Leopard gecko hides play an important role in letting your leopard gecko feel safe. However, choosing one of the many options can seem a bit like playing Russian roulette.
Below, we’ll share some of our favorite hides and tell you why we prefer them.
In This Article
Best Leopard Gecko Hides In a Nutshell
The best hides for leopard geckos always offer security. They also offer one of the following three things:
- A raised humidity level – in moist hides
- Good airflow and low heat retention – in cool hides
- Good airflow, and good heat conductivity – in warm hides
Why Do Leopard Geckos Need Hides?
In the wild, the leopard gecko is a prey animal. This means that they spend a lot of time running from predators and hiding.
After generations of being hunted, these animals simply can’t thrive if they don’t have a place to hide.
The hide also offers a place where they can lay eggs, moderate their body temperature, and shed their skin.
If you don’t want your leopard gecko to suffer continuous stressed living, then a hide is an essential part of their enclosure setup.
How Many Hides Do Leopard Geckos Need?
Your leopard gecko needs three hives to thrive:
- A cool hide
- A warm hide
- A moist hide
The cool side of the tank is the right place to put the cool hide. It’s where your leopard gecko will rest if it needs to drop its body temperature.
The warm side of the tank should have a warm hide where your leopard gecko can rest while raising its body temperature.
The middle of the tank should have a moist hide or humid hide filled with a layer of damp substrate.
The humidity inside this hide is higher, thanks to the moist substrate and the heat from the tank floor.
Your leopard gecko will use the moist hide when it’s getting ready to shed, fighting a disease, or going to lay eggs.
Let’s get into the best hides for leopard geckos.
Best Leopard Gecko Humid Hide – Zilla Rock Lair MD
The Rock Lair By Zilla is an ideal moist hide as it only has a single entrance but still provides easy access for leopard geckos.
If you fill it with a damp substrate, like sphagnum moss, it will make a great moist hide and provide dim light with plenty of humidity.
This moist hide isn’t entirely sealed though, and you can open it to clean up where your leopard geckos have pooped or left other debris.
Beyond being a moist hide, this hide is perfect for skittish leopard geckos as it provides a completely secure place, thanks to the single entrance.
We also love that this hide has a naturalistic look. Thanks to its rough exterior, your pet can also scrape against it when shedding.
Second Best Leopard Gecko Moist Hide – PETWAKEY-ST Reptile Hideout Box
The PETWAKEY-ST reptile hideout box is designed to be a moist hide. It has a single entrance, to help keep humidity levels high, and fits snugly against the floor of the enclosure.
Beyond the standard requirements of low ventilation and a snug seal, this product also has a ceramic bowl as the upper lid.
Ceramic is a porous substance. If you fill it with water and place it in a warm location (like the warmer side of the tank), it releases water into the moist hide through its manifold pores.
By filling this enclosure with a damp substrate, and filling the ceramic bowl with water, you’ll be doubling up on the humidity in this moist hide.
Third-Place for Leopard Gecko Moist Hides – Penn-Plax The Reptology Granite Stone Hide-Away
The Reptology Granite Stone Hide-Away is another excellent option as a moist hide. It has a single entrance hole, so this hide provides shelter from the bright lights outside.
Although your pets have easy access to the moist hide, it will maintain a higher humidity because it has less airflow.
As with the #1 moist hide, this hide is easy to open and clean when the need arises.
Leopard Gecko Humid Hide Special Mention – Nomal Reptile Hides and Caves Reptile Hideout
Your gecko’s moist hide doesn’t always have to be something fancy, and the Reptile Hideout by Nomal is an easy, cost-effective solution.
Though this moist hide has a larger entrance than our other selections, it still maintains a relatively high humidity level.
It also has a more natural appearance and some mildly sharp edges that your pets can rub against when shedding.
Substrates for Humid Hides
Choosing the proper substrate for your moist hide is essential. The wrong substrate may develop mold or fail to maintain moisture and humidity levels.
We suggest the following substrate choices:
- Sphagnum moss
- Coconut peat
- Peat moss
While these substrates are all mold-resistant to a degree, you’ll still want to keep an eye out. Since you’ll be spraying the substrate every couple of days, mold may pop up.
If mold happens, remove all the substrate immediately, wash the hide, and refill it with fresh substrate.
If your leopard gecko breathes in mold spores, it may lead to respiratory infections.
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#1 Cool Hide for Leopard Gecko – Creation Core Lizard Hideout
A cool hide is a hide that you place on the cool side of the enclosure so your lizard can rest and cool down at the same time.
The Creation Core Lizard Hideout is ideal because it has multiple entrances. Unlike the moist hide, cool hides should have plenty of airflow to keep the hide’s temperature low.
Not only is this hide cool, but it’s also cool-looking! The awesome hollow log look of this hide will make a wonderful feature in any enclosure.
#2 Cool Hide for Leopard Gecko – Zilla Reptile Habitat Décor Hideouts
Yet another awesome-looking naturalistic hide, the Zilla Decor Hideouts for Reptiles resembles rotten logs.
It too has multiple entrances, helping to keep the temperature low and making it an ideal place for your gecko to cool down.
#3 Cool Hide for Leopard Gecko – Reptile Hides and Caves Birch Tree Bark Trunk
The Reptile Hides and Caves Birch Tree Bark Trunk looks like a cross between a small log and a hobbit-hole.
These hides have plenty of character and provide a lot of cross ventilation thanks to the three entrance holes.
Your pet will love this enclosure that allows a gecko to cool down without obstructing its view of the outside world.
Thanks to the low roof design your gecko will feel safe and secure, but still be able to keep an eye on its territory.
Most Budget-Friendly Leopard Gecko Hide – RunXF Reptile Hideout Rotten Tree
If you need a gecko hide, but you’re strapped for cash, consider the RunXF Reptile Hideout Rotten Tree. For around $5, you get a naturalistic-looking hide with plenty of character.
While this wouldn’t be a good moist hide, it would be an excellent cool hide or warm hide. It has plenty of ventilation, and we’re sure your gecko would love it.
Most Naturalistic Leopard Gecko Hide – Hamiledyi Reptile Moss Cave Hide
If you want something that will add a bit of green to your gecko enclosure, the Hamiledyi reptile moss cave hide is an excellent option.
It consists of a large sphere that incorporates plenty of sphagnum moss. By rehydrating the sphere, you activate the sphagnum moss so that it starts growing again.
Not only is this a beautiful hide design, but it will maintain a high humidity interior and can be used as a moist hide.
Making Your Own Leopard Gecko Hides
Sometimes, the best hide for your gecko or reptile is one that you’ve made with love.
Below, you’ll find a few inexpensive suggestions that you can create for your pet gecko.
Option #1 – Flower Pot
Flower pots are often inexpensive, and easy to use as a gecko hide. If you use clay flowerpots, they’ll have a nice weight to them and you can just place them in the container.
Plastic flowerpots are an option too, but you’ll have to weigh them down with substrate so they don’t roll around.
If you’re a very crafty individual, you can even consider painting pictures on the outside of the flowerpot using non-toxic paint.
Option#2 – Plastic Container
Many reptile keepers use simple plastic containers as hides. They’re inexpensive and it’s easy to cut a small hole in them for your lizard to pass through.
You can either choose an opaque container or use a non-toxic black paint to make a see-through container opaque.
Your gecko won’t feel secure in a container that light passes through freely.
Option #3 – Coconut Shell
A coconut shell is a versatile hide option that even makes a passable moist hide. You can easily clean up the coconut shell when you eat coconuts, or you can buy them online.
Geckos seem to love these hides, and you can easily use sandpaper to remove sharp edges if you’ve made your own hides.
Related Species and articles to Leopard Geckos
If you’re interested in other leopard gecko articles, have a look at:
- Leopard Gecko Care Sheet
- Best Leopard Gecko Names
- How to Tell if Your Leopard Gecko Is Happy
- You can also check out our other articles on geckos – we have vital guides that you can learn from!