Maximum size enclosure for a single leopard gecko?

[MikeD]

We have our gecko (Lyla) in a 24x18x12 vivarium and I'm getting good temperature gradiant but my wife and I are thinking of getting a bigger home for her. Her current vivarium seems a bit cramped with 3 hides.

I've heard that leopard geckos can sometimes wander too far from their warm hide if they're kept in too big an enclosure. I'm not sure if this is true.

Money's not issue but Lyla's comfort and well-being is.

So what would be the maximum size enclosure for a single gecko?

 

[hmarie186]

It's not true. If you think about it it doesn't make sense. How can they lose their warm area if no matter what cage size you have the UTH takes up half of the floor space? I'd recommend a 40 gallon breeder or a PVC cage that is still 36x18 but 12" tall vs 16-18" in the tank.

 

[Hilde]

There is a minimum, but not a maximum. I had a single female living in a 65 gallon enclosure for a few years. It was an attempt at setting up a naturalistic enclosure, hoped to get it somewhat like what they have in the wild. The gecko thrived, had no problem finding anything, even crickets roaming free.
When you consider that wild ones have hundreds of square miles to roam through, and they survive, you can see that any enclosure we can give them isn't going to be too big.

 

[Geckologist.tj]

Perhaps if you had a 150gal aquarium with a 12x12 UTH you would have issues, but as others have said, I don't think there really is a too big provided you're willing to do some experimenting to ensure you maintain good temps.

If it were me personally, I would shy away from anything over 18 inches tall just because it makes it harder to get proper air temps close to the ground where the gecko lives. If you're going the aquarium route, I like the dimensions of a 33gal long.(48Lx13Wx14H)

As far as the UTH goes, I would either place it so that it is centrally located or use one on each end. That way you reduce your chances of having a cold end that he never really uses. Just some thoughts you might consider.

 

[majahawt]

If you get a really big tank, you could always have two heat mats next to each other, one set to the recommended warm temps and one somewhat lower so you get warm -> medium -> cold-zones :3

 

[Hilde]

I use Zoo Med's Repti Heat Cables inside large enclosures where a UTH just wouldn't work well.

 

[MikeD]

I use Zoo Med's Repti Heat Cables inside large enclosures where a UTH just wouldn't work well.

Interesting. How do you secure it to the underside of the enclosure?

 

[Tongue Flicker]

I second Hilde's input.

We have a local celebrity here who keeps her leo in 6 meter long tank set-up against the wall. Then again we don't need supplemental heating here so a wide open air space is not an issue.

 

[Hilde]

I use it inside, not outside.
The cable comes with instructions on how to secure it underneath, and how to use it inside.
The Zoomed site also has a PDF with the instructions, if you're curious.

The cable doesn't overheat, the geckos can snuggle right up to it without getting burned.

Some old pictures, but you can see the cable snaking through the enclosures. The rocks can absorb some heat as well, allowing the geckos to sit on them, soak up heat like they would in the wild.
These are NOT leopard gecko enclosures, so don't do that "get the sand out of there!" thing. I don't have any handy showing the cable in the leopard set-ups.

 

[LEOPARD1]

I use heat cable with my Dubia's the same way I did with a LG. If you buy ZooMeds it will show you the "snake" pattern to follow and to never cross cables. It worked just as well if not better than a heat mat and mine was taped to the bottom of a glass enclosure. I reccomend the snake pattern on the bottom of a glass enclosure and the same pattern but directly underneath your substrate in any plastic enclosures.This is just from my experience. Oh and to answer your question I use Gorilla Tape. You can buy special heat resistant tape but with the temps were working with I did fine with regular duct tape, I just "like" Gorilla Tape. It holds well, lasts long, is pretty thick, etc..

As for tank size. Most of these LG's are 30th generation CB or more. I like small enclosures that the Gecko can thrive in. The last time I had a 65 gallon long Enclosure it contained an adult Gabby.