Leopard Gecko Water Dish: Size, Type & Placement
| Placement | Cool side |
| Depth | Shallow — chin height or less |
| Cleaning | Refresh regularly, daily is common |
Depth and shape
The dish should be shallow enough that the gecko can comfortably stand in it without risk of it being a drowning hazard for a small or young animal, and shaped with a gentle enough slope or low enough sides that a gecko can easily climb back out.
Where to place it
The cool side of the enclosure is the standard placement — water on the warm side evaporates faster and can push humidity up in the wrong zone, working against the arid warm-side conditions leopard geckos need.
Cleaning schedule
Water dishes should be emptied, rinsed, and refilled with fresh water regularly (commonly recommended daily to every couple of days), since standing water accumulates bacteria and substrate debris quickly in a warm enclosure.
Do they need standing water at all?
Yes — despite being an arid-adapted species, leopard geckos do drink from standing water and should always have fresh water available, in addition to any humidity they get from a moist hide.
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.