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This energy company writes an article describing the average humidity of homes. The article was not intended for reptile care use, but provides a good benchmark for your likely humidity levels inside your home.
This paper describes the behavior of leopard geckos when given the freedom to thermoregulate their internal temperature on a wide temperature gradient. Their results provide an estimate average temperature of the leopard gecko.
This source, written by a team of veteran reptile researchers, outlines a guideline and system for establishing the minimum enclosure size for a variety of exotic animals. The authors note that this system is just an estimation. The estimation provided by their system is fairly in line with a number of anecdotal sources/best practices from other care authorities.
This source, written by a researcher at a Herpetological Laboratory in the leopard geckos native habitat of Pakistan provides a detailed account of the leopard geckos natural habit and behavior. Due to the political environment that has surrounded the country for many years, we are very grateful for Muhammad’s research.
This source is not a documented research paper. Rather it’s information provided direct from an expert. Cameron is the founder and executive director of The Center For Snake Conservation, and their educational wing My Nature Lab. He and his team have personally cared for thousands of reptiles with impressive effectiveness. They have a wealth of knowledge on the biology and proper care of reptiles.
This blog post breaks down the common myth that loose substrate can cause impaction. There are a couple of points to this issue. Impaction is caused by improper care, not the loose substrate we advocate here.
This paper describes the thermoregulation of reptiles. By providing a basis and explanation of the adaptation from an evolutionary point of view, we quickly see the importance for captive care.
This paper describes the importance of proper thermoregulation in reptiles. It explores the biological processes in vertebrates that are impacted by internal temperature. With this research a strong case is made for the impotence of temperature in proper husbandry.
We used a multi-source approach to ensure this temperature recommendation was spot on. We consulted My Nature Lab, who cares for hundreds of reptiles, including quite a few leopard geckos. Utlizing their guidelines, research on their wild habitat, and their ideal temperature, we landed on this gradient as optimal. In theory, a different gradient could be just as successful at enablding proper theormoregulation. It should be well back and based in the research.
This blog style care guide pulls in various research and expert opinions. This page specifically reviews the author’s care guidelines for leopard gecko’s regarding lighting, temperature, and humidity.
This paper looks into the temperature preferences of leopard geckos throughout the entire day. They offered the animals a strong temperature gradient enabling the animals complete freedom to move around as they desired. The witnessed behaviors provide insight into the needs of geckos in captivity.
My Nature Lab is an educational non-profit that cares for well over 100 reptiles. Their team has more than 50 years of collective experience researching and caring for reptiles. Through conversations with their animal care team and founder, we’ve learned from the very best.
This research paper analyzes the effects of various Vitamin D sources and their effects on bearded dragons and tortoises. While this research is specific to these species, it does provide a well crafted overview of the risks of low Vitamin D in all reptiles.
This research paper analyzes the effects of UVB exposure to Vitamin D3 synthesis in leopard geckos. The results suggest minimal UVB exposure, only 2 hours a day, is sufficient for a significant increase in Vitamin D3 synthesis. The results also suggest dietary Vitamin D3 can be sufficient, with a couple of caveats.
This research paper analyzes the effects of different Vitamin D sources in a common pet, the bearded dragon. This source was used however to determine the likelihood that feeder insects can provide adequate Vitamin D strictly from diet absorption. The source is very clear: many common feeder insects are lacking in Vitamin D.
This article written by an experienced reptile vet, discusses the basics of insectivorous reptile nutrition, paying particular attention to the role vitamin A and Vitamin D play in a healthy diet. The author notes a handful of challenges in using supplementation to combat malnutrtional disorders. Notably, the varying quality, and possiblity of vitamin and mineral toxicity causes by overuse of supplements.
This research study seeks to determine if leopard geckos are able to synthesize Vitamin D with use of UVB like other reptiles. The study results found that leopard geckos exposed to only 2 hours of UVB are able to synthesize a significant amount of Vitamin D without dietary supplementation. The authors additional share some concerns over exposing leopard gecko’s to 12 hours of UVB, especially if the animal does not have access to shelter.
Explanation of how we used the source. This source provides clear guidance on the importance of diet diversity. It should also include a bit about the source. Mark Mitchell is a well known researcher and has published 200 book chapters.