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UK Leopard Gecko Shopping List

Created by Caitlin Griffiths, Last Updated 15.04.2026

Heads up: some links on this page are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy via them, I get a small cut at no extra cost to you. I only link things I actually use and recommend.

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Vivarium

Minimum size: 90 x 45 x 45 cm. Leopard geckos need room to thermoregulate properly. Don't go smaller.

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My Pick

HabiStat - Standard Oak Vivarium

Wood retains heat better than glass, is cheaper, and front-opening doors are less stressful for your gecko than top-opening lids. It's what most experienced UK keepers use.

~£90 - £250

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Alternative

Exo Terra Glass Terrarium (90 x 45 x 45 cm)

Better visibility and slightly easier to clean than wood. The standard glass choice in the UK.

Available from Swell.

~£250 - £350

Vivarium

Substrate

For the first 6 weeks, use paper towels regardless. This makes it much easier to monitor health and spot any issues early.

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My Pick

Arcadia Earth Mix Arid

My personal favourite. Looks naturalistic, comes in conveniently sized bags - one 10L bag fills a 90 x 45 cm floor nicely - and is less messy than a homemade mix.

~£13 - £20

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Alternative

Paper Towels

The right choice for quarantine, sick animals, or very young geckos. Not suitable long-term for healthy adults, but you'll need these for the first 6 weeks regardless of what you plan to use after.

~£2.50 - £5

Substrate

Heating

All heat sources must be connected to a dimming thermostat. Without one, you risk burning your gecko or overheating the enclosure.

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Exo Terra Daylight Basking Bulb

Inexpensive, widely available, and produces an extremely even beam - ideal for leopard geckos. This is your primary heat source. It must be connected to a dimming thermostat.

~£5 - £10

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Habistat Dimming Thermostat

Non-negotiable. Every heat source must run through a thermostat - without one you risk burns, overheating, and a very unhappy gecko. The Habistat is reliable, well-priced, and the standard choice for UK keepers.

~£70 - £100

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Bulb Mount

You'll need somewhere to put the basking bulb. This plugs directly into the thermostat. Not glamorous, but essential.

~£8 - £15

Heating
UVB

UVB

UVB is not optional. Leopard geckos benefit significantly from UVB exposure.

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Arcadia Shadedweller 7% UVB Kit

The research on UVB in leopard geckos is clear - they benefit significantly from it. The ShadeDweller is designed specifically for species that shelter from direct sun, making it the right output for a naturalistic setup. T5 is significantly more efficient than T8, and the Arcadia range is the most reliable on the market.

~£30 - £50

Hides & Clutter

You need at least three hides: a warm hide, a cool hide, and a humid hide for shedding. Clutter matters - a gecko with more cover is a less stressed gecko.

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Exo Terra Hide

You need at least two of these - one on the warm side, one on the cool. Attractive, easy to clean, and the right size for most adults. Buy two.

~£5 - £15

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Exo Terra Humid Hide

Your gecko will use this before and during every shed. Fill with damp sphagnum moss and check it weekly. A dry humid hide is a useless humid hide.

~£10 - £20

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Cork Bark

Hides alone aren't enough - leopard geckos need clutter. Cork bark lets them climb, wedge into gaps, and behave like geckos rather than ornaments. Pile it up. More is more.

~£30 - £60

Hides

Supplements

If you use UVB (which you should): Multivitamin + Calcium Powder dusted on feeders on a schedule. If you do not use UVB, use Repashy Calcium Plus instead.

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With UVB

Arcadia EarthPro-Ca (Calcium without D3)

Use every 3 - 4 feeds. If you're using UVB, you don't need D3 added - the light handles that.

~£5 - £10

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With UVB

Arcadia EarthPro-A (Multivitamin)

Multivitamin supplement - dust feeders with this every feeding, except when you are using plain calcium.

~£5 - £10

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No UVB

If no UVB: Repashy Calcium Plus

An all-in-one supplement for setups without UVB. Use this instead of the two above - not alongside them.

~£15 - £30

Miscellaneous

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Essential

Digital Thermometer / Hygrometer

You need to verify temperatures on both sides of the enclosure. Analogue stick-on gauges are not accurate enough - don't trust them. Get a digital probe.

~£5 - £15

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Essential

Reptile-Safe Cleaning Spray

Household cleaners can be toxic to reptiles - don't use them. This is the one area where it's worth spending a couple of quid on the right product.

~£2.50 - £5

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Essential

Reptile Tongs

Metal with rubber tips are ideal - they last, and won't risk your gecko hurting their mouth on bare metal. Particularly useful for tong-feeding insects that can't easily be fed loose, like dubia roaches.

~£2.50 - £10

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Essential

Water Bowl

Avoid resin bowls - they absorb water, are hard to clean, and limescale builds up in them fast. A stainless steel toddler bowl is ideal, particularly if you have a dishwasher.

~£2.50 - £10

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Optional

WiFi Timer

I don't generally like the resin bowls - they absorb water, are hard to clean, and are impossible to keep limescale free. Instead, stainless steel toddler bowls are ideal, particuarly if you have a dishwasher!

~£5 - £10

Supplements
Misc

Prices correct as of April 2026. Some links are Amazon affiliate links - if you buy via them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only link things I actually use and recommend.

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See everything in one place

All of the above, collected into a single Amazon list for easy reference.

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