How to Find a Leopard Gecko (Exotic) Vet
Why 'exotic' matters
Not all veterinarians treat reptiles, and general small-animal vets may have limited reptile-specific training. An exotic or reptile-specialized vet is far more likely to correctly diagnose husbandry-linked issues like MBD, impaction, or respiratory infection.
Where to look
Association directories for exotic/reptile veterinarians, local reptile expos or clubs, and recommendations from established breeders in your area are all good starting points. Calling ahead to confirm a clinic actually sees leopard geckos specifically (not just larger reptiles) is worth doing.
Do this before you need one
Find and confirm a vet before an emergency, not during one — searching under stress with a sick gecko wastes time that can matter. Save the clinic's number and after-hours emergency options somewhere easy to find.
Questions worth asking
Ask whether the vet regularly treats leopard geckos specifically, whether they can run fecal parasite tests in-house, and what their emergency or after-hours protocol is.
See the full care guides guide, or browse all 593 info pages.
A single adult leopard gecko needs a 20-gallon long tank as an absolute minimum, with a 36x18 in (40-gallon breeder) footprint now considered the recommended standard — plus a secure lid, an under-tank heater on a thermostat, a thermal gradient, at least three hides, and a shallow water dish.
Set up in this order: substrate, then heat source wired through a thermostat, then hides and water dish, then decor — and run the whole enclosure for at least 24–48 hours to confirm stable temperatures before your gecko moves in.
Hatchlings can start in a 10-gallon tank or tub, juveniles do well in 20 gallons, and adults need a 20-gallon long as an absolute minimum — with 36x18 in (40-gallon breeder) now the widely recommended standard, not just an upgrade.
Heat a leopard gecko enclosure with an under-tank heater and/or overhead heat source (halogen or deep heat projector) wired through a thermostat — a thermostat is mandatory, not optional, and heat rocks should never be used.
Leopard geckos can survive without UVB using dietary D3 supplementation, but current husbandry guidance now recommends low-level UVB (roughly 2–6% T5) as best practice — it improves D3 synthesis, bone density, and natural behavior, and views on it have shifted significantly from older nocturnal-species advice.
Keep ambient humidity around 30–40% across most of the enclosure, with a dedicated humid hide raised to roughly 70–80% to support smooth, complete sheds.