believe that it is a more natural substrate for leos than anything else. This is untrue however...The wild habitat of leopard geckos is generally very rocky areas with a hard packed clay base to the ground and thin layer of very fine, dusty "sand." This "sand" is much finer than any sand we have comercially available. This is where I believe the problems with using sand come about. I believe the larger grain sizes have a harder time moving through the animal's gut and because of this can get caught and cause impaction. Hatchlings/juvies have smaller GI tracts and are sloppy eaters (they injest more sand accidentally) thereby making impaction more of a risk for them than for adults. I personally believe that sand should never be used with hatchlings or juveniles for that reason. I do believe that sand can be used safely with adult leopard geckos so long as they fed in a dish to limit accidental sand injestion and they are not eating the sand purposefully. Usually purposeful injestion of the sand stems from using the calcium based sands marketed specifically for reptiles. While the manufacturers claim these sands to be fully digestible, they really aren't. Many have used these sands and found undigested sand in their leos' stools and an experiment showed the sand not to break down well in different pH's (http://pythons.com/calcium.html). For this reason I would suggest to anyone who does use sand to use non-calcium based sands. Another option for those determined to use sand is to use sand between pieces of rock or slate. Not only is this much safer than a pure sand substrate, but it is also much closer to their natural environment and very attractive. Paper Towel/Newspaper: These are probably the most common choice for leopard gecko substrate. It is relatively easy to keep enclosures with these substrates clean and is inexpensive. It can also be made to fit in any size/shape enclosure easily. The disadvantages of paper towel/newspaper is that feeders/leos can hide under them, everything must be moved to clean them (while tile can be spot cleaned), and they do not hold/spread heat. Newspaper can also leave stains on leopard geckos' stomachs and feet. Repticarpet/Fake Grass: Repticarpet is a fairly common choice for leopard gecko substrate...I personally don't like it at all and will never use it. Repticarpet is expensive, completely unnatural, things can hide under it, its difficult to clean/keep clean, and leopard geckos can get their claws or teeth stuck in it (and sometimes panic and drop their tails). I also don't like the way it looks. It definitely isn't the worst choice out there, but it is one that I would never use personally. Coconut Fiber: I personally wouldn't recommend coconut fiber as a main substrate. It is very difficult to keep clean and sanitary and can hold excess humidity. It can also be injested and could possibly cause impaction. Another problem is that feeders can hide in it VERY easily never to be seen again (unless they happen to have enough time to reproduce...). Some have used it without consequence...but again, I personally would not recommend it. Crushed Walnut Shells: Walnut shells are a substrate to avoid. They are indigestible and have very ragged edges that could tear up the GI tract if injested. Also feeders could hide in it very easily and it would be difficult to keep clean and sanitary. I am not very familiar with other substrate choices, if you are considering another choice I would suggest finding someone who has used it previously or knows more about it.

Furniture

Another important element to a leopard gecko enclosure is the cage furniture.  Since these guys are nocturnal, they definitely appreciate having a place to hide during the day!  They also do appreciate things to climb...they are terrestrial, but do seem to enjoy climbing things.  The rule of thumb for hides is to have at least one dry hide in each temperature zone and a humid hide in the warm area.  Dry hides can be anything from overturned storage containers with holes in the side, to store bought hides, to homemade hides.  Humid hides can be storage containers with tops and holes cut in the side or homemade.  Humid hide substrates can be a number of things.  If the humid hide is not intended to be used as a laybox for females simple damp paper towels can be used.  If it is to be used as a laybox (or just if you feel like it...) a peat/pearlite or peat/vermiculite mixture (pearlite or vermiculite alone tends to get eaten for some reason), peat, coconut fiber, or sphagnum moss can be used (dampened of course).  Humid hides help to prevent retained skin from shedding, and many leopard geckos simply like them.  For multiple leopard geckos they should have enough places for each of them to hide without being together.  Three hides for one-three geckos or one for each gecko is the bare minimum.  Technically that is all the cage furniture that leopard geckos really need, however I would recommend having more and having some things for them to climb on and whatnot.

Food

There are many options of food for leopard geckos. Usually mealworms, superworms, or crickets are used as a staple diet; although many use silkworms or roaches. All are decently nutritious and make good staples. The best diet for leopard geckos is a varied diet composed of one or two of the above staples and once or twice a month (or more often) offering another of the common staples and/or pinky mice, waxworms, or other available feeder insects. Pinkies and waxworms should be fed sparingly as they are not as highly nutritious as the normal staples.

Supplements

An essential component of the leopard gecko diet is vitamin/mineral supplementation.  A dish of calcium dust (vitamin D3 free) should be available at all times in the enclosure.  Food should be supplemented regularly...exactly how often depends on what supplements are being used.  Vitamin and mineral supplementation should be supplied once every week to week and a half  (if supplied seperately they can be alternated so that each is still provided every week to week and a half but not at the same time).  Make sure that vitamin D3 is supplied, if not in the vitamin/mineral supplement used, then supplement with calcium with D3 a couple times a month.  This can be done by dusting, or by replacing the D3 free dust for about a week once a month.  It has been suggested by some breeders than oversupplementation may be causing infertility, abortions, and offspring deformities, so it is important not to oversupplement.  Do not supply any more supplementation than suggested in the directions for whatever supplement used.