As a Leopard gecko owner, understanding every behaviour displayed by your pet is important so that you will be better equipped to care for them. If you’re concerned about how much time your Leopard gecko is spending hiding than enjoying and interacting with its enclosure, there are a variety of other reasons why your pet may be hiding a lot. Some are a cause for concern while others are relatively normal.
Is It Normal for a Leopard Gecko to Hide All the Time?
It’s perfectly normal and natural for your gecko to hide all day. Leopard geckos tend to look for a hiding spot which makes them feel safe and well protected. Since they are naturally lazy, they tend to spend most of their time sleeping, as long as you feed them well.
They love to go out because of hunger. However, when a leopard gecko gets older, it eats less and need a little motivation to go out.
Additionally, they are nocturnal and most active at dusk and dawn. During the day they often sleep. You only need to be concerned if your gecko hasn’t left its hiding for 24 hours or more.
Why Does My Leopard Gecko Hide All the Time?
Several reasons may prompt your gecko to hide all the time. Most of which may require your attention for them to stop.
It Doesn’t Feel Safe
Naturally, geckos are wired to think that predators are always out here to hunt them. Although the predator doesn’t exist in your tank, a gecko would always feel unsafe. Hence, it would hide anywhere to ensure it isn’t exposed to any outside predators.
It stresses whenever it thinks its environment is too open to its liking.
Stress Due to The Changes in The Environment
Since leopard geckos are stressed easily (it’s who they are), a sudden change in the environment may take a toll on them. If you change anything in your geckos’ tank, for instance, foliage, plants, or rocks, it may think you’ve moved it into a new environment.
Since they are anxious about new or unfamiliar things, they are likely to hide.
The Environment Isn’t Humid Enough.
Leopard geckos originate from a hot and humid environment. Hence, they may not feel safe in places that aren’t humid enough. Your gecko may feel the particular urge to hide in the moist areas or areas where the temperatures are overly dry instead of enduring dry areas that are outside them.
READ ALSO: Leopard Gecko Humidity: Ultimate Guide
Their environment Doesn’t Stimulate Them Enough
Leopard geckos’ can get tired or feel bored with their new environment. Some would think it’s bare or boring to stay there. Therefore, they would go into hiding or try finding an environment that appeals to their souls.
Uncomfortable lighting
The bright colors over or near an enclosure where you’ve put the geckos can make them go into hiding. At times, even if the lights are bright enough, it might make your gecko be in pain, especially for albino geckos. This might prompt them to go into hiding.
How Do You Keep Geckos from Hiding?
If you are worried about your gecko hiding, you can prevent them from doing so with the right tips.
Leave It Alone
A simple thing like leaving the gecko alone can-do wonders. If your gecko is two weeks or less old in that environment, give it time to adjust. Leave enough food and water in their tank, and let it be. Ensure that the temperatures are also appropriate. Don’t manipulate it to come out of its hiding. When it’s comfortable, it will eventually will.
You can monitor it by feeding 10 mealworms using an escape-proof bowl. Count them each day to check if your gecko ate some of them when you weren’t watching.
Get More Hides
Since geckos don’t feel safe in their new environment, you will need to go the extra mile to make it feel safe or secure. Add plants and rocks for the environment to seem more natural. Most of them need more hides to feel safe. Or else, it would spend a lot of time in areas they shouldn’t be.
If you have one or two hides, it would help if you added one or more hides in their tanks. Small hides are fit for baby geckos, medium hides are suitable for juvenile geckos, and large hides are for adult geckos.
Make Gradual Changes
If you want to make changes to their tanks, ensure that they are gradual and not sudden. If you change everything at once, your gecko would think you’ve transferred them into a new environment.
If you’ve placed the tank where there’s too much traffic or other pets, you could change the locations for it to feel more secure.
Ensure That the Temperatures Are Normal
Make their habitat with a temperature difference in the warm side and the cool side of their enclosure. Geckos are cold-blooded, and they depend on their environment to regulate their temperature.
On the warm side, the temperature needs to be around 32 degrees, while temperatures of about 27 degrees on the cool side would do them wonders. You will want to ensure that the temperatures are ideal for your leopard gecko, whether day or night. A temperature of about 70 Fahrenheit is still comfortable for your gecko.
You can also achieve this by adding a heating pad or lamp in their surroundings. Put these items on one side of the tank so that the other place remains cool if your gecko wants to regulate its temperature.
Control the Light Around Them
If you suspect the problem may be lighting, you need to shut off the lights directly shining around the places the gecko resides. You can use tissues to cover the sides of their tanks and block light from entering from all directions. You can also cover the top of their tank with cardboard to minimize light going in.
Gecko going into hiding is normal; thus, you don’t need to worry about your pet exhibiting similar behaviour. Enjoy spending time with your pet, and its hiding should be the least of your worries!
READ NEXT: Do Leopard Geckos Need UVB Light?
