Welcome to the wonderful world of gecko ownership! With their charming smiles, manageable size, and fascinating behaviors, geckos make fantastic pets. While they are often considered low-maintenance, that doesn’t mean no-maintenance. To ensure your little lizard thrives, you need to provide for their specific needs.

Feeling overwhelmed by all the information out there? Don’t be. This guide will walk you through the five essential pillars of gecko care to get you started on the right foot.

1. The Right Home (A Secure Enclosure)

Your gecko’s enclosure is its entire world, so making it safe and comfortable is your top priority.

• Tank Size: For most common terrestrial species like Leopard Geckos, a 10-20 gallon “long” tank provides plenty of space. For arboreal (tree-dwelling) species like Crested Geckos, a taller tank is better.

• Hides are Essential: Geckos are prey animals and need places to feel secure. Provide at least three hides: a “warm hide” on the heated side of the tank, a “cool hide” on the unheated side, and a “humid hide.” A humid hide is simply an enclosed hideout filled with damp moss or paper towels, which provides a humid microclimate crucial for helping your gecko shed its skin properly.

2. The Right Temps (Heating and Lighting)

Geckos are cold-blooded, meaning they rely on their environment to regulate their body temperature. You must provide a “temperature gradient” so they can warm up and cool down as needed.

• Warm Side vs. Cool Side: One side of the tank should be kept warm (typically 88-92°F for a Leopard Gecko) while the other side remains at room temperature.
• Heating Source: The best way to provide this heat is with an under-tank heating mat placed beneath one-third of the tank. Crucially, this mat must be plugged into a thermostat to prevent it from overheating and harming your pet.

• Lighting: Most nocturnal geckos do not require special UVB lighting to survive, but they do need a regular day/night cycle. Simply the ambient light in the room is often enough to set this rhythm.

3. The Substrate Situation (Avoiding Impaction)

This is one of the most critical aspects of gecko safety. Geckos explore the world with their tongues, constantly licking everything in their environment. This means they can accidentally swallow their substrate (the material lining the bottom of the tank).

• What is Impaction?: If a gecko swallows indigestible materials like sand or wood chips, it can cause a life-threatening blockage in their digestive system called impaction.
• Safe Substrates: The safest options are non-particle substrates that your gecko cannot swallow. Excellent choices include paper towels, slate tile, or reptile carpet. They are easy to clean and pose zero risk of impaction.

• Risky Substrates: Avoid loose substrates, especially for young geckos. This includes sand (especially calcium sand, which encourages licking), wood chips, gravel, and crushed walnut shells.

4. The Right Diet (Food and Water)

A proper diet is key to a long and healthy life.

• Live Insects: The primary diet for most pet geckos consists of live insects. Good staples include dubia roaches, crickets, and black soldier fly larvae. High-fat treats like waxworms or superworms should be offered only occasionally.
• Supplements are a Must: To prevent health issues like Metabolic Bone Disease, you must “dust” the insects with a calcium with D3 supplement before feeding them to your gecko.
• Special Diets: Note that some species, like Crested and Gargoyle Geckos, eat a combination of insects and fruit. They thrive on specially formulated powdered diets that you mix with water to create a complete meal replacement paste.

• Fresh Water: A shallow, clean bowl of fresh water should always be available.

5. The Right Touch (Handling and Enrichment)

Building trust with your gecko takes time and patience.

• Gentle Handling: When you first get your gecko, give it a week or two to settle in before attempting to handle it. Keep handling sessions short (5-10 minutes) and gentle. Never, ever grab your gecko by its tail—many species can detach it as a defense mechanism!
• Enrichment: Keep your gecko’s mind and body active by adding things to its environment to explore. Cork bark, sanitized branches, and different textured rocks can make their home more stimulating.

• By focusing on these five key areas, you can create a safe, healthy, and enriching environment that will allow your pet gecko to flourish for years to come.