Housing your leopard gecko is crucial and you must set up leopard gecko’s habitat before it gets home. Leopard geckos are small and can escape, so a properly set up terrarium is important. In this post, we will talk about buying a terrarium for a leopard gecko and choosing the best substrate. We will also discuss which substrate you must not use for your leopard gecko’s vivarium. Terrarium and vivarium phrases will be used interchangeably in this post.
What kind of terrarium/vivarium is the best for a leopard gecko?
The best type of a terrarium for your leopard gecko is a glass terrarium. Terrariums that are made of glass and specifically for reptiles often have front sliding doors and a screen top. Sliding doors are important for an easy opening and maintenance, and screen top for air flow. Another feature to look for in a good terrarium is waterproof base, as leopard geckos need a dry substrate and bottom.
DIY leopard gecko terrarium
You can also consider buying a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium for cheaper, but it won’t have any sliding doors for cleaning and ventilation will be poor. If you are a good at DIY, you can create your own custom leopard gecko cage.
You will benefit from choosing a horizontal glass enclosure that is at least 10 gallons and customizing it to your taste. Make sure to include a mesh or plastic grid for ventilation and use an aquarium sealant to waterproof terrarium’s edges and joints.
What size terrarium/vivarium should I buy for my leopard gecko?
Your leopard gecko’s vivarium should be at least 10 gallons, but a 20 gallon vivarium will fit more accessories and give your leopard gecko more space to explore. Generally, you can even buy a terrarium as big as 30 gallons for an adult leopard gecko, and it will depend on your needs and finances.
A 20 gallon terrarium is perfect for one gecko, and 30 gallons – for 2 leopard geckos. Make sure that the terrarium’s is at least 18 inches long.
If you get a hatchling leopard gecko, start with a 10 gallon enclosure. Otherwise, it will have a problem finding its food and water, might underfeed and become stressed.
Leopard gecko’s vivarium should be more horizontal, rather than vertical. While leopard geckos enjoy climbing rocks and branches, they need more surface area. As we have discussed in facts post, leopard geckos don’t have sticky toe pads and can’t climb smooth vertical surfaces.
The best glass vivaria for your leopard gecko are:
- Exo Terra Small Wide terrarium – 18x18x18 – approximately 25 gallons. Enough horizontal space + lots of
space for climbing rocks and branches. It features a waterproof bottom, screen top, sliding doors and closable inlets. - A 10 gallon starter desert terrarium kit by Zilla – 20 inches long x 10 inches wide x 12 inches high. This terrarium will be perfect for one leopard gecko. This starter kit will also include a substrate liner, heat bulb, humidity and temperature gauge, screen cover and light domes. You will only need to buy some extra accessories, and this starter kit can also make a good present. Remember to choose a desert terrarium to replicate a natural habitat for your leopard gecko. The only downside is that accessories might be outdated (analog instead of digital).
- Exo Terra Short All Glass Terrarium – 18x18x12 – approximately 17 gallons. A good choice for a leopard gecko.
Vivarium screen cover
If your vivarium doesn’t come with a screen top, it is a very good idea to buy one. Even though a leopard gecko can’t climb smooth vertical surfaces, it can climb rocks and branches. Installing a screen top will make sure your leopard gecko doesn’t escape. A screen top will also prevent any bugs, or other pets/children (if you have any) from getting into a vivarium without your consent.
You will also be able to place your light bulbs on top of a screen cover, to avoid your leopard gecko from touching them and burning itself. Also, a screen cover will help the air flow in the vivarium. Make sure to choose the right size air screen to fit on your vivarium.
Where to place a leopard gecko’s vivarium
Placing the terrarium in the wrong spot can have its consequences. Make sure to find the spot for the terrarium 
before it arrives. And, decide on the spot before starting to add in substrates, accessories and light.
Don’t place the vivarium in a cold spot, such as basement or garage. It will be hard to heat the vivarium and maintain right humidity levels.
If you have small children, don’t place the vivarium in their room. Small children will want to handle leopard gecko too often and might injure it while you are not watching. A good solution here is to place the vivarium in the living room or have a lock installed on front sliding doors.
Placing the vivarium on the windowsill or near the window with direct sunlight is also not a good idea. Direct sunlight hitting the glass will cause dramatic increase in the temperature inside the vivarium which can kill your gecko. Also, sunlight passing through the glass will be filtered by at least half. What is more, it can disturb the photoperiod.
A good idea is to get a terrarium cabinet stand to place your terrarium on. Depending on the size, picking a cabinet stand that is slightly larger than the terrarium will help maneuver around it for cleaning. They also feature storage cabinets for keeping your reptile’s accessories.
Choosing substrate for your leopard gecko’s terrarium/vivarium
As leopard geckos are desert inhabitants, they can’t thrive in moist or humidity holding substrates. Let’s review the best, acceptable and bad substrates for a leopard gecko.
The best substrates for your leopard gecko are:
- Paper towels or newspaper – this is the cheapest substrate for your leopard gecko’s vivarium. Paper towels
are also easy to change and can help monitor your leopard gecko’s stools. The cons of paper towel is that it doesn’t look appealing, doesn’t create a naturalistic environment and needs frequent changing. Paper towels is the best substrate for hatchlings and babies. And you shouldn’t use any other substrate until your leopard gecko turns 4-5 months old (or around 5-6 inches long). - Carpet liner – carpet liner is an aesthetically pleasing and safe substrate for your leopard gecko’s vivarium. It looks good, is easy
to clean/wipe/wash and will not cause gut impaction in your leopard gecko. It is also absorbent and a good heat conductor. You can cut the carpet liner to the size that you need and reuse it many times by washing and air drying. There are brown and green carpet liners that you can choose from. You can start using a carpet liner in the vivarium when your leopard gecko turns around 5 months old. At this time, they will know how to hunt and won’t be biting the carpet liner. - Tiles – tiles look beautiful and are easy to clean. The only downside here is the price. You will also need to buy the tiles and cut them to the right size to fit in the vivarium.
are also easy to change and can help monitor your leopard gecko’s stools. The cons of paper towel is that it doesn’t look appealing, doesn’t create a naturalistic environment and needs frequent changing. Paper towels is the best substrate for hatchlings and babies. And you shouldn’t use any other substrate until your leopard gecko turns 4-5 months old (or around 5-6 inches long).
Other substrate ideas:
Sand as a substrate.
Well, sand has been a big topic for discussion. Naturally, your leopard gecko loves digging and that’s what they do in 
the wild. There is a big discussion about leopard geckos and other lizards ingesting the sand, which causes impaction.
The main rule with the sand substrate is to never use it with hatchling and baby leopard geckos! Young leopard geckos are only learning to hunt and can accidentally ingest the sand. Only start using the sand with juveniles (6 months old or over). Leopard gecko won’t ingest the sand on purpose, and most adult geckos never end up doing it. But there is always a risk.
Another thing that you can do to prevent your leopard gecko from ingesting the sand is to feed its live food in a bowl, using tongs or at the side of the vivarium that doesn’t have sand. We would not recommend using sand as a substrate, but if you do, choose fine grade sand over coarse sand to reduce the risk of impaction.
Also, your leopard gecko is more likely to ingest the sand if it has calcium deficiency, so make sure to offer it gut-loaded or calcium dusted foods. If you decide using the sand for leopard gecko’s vivarium, keep an eye as there is always a risk of impaction. The best choice for sand is Desert ReptiSand. Never use silica or unwashed coarse sand. If using sand, you will need to use a cleaning scoop to remove the waste from the substrate.
Loose coconut fiber substrate
Loose coconut fiber substrate looks a lot like dirt but if kept dry, will not increase the humidity inside the vivarium. Eco Earth Loose Coconut Fiber by Zoo Med is an example of this reptile bedding. Pros of loose coconut fiber is that your leopard gecko will be able to dig, and it will look naturalistic. The cons are same as with sand – there is still a risk of impaction. If you decide to use this substrate, keep an eye on your leopard gecko and if any ingestion happens, change the substrate to a carpet liner.
Alfalfa bedding substrate
Alfalfa bedding is another substrate option. The pros of alfalfa are that it’s absorbent, allows digging and can be digested if your leopard gecko ingests it. But there are also lots of cons of alfalfa: this substrate has a strong distinctive smell and can get moldy easily if your leopard gecko spills any water on it. Alfalfa can also crumble and cause respiratory issues when inhaled. A better alternative to alfalfa bedding is loose coconut fiber.
Bedding/substrate that you must not use for your leopard gecko’s vivarium.
Pebbles as a substrate
Never use pebbles for your leopard gecko’s vivarium. Pebbles can seem good for burrowing and digging, but the impaction risk is too high. Medium or large sized pebbles can kill your leopard gecko if it accidentally ingests them. Rocks can also damage leopard gecko’s teeth.
Sphagnum moss or vermiculite as a substrate
Don’t use sphagnum moss or vermiculite as a substrate in leopard gecko’s enclosure. The problem with these substrates is their ability to increase moisture in the vivarium. While you will probably use it for leopard gecko’s hide and shedding box, don’t use it for the whole tank.
Artificial turf (AstroTurf) as a substrate
Artificial turf looks much like a reptile carpet, but it’s not the same thing. AstroTurf is made of small plastic fibers, which fall out with time. They can cause impaction in your leopard gecko if it swallows any of the pieces.
Thank you for reading this post! Make sure to read the next post where we will cover heating, lighting and humidity in leopard gecko’s vivarium!