Leopard Gecko Care Calculator (Tank Size, Heat Mat & Thermostat, Insects & Supplements)

How it works

adult enclosure ≥ 90 × 45 cm (120 × 60 better); hatchlings ≥ 45 × 30 · heat mat ≈ ⅓ of the floor on a thermostat to 32–33 °C surface; overhead watts ≈ 4 W per °C of rise · insects per feeding ≈ 6–8, sized ≤ head width; juveniles daily, sub-adults alternate days, adults 2–3×/week · healthy adult 50–80 g

Leopard geckos are crepuscular desert lizards that warm themselves on sun-heated ground after dark, which is why belly heat from a thermostatically controlled mat under the warm hide, rather than a bright basking lamp, has been the traditional core of their care — with a gradient to a cool end, a humid hide for shedding and, increasingly, a low-level UVB tube that improves calcium metabolism. Feeding is a count of insects sized to the head, daily while growing and only two or three times a week for an adult that would otherwise store the excess in its tail and armpits, dusted with calcium and vitamins to prevent metabolic bone disease. The tank a hatchling starts in is outgrown fast; the adult's home is a long, low enclosure.

Worked example

An 18-month, 65 g adult in a 90 × 45 cm enclosure is properly housed and in the healthy 50–80 g range. Its heat mat should cover about 1,350 cm² (roughly 48 × 28 cm, ≈ 17 W) under the warm hide, run by a thermostat set to 33 °C at the floor; it eats about 8 head-width insects per feeding, 2–3 times a week (≈ 20 a week — around $8 a month of dubia and crickets), dusted with calcium + D3 every other feeding, and the whole setup costs a few dollars a month to run.

Frequently asked questions