One real problem you might run into as a leopard gecko owner is your leopard gecko might decide to make a jail break. Usually, this seems to happen at night, since they are nocturnal and come out of their hides at night and explore. Just about every leopard gecko owner has at one time woke up one morning and check on their gecko and realized that they are not there. It’s important that you don’t freak out when this happens. I have personally experienced leopard geckos escaping their tank over the years, and want to give you some pointers on how to get them back.
Don’t Freak Out Just Yet!
First, you have to understand leopard geckos before beginning to look for them. Since these lizards are burrowers by nature; they probably won’t be laying out in plain view. Leopard gecko’s mind work in a very simple fashion. They seek shelter, sleep, and then look for food. That is it; all the reptilian mind wants is shelter and food. They usually want a hide that is very sturdy and is hot.
So, let’s say your leopard gecko escapes; where do you think they might be they be? Honestly, leopard geckos are usually found within 6 feet of their tank. Remember these spots to check:
- Under the refrigerator.
- Under the stove.
- Under beds.
- Under couch.
- Under end tables.
- Under TV stands.
- Under washer/dryer.
Ok, so if your freaking out just remember that you don’t have to get your leopard gecko back immediately. As my leopard, gecko feeding article shows leopard geckos can go three weeks without eating. They have a very slow metabolism and store their fat in their tail which they can use incase they get hungry.
Time To Clean Up
What I typically do is pick up everything off the floor. This means all shoes, clothes, etc. I clean the house up a bit and check shoes to make sure my leopard gecko hasn’t crawled up in there. Then, I put these on a shelve so I don’t have to keep rechecking them. Check clothing and bed sheets too. Shake them loosely, though. Leopard geckos like to crawl into tight little spots.
Then, I check under all the furniture to see if I can find a little gecko sleeping under it. For me, it seems like Speedy is always hiding under the refrigerator. Every time she escapes she appears to be there. However, if you don’t locate your gecko for a couple of days or even a week don’t worry. They are sneaky little lizards.
Use Their Hides
This seems to work about 80% of the time if you know the general area they might be in. I would recommend putting their favorite hide on the floor and checking it in the morning to see if they crawled back into it. This works because it’s something that they are used to and feel safe hiding in. You can move the hide around each night if they are not in there in the morning when you check.
Know Where They Are, But Can’t Get Them Out?
I know this scenario all too well. You know your leopard gecko is under the refrigerator, but you can’t just call their name, and they will come running to you. I wish it worked that way, but sadly it doesn’t work that way. Instead, you have to get some super worms or waxworms (their favorite food) and let the worm crawl around a bit. Your leopard gecko will get interested in the food, and come out to get it.
It’s important to stay very still and don’t make any loud noises when your leopard gecko comes out. Instead, you are going to want to stay really quiet and drop a cardboard box over them. Optionally, you can try to pick them up. If you try to pick them up leopard geckos are very fast and sneaky and usually get away when you try to pick them up.
Don’t worry because it might take a number of different tries when your trying to catch an escaped leopard gecko. Speedy drives me up the wall when she makes a jailbreak, but just remember to be persistent and you will eventually get your leopard gecko back.
Securing Your Tank?
Make sure that you have a mesh lid. If you haven’t already read my habitat article please check it out. A lot of times the little guys like to climb the rocks and can hang over the edge and push the lid up a little. Since they are very small and can maneuver their little bodies they can easily squeeze out. I like to put something on the top of their lids so they can’t get out. You can remove vertical hides if they become problematic.
Also, you can get a taller tank so they can’t reach the top and climb out. I have made these adjustments, and I have been gecko escape free for one year now. Hopefully, you learn from your first mistake and don’t have to learn the lesson four times like I have had to do.
A year ago I bought a leopard gecko for my 6 year old son. We bought the standard smaller terrarium along with all the fixin’s. Hiding rocks, fake trees, green moss, heat lamp etc.
After having this gecko for a few weeks, we thought he might want a friend. We bought a second leopard gecko and placed him in the same terrarium. A few weeks later we noticed one of the geckos was missing. The top of the terrarium was the standard metal mesh top, but it had been slightly bent and I was not using the clips. The fake tree did reach the top, so I felt it plausible that it could’ve escaped that way.
We decided to buy another gecko and also a larger tank. I chose to go with a 30 gallon aquarium because for some reason, aquariums are cheaper than terrariums (even though an aquarium needs to be stronger to hold the weight of the water… anyway). We now have two leopard geckos in a large aquarium with 12 inches of nothing but glass from the highest fake tree or anything. I left the top of the aquarium with the folding glass doors it came with, and left one open to allow for oxygen.
After a few weeks, we noticed both geckos had escaped. Feeling frustrated, we left the aquarium as is for about 6 months and decided not to buy any more geckos for a while. We finally decided to buy two more, but first decided to clean out the tank. Well, while doing that, under one of the hiding rocks, we found a lot of skin shedding and the carcass of one gecko. I felt so horrible. I guess one didn’t escape and I never noticed. The poor guy must’ve starved to death. Horrible.
So we buy two more geckos, and place them in the aquarium. For a few weeks, all seems good. I had been keeping the lid closed at all times unless we were feeding them. I made sure to open it daily to make sure oxygen was entering.
Bear with me, I know this is crazy long, but it’s about to get good.
A few days ago, I check on the geckos, and one is missing! WTF! By the way, the shop didn’t have two leopard geckos last time, so we got one fancy gecko and one leopard gecko. The leopard gecko was the one that was gone again.
So, a week later, I decided to clean the aquarium and redesign the items inside. This was two days ago. I took the fancy gecko out (the only one I have left), put him into a separate container. I pull the carpet (cloth bottom), all the green moss, every item out of the tank. Throw away the carpet and moss and a couple of the fake structures. I vacuum the entire tank clean. There is nothing left in the tank at all (I have a witness to this). We have one fancy gecko in a container.
I place new carpet, new moss, new structures in the tank and place the fancy gecko back in. Feed him plenty of crickets, and give him a few mealworms (which I have done with all the geckos). So, that was two days ago.
THIS IS WHERE IT GETS GOOD.
Today, I was watching my 6 year old son, his 7 year old friend and his friends 9 year old daughter. The daughter was stoked about the gecko, so I pulled up the only hiding spot, took out the only gecko (the fancy one) and she held him and played with him. We put him back in the aquarium and then I took them to soccer practice. My son and I come home, make dinner, he goes to sleep. I look in the tank and there are two geckos!
But, wait…
They are both leopard geckos! This afternoon I only had one fancy gecko. I pick up the hiding spot and the fancy gecko is hiding in there, and there are the other two leopard geckos running around. I swear, a few hours ago the tank only had one fancy gecko. I had left the clear plastic cover closed on the tank. Two leopard geckos appeared in the tank out of nowhere. I had completely cleaned the tank empty. How the heck did they get into the tank!?
I am under the impression that leopard geckos can’t climb the glass. Even if they did to get out, that means they climbed it to get back in – and had to lift up the lid. I am so confused. Has anyone had anything happen like this ever?? I had one fancy gecko this afternoon and now I have one fancy gecko and two leopard geckos that had been MIA. One for a few weeks and one for months!
Help! The tank is on a stand 3 feet from the floor. I am so confused!!!
Omg! That’s so crazy! And leopard geckos can’t climb glass, so I have absolutely no idea how they got back in. One possibility may be that one leo bred with the fancy gecko as they can climb glass. So maybe they bred and two mixes got out, found the cage again and climbed back in when you were playing with the fancy and hid when you put it back. Then when you later checked the cage they had unhidden themselves? I don’t know but it’s a possibility.
Your site is a couple of years old, I hope you still get this! It’s very informative, thank you. My geckos are 2 1/2 years old. Male and female. I’ve never had any problems with them until today. Lucy was shedding and was having problems. I put her in a warm bath, and noticed that she had four gouges on her tail. Not bleeding but open and red. I wasn’t sure what to do for first aid, so I let her stay in the bath and applied some antibiotic ointment. They have always been healthy, but lately neither of them are eating and not going to the bathroom! It’s been three days and NO sign of urine or waste. I don’t think they are impacted, but neither have eaten for a few days. Ricky shed a couple of days ago, still not eating. I know this happens once in a while, but I’ve never experienced them not going to the bathroom. Between that and her gouges…any ideas?
Hey there. This might be a couple months late but better Late than never. Leopard geckos don’t urinate, they only dispose of solid waste. Do you use sand or reptile carpet to house your two geckos? If you use sand your geckos might be impacted. Geckos have semitransparent skin so it is easy to see if they are impacted. If you use blue reptile sand, you would see a swollen belly with blue inside. You can have your gecko lay on their back or put them in a clear-bottom container and look at them from below. I always use blue sand for my lizards as it is easy to see if they are impacted. Colors like tan or yellow would be much more difficult to see. If she is not eating, what type of food are you giving her? Crickets are good sources of nutrition for geckos but they can hop around and be difficult for geckos to catch. Mealworms, hornworms and super worms are also good, though their staple food should be gut-loaded and calcium-dusted crickets or mealworms. Try giving them some wax worms as these are like candy to geckos. This has worked many times for me in the past when a gecko is not eating. Just do not give them more than two a week as they can get “addicted” to wax worms and become overweight. If your gecko is shedding, be sure to provide him or her with a moist mossy hide and use a spray bottle to keep the moss moist. You can also lightly spray your gecko with warm water as well. Never pull or rip a geckos shedding skin off, as you may rip skin that is not ready to come off and cause bleeding and pain. If shedded skin is caught around a geckos hands or feet, soak your gecko in 1-2 centimeters of warm water. If this does not get their skin off, spray and VERY GENTLY pull their skin off. As for the gouges, that should be reason enough to take your gecko to a veterinarian. Do not put human antibiotic ointment on a gecko, especially with open wounds, as these can be toxic to geckos and cause infections and serious harm. Never use a reptile antibiotic cream without a veterinarians advice. Since your gecko has both gouges and is not eating, you should immediately take him/ her to a veterinarian that is specialized in treating reptiles. A quick search on Google, Bing, Yahoo, Firefox or almost any other web browser will yield results for a reptile veterinarian near you. Simply search “Reptile Veterinarian (Your City Here)” and make an appointment as soon as possible. I hope this helps, and I hope your gecko is doing better!
A sliding top screen that slides into the aquarium works really good and can fix that problem. Zoo Med makes one but don’t use the sand that comes with the leopard gecko kit due to impaction. I had a hatchling escape the incubator and since my garage doors were open it’s probably in the yard somewhere. Looked for 5 hours for it, but I still have the other one. Maybe I’ll find it, if it wasn’t a certain climate I wouldn’t be so freaked out. Maybe it’s still in the garage fingers crossed!
Really great advice and ideas, Garen. I’ve been fortunate to not have anything escape on me just yet, but I wouldn’t have a clue where to start looking if it did. I have way too many things in my room for small lizards to hide in.
Is there any kind of trap you can make get your leopard gecko back?
Here is a good article I found on catching a gecko:
What a great post! I was stationed in the Philippines for several years and had an introduction to these little fellows. Whether they were leopard geckos or not, I’m not sure. But they were definitely entertaining! And yes, they were in the most interesting places. You definitely needed patience in dealing with them. This is certainly great advice for the ambitious owner of these little guys!
Rebecca
They probably weren’t leopard geckos because the Philippines has a tropical climate. The humidity is much to high there. This article shows were leopard geckos are found in the wild.
Oh, what sneaky little lizards! Who would have thought these cunning little creatures can manage to escape even a closed tank. You have good advice on where to look for them in case they escape. I would have never thought of looking under a fridge.
This was a delightful read. Some friends who lived in the tropics said when you see a gecko climbing a wall it means the wall is clean, since the traction on the soles of their feet can’t stick to dirty walls! Is that true?
Love the design of your site–it’s fun.
I’m not sure if that is true or not :). However, leopard geckos can not climb glass walls, because they don’t have any suction on their feet. You’re probably thinking of crested geckos. Those are found in the rainforest, though.
Had one that escaped before. I cant remember where I found it but I don’t think it took me long. The trick is to move everything real slowly and if you’re gecko is used to you they don’t mind if you just pick them up. Anyway make sure your tank is locked up!!
Hey there! I just got a gecko 2 months ago and will be sure to bookmark this post. Thanks for your post. I thought your post was very informative. If I lost a leopard gecko, I would freak out so much. Thank you for your experiences and informing others of what to due incase of the escape of a pet. This website is awesome! How long does it usually take before you get your leopard gecko back on average?
There is no cut and dry response to getting your leopard gecko back. I have went as long as 2-3 months with Speedy under the refrigerator. I fed her superworms and she ate them up and ran back under the refrigerator. Very frustrating! Shrek escaped once and I got him back right away because he’s the type of gecko that will just walk right up to you.