Leopard Cat Bed
Leopard Gecko, Setting Up The Right Habitat
Caring for a leopard gecko seems to be easy and simple. But there is something important that you certainly have to attend to, that is setting up the gecko's habitat. You probably know that geckos are desert reptiles. And it would be very logical that you should prepare a habitat that resembles the native desert of this reptile, where it can live healthy, safe and feel like a comfortable home
So, how does the gecko native desert look like? Do not imagine that the desert of a gecko is a sand desert. As a matter of fact the desert of Afghanistan, Pakistan or India are dry and rocky deserts, cold at night and warm during daylights. Like almost every desert, it has very short supply of vegetation and with minimal rainfall.
Having this picture in your mind, that is how you are going to set up the right habitat for your gecko. You are going to set up an enclosure, or cage or terrarium, whatever you like to call it, which should be suitable for your gecko to do its daily activities, which is: hiding, climbing, moving around and shedding. Let us look at some aspects of a habitat that meet the requirements.
Enclosure. This is the place where your gecko will be kept. It should be long and shallow, with a minimum size of 10 gallons just for one gecko. Adjust this size if you care for multiple geckos; 15 gallons for a pair, 20 gallons for two pairs and so on. Avoid wire enclosures, use the glass cage instead. Most geckos are not able to climb glass, thus avoiding them to escape or get hurt. However, the cage lid should be made of wire net to provide good ventilation and sufficient light.
Substrates. These are materials that you will use in the bottom of your terrarium. Use substrates that are non-irritating and non-abrasive, since geckos have sensitive skin. Other requirements for a good substrate: easy to clean and replace, and does not create dust of any type. Suggested substrates are artificial grass, newspapers and paper toweling. Sand should be used with caution since sand may cause some problems. Materials to avoid: pine, cedar, gravel, hardwood chips, sawdust, cat litter and corncob bedding.
Landscaping. The objective of landscaping is to provide the gecko with a natural environment. This includes putting rocks and logs where your gecko can hide or climb. Plants, live or artificial, can be used to create more hiding places. Use living plants carefully, since some maybe poisonous to your gecko. It is advisable to ask an expert or veterinarian about which safe plant to use.
Temperature. The body temperature of your gecko depends on its environment, because a gecko is not able to produce its own body temperature. It is important to provide your gecko with extra heat sources in the basking areas. If necessary you can use an under tank heater and set it at 80º – 85ºF at daytime and around 70ºF during night time. Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature.
You should provide different temperature gradients outside the basking area. This is to make it possible for your gecko to choose the desired body temperature or what is called by thermoregulation. If it needs to warm up is body temperature it will move to the warmer area and vice versa.
Light. In summer, geckos need to stay about 14 hours in daylight and 10 hours of darkness. While in winter, they are used to 12 hours daylight and darkness respectively. You can set timing with the help of an automatic timer. Remember that geckos are nocturnal creatures and do not like bright light, especially if they are exposed to white light there is a great possibility that they become tensed.
Make use of the black heat lamps and red lamps, and avoid the UV lamps. Make also sure that you place the lamps outside the enclosure and in such manner that there are some dark spots for your gecko to hide.
Humidity. This is also an important requirement, since high humidity will make your gecko more susceptible to diseases. The ideal humidity for a healthy gecko is at the level of less than 40%, which will prevent possible dehydration and facilitate proper shedding. To monitor humidity you can use a hygrometer.
Cleaning. This is a must. Several things can be done on a daily and weekly basis to maintain a healthy leopard gecko habitat. Your daily cleaning task should include removing waste, remains, dead insects and shed skin. Remove and clean all objects that are contaminated with the gecko's feces. Water bowls should be cleaned and disinfected. Remove and replace dirty substrate
Your weekly task should include cleaning and disinfecting the whole enclosure completely, including its decorations, feeding items, water bowls as well as to replace dirty substrate. When doing this, avoid using cleaners that can be poisonous to your gecko e.g. pine scent and phenols.
Water. Your gecko needs continuous clean water supply. Water should be presented in a flat and shallow bowl and should be kept clean by changing it every day. Even if you find something spoiling the water, like feces or drowned insects or feeder you should immediately replace it with clean water. Using deep bowls will make it difficult for your gecko to reach the water, and at the same time will put your gecko into the danger of drowning.
About the Author
Uno Birawan is the owner of www.theleopardgeckocenter.com, where you can obtain information on how to care for this wonderful reptile, your Leopard Gecko
Siamese Lynx Cat Kitten Digs and Digs On Bed - OCD?
 |
 Leopard Pet Dog Cat Rabbit Soft Bed Mat Doggy Warm House Kennel Cushion Pad Nest $15.99 Time Remaining: 4d 2h Buy It Now for only: $15.99 Buy It Now |
 NEW PET BED LEOPARD PRINT Dog or Cat Pillow PLUSH $7.99 Time Remaining: 12h 24m |
 Fantasy Furniture Mini Sofa Leopard Pet Bed New Dogs Sofas Furniture Beds Cats $92.17 Time Remaining: 27d 9h 15m Buy It Now for only: $92.17 Buy It Now |
 PINK LEOPARD LUXURY PINK FAUX FUR CUDDLE SNUGGLE BLANKET Cat Dog PET BED $30.00 Time Remaining: 29d 17m Buy It Now for only: $30.00 Buy It Now |
 NEW Leopard Tiger Print Pet Dog Cat Cushion Pillow Bed Washable Cage S M L XL $18.99 Time Remaining: 1d 10h 58m Buy It Now for only: $18.99 Buy It Now |
 100 Cotton Handmade Leopard Print Pet Dog Cat Bed House Round Square SML $18.00 Time Remaining: 27d 7h 47m Buy It Now for only: $18.00 Buy It Now |
 23 Round Dog Cat Pet Bed Your Choice of Colors $12.99 Time Remaining: 19d 15h 59m Buy It Now for only: $12.99 Buy It Now |
 Soft foam princess Couch sofa leopard washable Furniture Dog Cat Pet Bed small $24.95 Time Remaining: 27d 22h 54m Buy It Now for only: $24.95 Buy It Now |
 2 pcs x Leopard Printed Faux Fur Round Dog Cat Mat Pillow Bed $8.99 Time Remaining: 18h 4m |
 Fashion Leopard Lace 100 Cotton Pets Puppy Dog Cat Beds House Mats Double side $23.80 Time Remaining: 19d 2h 49m Buy It Now for only: $23.80 Buy It Now |
 soft pet dog cat bed house doghole kennel cotton S cute LEOPARD LINE US STOCK $12.99 Time Remaining: 28d 1h 14m Buy It Now for only: $12.99 Buy It Now |
 soft pet dog cat bed house kennel cotton S cute LEOPARD LINE 2 USE $12.99 Time Remaining: 29d 30m Buy It Now for only: $12.99 Buy It Now |
 Princess Pet Dog Cat Handmade Bed House sofa 4 Color $23.00 Time Remaining: 10d 2h 3m Buy It Now for only: $23.00 Buy It Now |
 SAFARI PRINT PET BED ANIMAL LEOPARD PRINT CUSHION CAT DOG NV35269 $54.95 Time Remaining: 29d 13h 1m Buy It Now for only: $54.95 Buy It Now |
 Leopard Print Dog Cat handmade bed house Brown SM $97.00 Time Remaining: 5d 6h 4m Buy It Now for only: $97.00 Buy It Now |
 Warm Leopard Print pet dog cat handmade bed house Sofa Bed Brown SM $26.00 Time Remaining: 21d 7h 29m Buy It Now for only: $26.00 Buy It Now |
 NEW PET BED LEOPARD PRINT Dog or Cat Pillow PLUSH $7.99 Time Remaining: 20h 24m |
 LEOPARD DOG BEDS MAT CRATE for PETS Dog Cat SMALL $16.99 Time Remaining: 29d 40m Buy It Now for only: $16.99 Buy It Now |
 DOG BEDS Set of 2 NEW Leopard Pillow Cat Nap Pet Couch $120.44 Time Remaining: 1d 18h 19m Buy It Now for only: $120.44 Buy It Now |
 Cat bed igloo pyramid style various colours also for small dogsferretsrabbits $10.22 Time Remaining: 19d 8h 15m Buy It Now for only: $10.22 Buy It Now |
 LEOPARD BLACK FAUX FUR CUDDLE SNUGGLE BLANKET DOG CAT PET BED $20.00 Time Remaining: 25d 11h 25m Buy It Now for only: $20.00 Buy It Now |
 DOG BEDS NEW Leopard Pillow Couch Cat Nap Pet Bed $62.98 Time Remaining: 29d 10h 12m Buy It Now for only: $62.98 Buy It Now |
 puppy doggie cat dog bed mat house soft warm leopard line CHAIR cushion cool $24.60 Time Remaining: 27d 1h 51m Buy It Now for only: $24.60 Buy It Now |
 puppy doggie cat dog bed mat house soft warm leopard line LONG COUCH cool $29.89 Time Remaining: 27d 1h 51m Buy It Now for only: $29.89 Buy It Now |
 Luxury Dog Cat Pet Bed small Leopard Furniture 25 x 18 $36.50 (3 Bids) Time Remaining: 22h 40m |
 100 Cotton Handmade Leopard Print Pet Dog Cat Bed House Round Square SML $18.00 Time Remaining: 22h 1m Buy It Now for only: $18.00 Buy It Now |
 New Luxurious Leopard Print Pet Dog Cat Soft Bed House Kennel Small Medium Large $31.00 Time Remaining: 20d 8h 16m Buy It Now for only: $31.00 Buy It Now |
 puppy doggie cat dog bed mat house soft warm leopard line LONG COUCH cool L01 $24.99 Time Remaining: 13d 9h 28m Buy It Now for only: $24.99 Buy It Now |
 Leopard Printed Faux Fur Round Dog Cat Mat Pillow Bed $15.99 Time Remaining: 6d 13h 29m Buy It Now for only: $15.99 Buy It Now |
 PINK LEOPARD BLACK FAUX FUR CUDDLE SNUGGLE CAT DOG PET BED BLANKET $20.00 Time Remaining: 22d 25m Buy It Now for only: $20.00 Buy It Now |
 puppy doggie cat dog bed mat house soft warm leopard line double cushion L03 $16.11 Time Remaining: 4d 3h 38m Buy It Now for only: $16.11 Buy It Now |
 NEW PET BED LEOPARD PRINT Dog or Cat Pillow PLUSH $7.99 Time Remaining: 1d 12h 24m |
 Brand New Pet Dog Cat Bed House Tent Leopard Print S M L XL 100 High Quality $16.99 Time Remaining: 9d 10h 45m Buy It Now for only: $16.99 Buy It Now |
 IGLOO PYRAMID CAT BED 3 COLOURS SUITABLE FOR RABBITS GUINEA PIGS SMALL PETS $10.22 Time Remaining: 7d 15h 17m Buy It Now for only: $10.22 Buy It Now |
 Safari Leopard Print PET BED Wrought Iron Frame Dog Cat Luxurious Retreat 35269 $62.94 Time Remaining: 10d 11h 13m Buy It Now for only: $62.94 Buy It Now |
 Brand New Pet Bed LEOPARD Black Design Medium 24x19x7 Dog or Cat $24.99 Time Remaining: 22d 18h 15m Buy It Now for only: $24.99 Buy It Now |
 BROWN LEOPARD DOG BEDS MAT CRATE for PETS Dog Cat SMALL $16.99 Time Remaining: 23d 19h 50m Buy It Now for only: $16.99 Buy It Now |
 Luxury Leopard Cat Dog Igloo Kennel $19.99 Time Remaining: 20d 14h 17m Buy It Now for only: $19.99 Buy It Now |
 Brand New Pet Bed LEOPARD Medium 20x6 Dog or Cat $18.00 Time Remaining: 10d 16h 44m Buy It Now for only: $18.00 Buy It Now |
 NEW PET BED LEOPARD PRINT Dog or Cat Pillow PLUSH $7.99 Time Remaining: 1d 20h 24m |
