Design Goal:

a portable tank for leopard gecko owners that allow them to engage in daylong activities while providing proper care for their leopard geckos.

Visiting RISD Nature Lab and interview staff member to study the behavior of leopard gecko.

Interviewee: Evan Fredriksen—an employee in RISD Natural Lab who is specialized in reptile.

Work shift Thursdays 1:00-10:00

Lizard in question: Mowgli, Leopard Gekko/Gecko, also known as the spotted fat-tail gecko. (Eublepharis macularius). Native to desert areas in S. Central Asia Nocturnal. Lifespan in captivity: 15-20 years average.

(The oldest leopard gecko in captivity is recorded at around 39 years old—a true record breaker. For advanced owners the average increased to 20 to 30 years. In the wild is 15 years average.)

• Heated spot and shaded spot
• Humidity control is important especially during shedding. Otherwise they might break their toes.
• Don’t put sand in their tank because they might ingest.
• Mowgli have two living insets per day, sometimes she has wax warms as a treats.
• Calcium powder as supplement is necessary for leopard gecko in captivity.
• Coconut shaving is comfortable padding for her bedroom.
• Never grab her tail, as she will break it as part of her defense mechanism.
• Mowgli is 4 to 5 inches long without tail, and her tail is 2 to 3 inches long.
• She loves a little peek out spot.
• Leopard gecko has bad eyesight.
• She doesn’t have adhesive toes so she can’t stick to glass. No worries of escaping.
• The cage/tank should have smooth service with soft bottom padding
• Warmth is more important for short travelling than other factors
• You can differentiate sex by their eyelid colors and crotch patterns
• Mowgli loves shelves and small space.
• Leopard lizards are active at night
• They lick their eyeballs for hygiene reasons to get rid of dirt sand and dust, because most of reptiles don’t have eyelids.
• They eat their own shed for nutrition
• Poop is very easy to clean, usually comes out in a pellet and in the corner. Leopard lizards are born potty trained.

Travel Tank setup:

• Temperature Control (heating lamp or mat)
• Hiding Spot (can be very small)
• Humidifier only needed during shedding period (once a month)
• Poop is always easy to clean—no worries
• Tank padding should be soft, and no sand
• Food and water are not necessary
• Flat short tank is more suitable than short narrow tank

Who really need pet carriers for lizards, if they can be left alone for one week without any problem? It turns out that children are very attached to their lizard pets and they love to take their pets to school for pet appreciation day or out for a picnic with their family. Leopard Gecko is also considered a very good pet for children because they are calm, easy to handle, relatively low maintenance and cheap to purchase up front (little do they parents know how much more money they need to spend on heating lamps, tanks and all other “furnitures.”)   Option 1: Compact tank with handle. The interior is optimized and minimized based on my research. This carrier is great for occasions like taking a walk in the park, visiting grandparents, having a picnics. You can do fun activities that you want to do without leaving your pet.

Option 2: A Crystal Ball. This carrier wants all eyes on your lizard. It’s great for pet appreciation day or any reptile competitions (yes they exist) where you want to show off your beautiful pet lizard!I was able to shrink the size to 1/3 of the standard tank size for small lizards.