Explain the leopard gecko's three hides and floor heat
A leopard gecko is a ground dweller that reads temperature through its belly, so a new carer needs the enclosure explained from floor level up. Point out the warm hide sitting over the heat source, the moist hide lined with damp material that loosens shed skin, and the cool hide at the far end. Give the floor temperatures you measure on the warm side, and show where the thermometer probes rest, because air temperature guesses mislead with this species. Tell the sitter the heat stays on its thermostat around the clock rather than being switched off at night like a lamp, and that a gecko stretched flat on the warm tile is digesting comfortably, not unwell.
Insect feeding, dusting, and the calcium dish for a leopard gecko
A leopard gecko eats live insects, which makes feeding the most detailed part of this handover. Name the feeder insects your gecko takes, how many make a typical meal, and which evenings you offer them, since adults eat every few days rather than nightly. Describe the dusting routine precisely: insects coated with the vitamin powder on the schedule you follow, and the small dish of plain calcium that lives in the enclosure full-time for the gecko to lick as needed. Note any individual habits, such as a gecko that hunts only after lights-out or one that takes food from tongs but ignores roaming insects, so a sitter does not mistake a slow start for a lost appetite.
Shed toes and the tail are the leopard gecko health checks
A leopard gecko stores reserves in its tail, so show the sitter what your gecko's plump tail normally looks like and ask them to mention any rapid thinning. The other classic watch point is the toes after a shed: pale rings of stuck skin can constrict the tiny digits, and the sitter's job is to report them, never to tug them free. Explain that a gecko turning pale and quiet is usually mid-shed and eating its shed skin is normal, so no one should tidy it away or worry. The moist hide being kept damp during this phase is the one active task that genuinely helps.
Handling and housekeeping a leopard gecko sitter can manage
A leopard gecko should be scooped gently from below and supported fully, because a grabbed tail can be dropped and, while it regrows, the replacement is never quite the original. Keep handling optional during a stay; a confident gecko may walk onto a flat hand, and a shy one is best admired through the glass. Housekeeping is light: spot-clean the toilet corner this species reliably chooses, refresh the water dish, and leave full substrate changes until you are home unless you have asked otherwise.
Calls, messages, and the leopard gecko vet contact
A leopard gecko handover closes with your number, a backup person, and an exotics vet's details, plus the short list of real concerns: a dropped tail, a toe that looks swollen or dark, repeated food refusal across several scheduled meals, or a gecko found limp. Normal updates worth a message are meals eaten, a completed shed, and anything odd noticed during the evening check.
Putting the hide map, dusting schedule, and toe checks into KinsLe as a Care Pass gives a leopard gecko sitter temporary access to the full routine, so nothing depends on them remembering a long verbal briefing.