If you’ve ever wondered if housing your leopard gecko in an enriched enclosure really matters, science has the answer—and it’s a resounding yes! Researchers have determined that leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius) exhibit a clear preference for bioactive enclosures over standard housing conditions. A recent study, published February 2025 in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science, underscores the benefits of environmental enrichment in promoting the health and well-being of our reptiles.
Study Design and Enclosure Types
The study evaluated three distinct enclosure types:
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Standard Enclosure: Equipped with a small rock hide, a shallow water bowl, a newspaper substrate, and a bowl of calcium.
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Non-Naturalistic Enriched Enclosure: Included four hides (moist hide, hanging hide, and others), a large water bowl suitable for soaking, artificial plants, a calcium bowl, and a topsoil/sand mixture substrate.
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Naturalistic Bioactive Enclosure: Mirrored the non-naturalistic enriched setup but incorporated live plants and invertebrates for waste breakdown.
Each leopard gecko in the study was exposed to all three environments over a one-month period, with behavioral observations conducted to assess enclosure preference and well-being.
Key Findings
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Geckos actively engaged with all enrichment features when housed in enriched enclosures.
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Enriched environments promoted a broader range of natural behaviors, indicative of improved welfare.
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Leopard geckos displayed a strong preference for naturalistic and bioactive enclosures.
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The researchers advocate for housing geckos in enriched enclosures using naturalistic elements.
The Experiment:
The study involved one male and five female leopard geckos, ranging from 5 to 12 years of age. Prior to the experiment, the geckos were housed individually in 24″ x 18″ x 18″ wooden vivariums with sliding glass doors. Their environment included a ProRep 100W ceramic heater (maintained at 88°F at the basking spot) and an Arcadia Natural Sunlight 2% T5 UVB tube, operating from 8 AM to 8 PM. The geckos were fed 3 medium-sized locusts every four days, had continuous access to water, and underwent weekly health assessments.
The geckos were rotated through each enclosure type over the course of 4 weeks and their behavior was recorded. Several measures were used to assess welfare during the experiment including within-enclosure behavior assessments, two behavioral tests of anxiety, and a 3-way preference test at the conclusion of experiencing all housing conditions.
To evaluate behavior and enclosure preference, video recordings were conducted at three time points: morning (9 AM), feeding time (7 PM), and evening (10 PM). Each gecko was observed for 18.5 hours per enclosure type, for a total of 55.5 hours total per individual; 111 observation hours per housing condition.
A preference test was conducted at the conclusion of the experiment. Each gecko was given access to an enclosure that had all 3 types of housing conditions interconnected. They were placed in an “entrance box” and allowed to choose what housing type to reside in. In this experiment, the geckos overwhelmingly chose to spend the majority of their time in the bioactive enclosure over the naturalistic and standard enclosure setups.
The experiment concludes that leopard geckos will use enrichment items when offered to them. The researchers observed that the leopard gecko’s behavior indicates an equally improved state of welfare in both naturalistic and bioactive enclosures. But when given the choice of which enclosure to spend their time, the leopard geckos overwhelmingly chose the bioactive setup as their preferred choice.
Applying the Findings to Leopard Gecko Husbandry
Erin Rickman, Ph.D. student at the University of Lincoln (currently at Eckerd College, U.S.), emphasized the importance of these findings: “The study demonstrates that reptiles not only benefit from enrichment but also exhibit a clear preference for naturalistic environments. Consequently, we recommend housing them in bioactive enclosures.”
To optimize leopard gecko welfare, researchers recommend incorporating multiple hides at varying heights, deep substrate layers to facilitate natural behaviors, live plants, and beneficial invertebrates for waste decomposition.
The study, titled “The impact of enriched housing on the behaviour and welfare of captive leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius),” was conducted by Erin L. Rickman, Anna Wilkinson, Thomas H. Pike, and Oliver H.P. Burman from the University of Lincoln, UK. The full research paper is accessible via the Applied Animal Behaviour Science website.
