Leopard Gecko Setup

Hey, basically I have 0 experience in reptiles and just need a little help. Does anyone know a full setup i could buy, for 2 leopard gecko’s to live comfortably? I have seen videos but they all don’t show everything i need only certain tanks but not everything to put inside of them. Any help would be appreciated thank you!

If you have no experience then please don’t cohab. Just get one gecko and learn from there. Jumping in like that is not a good idea. I can’t help with your question but I had to throw it in. Welcome and you came to the right place!

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I agree with @logar
If you have no experience, cohabbing is a very bad idea. Even 2 females can injure each other badly if you don’t know what to look for.

Decor is a little tough to give input on as everyone’s tastes are different…
The basic necessities however would be:

  • appropriately sized tank
  • a heat source. I prefer undertank heaters for my leos
  • a thermostat for the heat source
  • thermometers and hydrometers
  • temp reader for quick checking different spots in the habitat
  • 2-3 places to hide, I like to have one on each temp zone and a middle spaced one for humidity with moss or a sponge inside
  • dishes for calcium and vitamins (even bottlecaps can work for this)
  • escapeproof dish if you leave live mealies or dubias
  • some sort of appropriate substrate. I prefer large flat slate, tiles or heavily compressed felt, I like to stay away from any heavy uses of sand. heck, even paper towels when first getting started is easy to maintain.

Avoid any decor with holes that they can wedge themselves into or with sharp edges. they can sometimes get stuck or injure themselves.
Some people will argue they come from the middle east so sand is fine, but leos tend to live in rocky desert, not sandy. When on sand they can swallow it for different reasons and make themselves sick so as a new keeper I would try and avoid it.

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Welcome to the forum @trapgeekk ! Always good to see new folks around- if you have time and haven’t done so already, you can make a post in the Introductions’ section of the forum if you’d like. :blush:

A lot of folks think leos are ‘just a beginner reptile,’ but you’ll see how awesome they truly are! I’ve had/still have dozens, and 6 of my girls turned 20 years old this year! Every single one I’ve ever had has had a very distinct personality. Beware- leos are like potato chips or french fries- very tough not to get addicted and end up with a bunch. :wink:

Anywho, I saw this thread and was like, ‘oh, I have leos! I’ll go leave some advice on this thread!’ but @armiyana just said literally all the main points I’d make. :joy: Do you have any specific questions @trapgeekk ? (You can also search the forum and/or look through the leopard gecko section of the forum to pick up more info.)

It’s kind of a hot button issue, but I’d say that a single leo would do well in a 20 gallon long, with a 40 gallon considered the ideal by many. I’d especially opt for a 40 gallon with ‘Super Giant’ morph leos. Depending on how the cage is kept, I do think front-opening enclosures are most often easier to deal with than top-opening enclosures, but both can work fine. The exception for me is how top-opening tanks work better for me if the enclosure is at a lower height that would require stooping with a front-opening tank.

I’ve been keeping leos for most of my life, including cohabbing in the past, and I 100% agree with everyone, don’t cohab as a beginner. And if you aren’t interested in following that advice, do NOT cohab anything other than 2 females. Two males will result in at least one dead gecko, and any other combos are much less likely to thrive than when kept singly. I permanently stopped any cohabbing when two seemingly peaceful females that had been living together for 5 years got in a serious fight and one almost lost her tail.

Anywho, enough of my rambling- it’s great to meet you @trapgeekk !

Austin Powers Doctor Evil GIF

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Yeah… This is the true danger. Lol.

As a side note…
I do have a group of Leos that I cohab. So it’s not that I am against it. But it’s a lot of extra work. I would definitely learn as much about Leos and understanding the basics and how ‘normal’ is before trying.

For me … I will never cohab just 2. I like to do a group of 3 or 4. Because even 2 can lead to a lot of unseen stress if the one is just a bit more dominant. It can also help ID exactly who is the troublemaker when you watch the interactions as a group. Also they must be the same size because any size difference can be a major issue as well.
My last group of 4 however did have an issue where I needed to move the second youngest out after 2 years. She just started loosing a bit more weight than I liked because the others were just a bit more stout and she was a naturally streamlined gal. I also noticed after that she started loosing vision in one eye, so that is also a big thing that will need her to be a solo gal.

Just little things that you will learn to watch and see for with time and that can lead you to success later on.

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Oh and obviously… You need to scale up you habitats for cohabbing. I will typically go with 40 gallons as the smallest. I would never keep anything other than a single gecko in anything smaller unless it’s a temporary setup for juveniles or breeding. Definitely not for mature adults long-term.

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So, if you would like to eventually like to cohab, you could get a 4x2x2 with a removable divider, so after you understand each of the personalities and other factors, you can remove the divider. It would also help them be more used to each other as they will be able to get a little smell in between the divider. It also could help you save some money in the long run

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Welcome! You’ve come to the right place! If you really really intend to buy two, you can get two enclosures and a lot of them stack, so you could still own two.

Elle’s Reptiles on youtube has several videos about getting set up for and caring for leopard geckos.