Do Leopard Geckos need a humid tank?

Question

If they do, what should the relative humidity be, and how do you make the tank humid?

Answer 1

Oh boy... here we go.  The time to find out about what your Leo's needs is BEFORE you get him.  The tank, humidity, moisture hide, basking perch...

All that should have been researched and set up long before the animal was tossed into it!  If you have to move a new pet to DO all this - it just further stresses the poor thing to be shoved in a "stay there till I fix this" tiny plastic tank or dark box!

Yes, it needs moisture, and increased moisture for healthy/proper shedding.  Leos eat their skin as they shed it.

Where to start?  Did you research the animal at all?  Do you have it in a large enough tank to provide it with a basking area/lamp; basking perch; warm and cool side in the tank (UTH pad regulated with a rheostat and temp. set with a digital probe thermometer or therm. gun for the warm side); small bowl for calcium D3 powder; shallow bowl for water; moisture hide; etc., etc.

Did you research how to feed its food?!!

Have you done the controversial research on UVB for nocturnal Leos?

These adorable creatures live an average of twenty YEARS with proper care and nutrition, and you have just decided to become its "life partner" and provide for its needs FOR that amount of time!  The record, to my knowledge, for death from old age for a Leo was 27 yr.

It's a bit bigger commitment, than getting a puppy or kitten!!!

So, since you've posed this question - it's obvious you want to do what's best for the reptile, and meet its needs.  You have much to learn.  You can never learn too much, about the lizard you own and are responsible for.

A few basics are: 1.) An adult single Leo needs a 20 gal. minimum tank.  You can start small, and work up, but each time you do?  You have to get new UTH pads, and do the heat adjustments again, and adjust the basking light/heat, etc.  Just get the 20 gal. or larger, and let the reptile grow into the space.  Please get a reptile tank.  Aquariums are designed for side viewing area, to display fish.  Reptile tanks are shorter, and provide more floor area, where the lizard actually resides.  Each time you move your Leo to a new home; it will cause stress.  So, buy the right size to begin with, and let the animal be secure, and become very territorial, as it was meant to do.  2.) NEVER put your Leo on repti or play sand (there are a million reasons for this, the most important of which is impaction).  3.)  Leopard geckos originate from baren packed earth and rocky regions.  They hook up in the wild only for territory disputes, and mating.  Both can end in death.  Geckos are solitary creatures, and don't need another gecko for company.  Two males can NEVER be housed together - they will fight to the death.  And females which have been raised together can turn on each other five years later.  Geckos should only be put together for reasons of breeding, and carefully monitored during the process.

I'll post some links below to get you started on some of the research you should have already done.  Please note my disclaimer.  I'll also post a basic recipe for gut loading your gecko's prey insects.

You only want what's best for your pet, and that takes effort on your part.  As you google your Leo; you will encounter a lot of contraditory advice.  These information dilemmas can easily be resolved by your qualified exotics vet.

Like any new pet, your reptile should be checked for general health, parasites/disease, and other disorders at the time of purchase.  If there IS a problem, this makes obtaining a refund (do not accept an exchange, as other animals are likely to be in the same shape) from the pet store/breeder before their guarantee expires.

GUT LOADING CRICKETS for REPTILES:

The number one problem:

Dried up and malnourished pet store crickets and mealworms. These food items are essentially useless. A dehydrated and unfed cricket contains almost no nutrients at all; refrigerated mealworms are even worse. A lot of the variety in nutrients found in wild insects is actually in the stomach content - usually plant material. We need to duplicate this to provide the best for our reptiles; without the risk of illness/disease/parasites which can result from feeding our pets wild insects.

Please note that wax worms, while fattening, are not nutritious.

Basic Dry/Staple Cricket Food:

Equal amounts of dry Iguana food, dry dog food, chick starter mash, oatmeal (you can add dry baby food wheat/rye/barley, etc. as well; even shredded wheat - no sugar).

Grind these items together.  Place in a small lid/bowl for the crickets to eat.  Store the unused portion in the refrigerator or freezer, until needed.

Supplement daily with one of the following: sweet potato, bananas, zucchini, oranges, carrots, strawberries, assorted squashes (acorn, yellow, etc.), grapefruit, green beans, apples, kale, spinach, cactus pads, and just about any other nutritious item you can think of (do not use white/yellow potatoes - these are starchy and only good if used as a moisture source during shipping, and NEVER use Avocado - it's poisonous to most animals).

Provide the dry food and kale at all times (kale is readily available during the winter months, too), rotating the other food items through in succession. The key is variety, and to provide an assortment of varying nutrients. What you are trying to do is offer your reptiles crickets with guts 'loaded' with fresh foodstuffs.

The crickets should be gut loaded for 1-2 days prior to offering them to your reptiles.

Also, provide fresh clean water in a lid/bowl, adding a sponge or folded paper towel to prevent drowning.

  

Don't offer more crickets than the reptile(s) will consume within: 1.) a few hours if it’s a lizard, salamander, frog/toad, or 2.) a few minutes, if it’s a water turtle, so you know the crickets will still be full of the good stuff when eaten.

The crickets should be dusted (shaken in a plastic bag gently to coat them) with vitamins (keep these refrigerated) and calcium D3 powder 2-4 times a week, depending on the age of the reptile.

Be sure to remove any uneaten crickets so that they do not soil your pet's environment/water or bother your pet, once it is full.  Crickets CAN turn the table - and feast upon your pet! Or aggravate them, causing stress and even cessation of eating.

Also be sure the crickets are the correct size for the reptile.  The cricket should be the same size long as the reptile’s head is wide.

If you don't know of a qualified reptile vet; for the location of one in the city of your state, you can contact herpetologicalsocieties.com“.

I wish you 20 plus years of health and happiness with your Leo!  Most of all - enjoy your new pet.

I hope this has been helpful.

Answer 2

No they don't need a humid tank, but a humid box within they're tank is recommended.

A humid box is a hide with a substrate that is kept damp. The substrate in the humid hide can be spagnum moss, peat moss, or paper towel.

What I use for the humid box is a plastic encherito container from Taco Bell (with lid) with a hole cut in the side and damp peat moss in the bottom. It's not pretty but it works. You get the idea of what you'll need.

Answer 3

Depends. You don't need a "humidity tank" but you will need something moist in your tank that is available to your gecko around their shedding time. I put a wet papertowel under half of my leo's hiding place so that she has the choice.

Answer 4

mist... they do not need it to be too humid but you will need to mist them so they shead properly.

Answer 5

No, do not make the tank humid, this will cause skin and respiratory problems. Leopard geckos come from arid dry regions that lack precipitation, they do not come from humid areas. However, they do require a humid hide, a hide placed on the warm end of the tank filled with an absorbent material such as sphagnum moss which should be kept moist, not damp or overly wet, to aid with the leo's shedding.

Answer 6

NO dont make there tank humid make a hide with a paper towl in it and make the hide humid.

Answer 7

i had my leo gecko for 5 years. humidity is kinda important. it helps there shedding. you can mist them down once a week, or take a pastic container, turn it upside down and cut a door in it and put moss in it and moist it and it will be humid in there and he will go in there when ever he wants. make sure he has a heat lamp too. heat rocks are bad. you can try a heat sheet under his bedding. make sure you dont use sand, when they eat sand gets in there system and they cant digest from it and sometimes die. any more questions ill be more than happy to help out.