Suitable leopard gecko housing
Suitable leopard gecko housing
Here I will try to briefly describe the housing options available to you as a leopard gecko keeper. One thing I would like to add is that whenever possible you should set the vivarium up 1-2weeks before you get the pet so you can get the temperatures right and make sure everything is perfect.
Plastic "Faunarium" housing
Plastic "Faunarium" housing
This sort of housing is only really suitable for youngsters as even the largest sizes aren’t large enough for adults. The largest size is about 18x12x12in which isn’t big enough for a single adult leopard gecko. They are however great for youngsters as you can increase the size as the gecko grows. They have a lot of ventilation so humidity build up shouldn’t be an issue. They are clear all around so you might want to consider getting a background for the back and 2 smaller sides (can be a proper reptile background or just some newspaper taped to the sites, obviously the former is more aesthetically pleasing). Being plastic they can scratch relatively easily but you won’t be using them for very long. They are also quite cheap so are good if you have a few hatchlings which need housing.
DIY storage tubhousing
DIY storage tub housing
This form of housing is favored by breeders or people with a lot of leopard geckos to house. They offer cheap systematic housing which is easy to maintain and requires little maintenance to keep clean. This sort of housing isn’t very good if you want to show off your leopard gecko as the sides are often coloured and/or opaque so viewing isn’t easy. If however you intend to keep a lot for a breeding project they are great as they are cheap and available in many sizes to suite everything from single hatchlings to breeding trios. Being coloured/opaque they offer housing which the leopard gecko will feel secure in (and they are often used as part of a racking system so the sides are enclosed anyway) so using a background isn’t really needed.
Glass tanks (converted aquariums)
Glass tanks (converted aquariums)
Glass tanks (converted aquariums) are great if you want to show your leopard gecko off. They offer high visability and they generally look good. They are readily available as all you really need is an aquarium with a special lid (which is very easy to make yourself with a piece of MDF or plywood, a drill, a jigsaw and some imagination). Their all round visibility can be a problem however, leopard geckos don’t like to feel exposed so you should provide a background for the back and two smaller sides of the tank. The great advantage of doing this is the tank looks much better with a nice desertic background.
I really like these, they look very good but you can’t stack them which can become a real problem when you keep a lot of leopard geckos.
Wooden vivariums
Wooden vivariums
The crème de la crème of leopard gecko housing.
This is, in my humble opinion, the best housing you can have for your gecko bar nothing. Wooden (or plastic, but they are very expensive) vivariums are cheap and easy to build or they can be bought relatively cheaply. They are usually more expensive than glass tanks if you choose to buy one (expect to pay about £90-120 for a 36x18x18in wooden vivarium made for you) but they can be built cheaply (the same vivarium can be built for under £40 if you buy smartly). They look very good and you can get them in many colours so they can blend seamlessly with the furniture in your room. They are stackable so you can have walls (or even rooms if you’re that crazy) of vivariums and leopard geckos thrive in them. They offer an enclosed environment which they feel secure in so the geckos do very well in them.
If you want to learn how to build your own vivarium for your leopard gecko click here.
There you have it, I have summed up the 4 most common housing types available for leopard geckos, I'm sure there are more out there but those are the main ones and are, in my opinion, the only ones you need to know about.