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Leopard Gecko Supply List
The enclosure, heat, light, food and cleaning gear to buy before your leopard gecko comes home.
A real, editable checklist below — tick, tap a line to rewrite, drag to reorder.
Tick the circles, tap any line to change it, drag the dots to reorder.
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Leopard geckos get called a first pet for kids and adults alike, but ReptiFiles puts the starter setup at roughly $650 to $950 and says to buy and assemble all of it before the gecko comes home. That's worth knowing before you fall for the cute one at the shop. This list covers the enclosure, heat, light, food and cleaning gear for one adult gecko. It leaves out the gecko itself and live feeders, plus the bioactive and UK-specific extras some keepers add.
Why these items are on the list
- Glass terrarium, 36 inches long. The Bio Dude says nothing smaller than 36 x 18 x 18 inches; larger is preferred.
- Screened lid. Lets air through and keeps your gecko in.
- Paper towels first six weeks. Leopard Geckos London wants paper towels for six weeks. PetMD says skip gravel, wood chips and walnut shells; they're abrasive.
- Warm hide and cool hide. PetMD says two hides, warm and cool, give your gecko a place away from the basking area; others want three.
- Humid hide with sphagnum moss. Keep the moss damp to help shedding, and replace it often so mold doesn't form.
- Basking lamp and fixture. An incandescent bulb or ceramic heater makes the warm basking spot.
- Dimming thermostat. Leopard Geckos London says every heat source, like an under-tank heater, should run through one to avoid burns.
- UVB light and fixture. PetMD says replace bulbs every six months. The Bio Dude says 12 months for the T5 bulbs it recommends.
- Timer for UVB light. PetSmart suggests a timer to mimic the roughly 12-hour day and night cycle so you don't have to.
- Two digital thermometers. One per end. Guides differ; PetMD gives 80 to 90 F warm, 75 to 80 F cool.
- Hygrometer (humidity gauge). PetMD puts ideal humidity under 50 percent, so a gauge tells you if you're drifting.
- Flat basking rock. ReptiFiles suggests a light-colored flagstone or concrete paver; the gecko can warm itself on top.
- Cork bark and low branches. Keep branches sturdy and low. Leopard geckos don't climb like other species.
- Shallow food or worm dish. Feeding from a dish lowers the chance they swallow loose substrate.
- Water bowl (not resin). Leopard Geckos London prefers stainless steel toddler bowls and avoids resin: they absorb water and limescale builds up fast.
- Calcium powder, with or without D3. Sources list both kinds. With UVB, Leopard Geckos London uses plain calcium every 3 to 4 feeds, no added D3.
- Multivitamin supplement. If you run UVB, Leopard Geckos London says dust feeders with Arcadia EarthPro-A each feeding, except plain-calcium days.
- Feeder insect keeper and food. Keep live insects in their own container, fed and watered.
- Reptile-safe disinfectant spray. Household cleaners can be toxic to reptiles, so buy the right one.
- Feeding tongs. Leopard Geckos London likes rubber-tipped metal: it lasts, spares your gecko's mouth, and helps with dubia roaches.
- Digital kitchen scale. ReptiFiles includes one in its starter kit.
- Reptile vet's number. Find an experienced reptile vet now, not in a panic when your gecko is sick.
Tick things off on your phone as boxes arrive, and keep the list open at the pet shop so you don't buy the same thing twice. If two of you are setting it up, you can split the shopping.
When to use it
Useful in the weeks before you bring a leopard gecko home, since everything should be set up before it arrives.