While leopard geckos are quite calm and solitary creatures, they are also inquisitive, curious and funny. Every owner wants to give lots of love to their leopard gecko, and this includes buying or building toys or doing fun things together. In this post, we will discuss fun things to do with a leopard gecko, leopard gecko toys and activities for leopard geckos.
Can I play with my leopard gecko?
Yes, you can absolutely play with your leopard gecko! But never start playing with your leopard gecko until it becomes acclimatized and confident in its surroundings. You should also not play with a young leopard gecko that is less than 3-4 inches, because it will be fragile. Once a leopard gecko gets confident and starts trusting you, you can start playing with it and handling it.
If you have a new leopard gecko then it’s not likely to trust you, so you need to spend 3-6 weeks to bond with your leopard gecko and learn how to handle it properly. Let your leopard gecko acclimatize properly before starting to bother it too much.
It is very important for you to bond with your leopard gecko before starting to play with it. You can find a very useful post on how to tame and bond with your leopard gecko here. You can also find a post on how to handle your leopard gecko correctly, so both of you can enjoy the experience and bond quicker.
Leopard gecko toys and activities
You can buy or make your own leopard gecko toys. Toys will make the tank more interesting and enrich your leopard gecko’s life. Let’s see the ideas of toys and activities for leopard geckos. These will include toys that you can buy as well as homemade leopard gecko toys.
Please note that you should avoid changing the layout of your leopard gecko’s tank too often – once in 2-3 months is fine. Sudden change in the environment might cause your leopard gecko stress. Only add one to few accessories at a time and don’t move things around dramatically too often.
When playing with your leopard gecko, make sure that the house temperature is about 85-86 degrees Fahrenheit (29.4-30 degrees Celsius) as this is leopard geckos’ preferred body temperature.
If the temperature is lower than that, find a way to keep your leopard gecko warm or return it to the cage after 10-20 minutes depending on temperatures. Good sign that your leopard gecko is cold is a cold belly.
Idea number 1: Leopard gecko playpen
You can let your leopard gecko play in a playpen while you are watching it. Many leopard geckos enjoy being outside of their tank, where they can walk around and explore. If you leopard gecko enjoys getting out the tank, you can make a playpen.
There are few options for a leopard gecko’s playpen. For example, you can get a small hamster/small animal playpen like this, and place it on a carpet in a room. If you can’t buy a playpen, you can make a safe zone where your leopard gecko can explore.
You can place pillows, thick cardboard or other structures so your leopard gecko doesn’t escape. Inside a playpen, you can put some hides and small climbing spots.
Idea number 2: Make a handmade DIY tunnel hide for your leopard gecko
You can make a handmade hide for your leopard gecko at home. To make one, you can for example, use a PVC pipe that will be cut to the size that you need. You can make it short or long – everything will depend on how much space you have.
You can also use other round plastic structures to make leopard gecko hides. Make sure that the opening is big enough for your leopard gecko to enter & exit. You can even decorate it, but having no glued on decorations will make it easier to clean.
Idea number 3: Excavator clay tunnels and digging spots
You can get a separate plastic container for this, if you don’t want to change leopard gecko’s tank landscape and move things around too much. Leopard geckos love to dig. But as we know, sand and most of other loose substrates pose a high risk of impaction. But if you want your leopard gecko to dig, you can use this Excavator clay substrate.
You will need to mix this substrate with water and mold it the way that you want – creating arches, holes and tunnels for your leopard gecko to enjoy. Molding will be fun (you can even do this with children) and after it dries, it will become solid.
If you add this substrate in a separate container, you can take your leopard gecko out for some adventure time few times a week. And when you want to change the landscape, you can add water to it and then it will become soft to mold again.
You can create any landscape with this clay substrate and even integrate it in the main leopard gecko’s tank – creating various tunnels and structures.
Idea number 4: Create an obstacle course for your leopard gecko
You can create an obstacle course for your leopard gecko with DIY materials and other things. If you wish, create this obstacle course in a playpen, plastic container or other safe area, for example a spot surrounded by boxes or books. Place round toilet paper tubes, drawing tubes and other things that your leopard gecko can go through.
You can also add some small structures such as cardboard boxes etc. for your leopard gecko to climb. Leopard geckos are not the best climbers, but they still love climbing! Add some structures (can be both handmade or bought) – such as books, branches etc. Make sure it is stable and not too high for your leopard gecko to fall down.
Idea number 5: Let your leopard gecko climb and lay on you
Many leopard geckos enjoy being outside of the tank and crawling all over their owners. If you want to relax with your leopard gecko, sit on a couch and let it crawl on your shoulders, legs and hands. Make sure that your leopard gecko can’t fall and injure itself. Your leopard gecko is very likely to enjoy sitting in your shirt, because it’s warm in there.
Relax with your leopard gecko and watch a movie together. Many leopard geckos are inquisitive and like looking around their surroundings. This is similar to bearded dragons that enjoying spending hours looking out of a window. Make sure that the TV is not too loud because they get stressed hearing loud noises.
Idea number 6: Give your leopard gecko some treats
You can get a small box with a hole and place few worms in there, so your leopard gecko can ‘hunt’ to get them. Another idea is to get a hollow cat ball, such as this one with a bell inside, and place some worms in there.
Your leopard gecko will probably get very excited to get these worms out of the ball. This is also a good exercise and a hunting activity. Try this idea to see if your leopard gecko enjoys it.