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Can Leopard Geckos Drink Tap Water? A MUST Read!

Can Leopard Geckos Drink Tap Water? When we talk about what a leopard gecko can eat and drink, all owners should be extremely mindful of what’s given to them as their bodies can only break down and process numerous things safely without harming them.

All kinds of water should be safe for them, but what about the tap water? Keep on reading and figure it out.

Can your leopard gecko drinks tap water? The answer is yes, but tap water contains many contaminants, and therefore a purification is a must before they drink it.

Many gecko owners give their gecko pets only tap water as it is good water after all, but they firstly purify it as they don’t want to harm their pet with the contaminants in the tap water.

Below you will find a few ways to purify tap water.

Can Leopard Geckos Drink Tap Water
Can Leopard Geckos Drink Tap Water?

This article has been reviewed by Dr. Gospel. Read more about our knowledge control process here.

Fastest Way For Leopard Gecko: Using a Water Conditioner

Last update on 2022-12-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Since your water is not filtered, be sure that there will be many contaminants in it. Maybe you have heard about some of them, but others will surprise you. Here are some of the contaminants:  BPA, chlorine, mercury, lead, giardia lamblia, and so on.

I bet some of these contaminants scared you a little, and some of them were familiar.

The idea of letting you see how contaminated the tap water you consume is, is for you to know that if these contaminants are bad for you and your body then they are bad for your leopard gecko as well.

Many factors contribute to your tap water’s contamination, such as is the water soft or hard, how old or rusty are the pipes that carry the water, and how good is the purification system of the city that you live in.

Unless you test the water in a laboratory, you won’t be able to tell how safe it is. Therefore the best option for you is to purify it as you must think that there are some contaminants in it and you and your gecko pet should not consume it without treating it.

There is this conditioner on Amazon you would really want to grab for yourself.  

This water conditioner will do well if you are going to use tap water for a longer period of time for your reptile pet including the leopard gecko.  This conditioner will be essential in removing many bad contaminants from your tap water and therefore making it safe for drinking.

In my case, I got myself a reverse osmosis filtration system, and therefore I don’t need to have a conditioner to purify my water, as I did before. But I had this same conditioner, and I used it to treat the water that I was giving to my pet gecko, and there were no issues whatsoever.   

Probably having a filtration system is a much better option and it will save you a lot of time, but if you simply can’t get one then using a water conditioner will do the job as well. Compared to other water purifiers the conditioner cannot  get rid of all contaminants, so, always take that into consideration.

Can Leopard Geckos Drink Tap Water? The Safest Way For Leopard Geckos, Using a Sink Filter

leopard geckos can drink treated tap water
Leopard geckos can drink tap water but the water must first be treat and ensure that it’s contamination free

Last update on 2022-12-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The water conditioner will get rid of many bad things that are in your tap water, but using a faucet filter will get you much cleaner and safer water for drinking.

A faucet filter, just like the water conditioner, will remove a significant amount of filth thus making it safe for drinking to your reptile.

The faucet filter and the water conditioner have a similar way of cleaning the tap water, but the faucet filter will do a bit better job as it will get rid of some contaminants that the conditioner can’t.

As lazy as it sounds the faucet filter will purify the water for your leopard lizard without you needing to do any sort of work.

The faucet filter will save you from the trouble of having to constantly change your water because of the substrate, dead insect parts, calcium, and many other things that can get in the water that your leopard gecko is drinking.

You probably would not want to add a water conditioner every single time you want to have a glass of water, am I right?

So that it is clear, the water conditioner will do an amazing job in purifying your water and mostly it will be safe for your leopard gecko, it’s the hassle of using it and the better the job that the faucet filter does in purification that is making the second one a better option.

Check out this faucet filter on Amazon, it is the exact one that I use to purify the water that I give to my leopard gecko pet.

Just like I said before, water conditioners are very good, but if you want to get rid of those contaminants then you better go with a faucet filter.

The Complete Option For Leopard Gecko: Using a Filtration System To Replace Tap Water

Last update on 2022-12-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

A reverse osmosis filtration system is something you should go for if you are looking for the simplest way to purify the water you give to your leopard gecko. This would be a simpler option compared to the water conditioners and the faucet filter.

I mentioned above some of the potential contaminants that your water can have, but there are many others as well. All of those contaminants can put your leopard gecko’s health in danger.  

Faucet filters, water conditioners, and reverse osmosis filtration systems have something in common and it is to purify your water thus making it safe for you to drink as well as for your reptiles. Even though they all have the same goal some methods will work better than others, and that is a fact.

The reverse osmosis filtration system is the one you should go for if you want to get rid of from 99% of the harmful contaminants that your tap water has, thus making it safe to drink.  This kind of filter is easy to set up and use, and the benefit is you knowing that your water is purified from the contaminants, that will potentially harm your leopard gecko.  

Using the other two methods I mentioned above will do the job, but you would want your leopard gecko to have a long and healthy life and you will achieve that by having a reverse osmosis filtration system.

With this method, you can be sure that your water is free from all the bad contaminants and you have done the best for the health of your leopard gecko.

If you want a healthy life then you need to have a healthy body, same goes for the leopard gecko. Therefore, when you try to find the right water filter take into consideration what filter will offer you the best and easiest solutions.

Check this one reverse osmosis filter on Amazon, as there is no simpler water purifying option out there that is better for the wellbeing of your leopard gecko. The one I suggested is the one I am currently using.

The tap water in your home as is doesn’t pose a risk to your leopard gecko’s wellbeing and health, but the potential of your water being subjected to over 1,000 kinds of contaminants that go into what comes out of your faucets, it makes it is potentially harmful to you and your gecko.

Above I have listed some of the contaminants that can be in your tap water and that can harm your health as well as your gecko’s health:

  • Mercury
  • Pesticides
  • Cysts
  • MTBE
  • Chloramines
  • Lead

These are not all.

Tap water isn't safe for any species of exotic animal because of the chloride content in it. However, ensure that it's safe for your lizard to drink, the water must be dechlorinated.

Tap water isn’t safe for any species of exotic animal because of the chloride content in it.
However, to ensure that it’s safe for your lizard to drink, the water must be dechlorinated.

Final thought on leopard geckos and tap water

If you don’t filter your tap water it won’t be safe for your leopard gecko to consume. Therefore, no matter which out of the three methods you use to purify your water, it simply has to be done before you give that water to your leopard gecko.

You simply cannot know if there are any contaminants in your water, there is no need to risk it and simply do the right thing and purify the water before you give it to your leopard gecko. That would be the only way you can be sure you are doing the right thing for your gecko and its well being.

Even though tap water is probably bad for us humans as well, we are able to process most of the contaminants that are in it much better than the gecko can. With this said, there is no better option than to provide our leopard gecko the purest water possible.

4 thoughts on “Can Leopard Geckos Drink Tap Water? A MUST Read!”

  1. I have a fancy leopard gecko. I am finding she doesnt seem to like hunting crickets, I do give her mealworms and super worms. What other things cool I give her?

    Reply

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