cleaning tank question

[sheltiefan]

I have had my little leo for almost 2 weeks now. How often do you suggest tank cleanning? I am gonna go ahead and use sand since his previous owners said that is all he has ever had and is used to it. Plus he is full grown.
How often do I change the sand
And when i clean the cage what do i use? just water, or can i use windex?
And what can i use for quick spot clean?
His tank has alot of water spots and stand spots from his trying to climb the glass.

 

[TGDreptiles]

I know most people would'nt recommend using sand, because it causes impaction, and its harder to clean. I think you should change to reptile carpet, tiles or paper towels/newspaper.
You can spot clean by just picking up (with a spoon or napkin) the waste off the substrate.
I usually take out all of the waste once a week.
And for the water spots on the glass, you could probably just use a damp paper towel.

 

[fuzzylogix]

i would still avoid using sand for adult leos as well. that doesn't eliminate them from the chance of becoming impacted. i would suggest paper towels, butcher paper, or tiles. either of these are extremely easy to clean. once your gecko figures out his "potty" corner, you can just put an index card in that corner and spot clean when necessary. i wouldn't use windex either as it can leave residue on the glass. you could use a vinegar and water solution though as long as you was it thoroughly afterwards.

 

[AreUaBadfish2]

I have had my little leo for almost 2 weeks now. How often do you suggest tank cleanning? I am gonna go ahead and use sand since his previous owners said that is all he has ever had and is used to it. Plus he is full grown.
How often do I change the sand
And when i clean the cage what do i use? just water, or can i use windex?
And what can i use for quick spot clean?
His tank has alot of water spots and stand spots from his trying to climb the glass.

I just got my juvenile leo a few days ago. I'm also new to Leo ownership EVERY site and forum I've read (and trust me, I've read alot of em) say to NEVER use sand for Leos under 6 inches long. I have mine on paper towels, and he likes it just fine. I initially wanted to have the viv look natural too, but after reading so many horror stories about impaction, I do not think I'd use sand ever. And plus, they're from Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. so their natural habitat is more rocky than sandy, but yes both are present. From what I've learned through my research, if you are adamant about not using paper towels, newspaper, or repticarpet (which I would also stray away from because it is possible for their nails to get caught in the material) I would go with a thin layer of sand (maybe an inch) covered with slate tile. Slate is an excellent heat conductor, and the sand beneath it will give the tile some foundation. Once my Leo is larger, I am probably going to go with slate.

 

[fuzzylogix]

nice post, very well stated

and i'm a sublime fan as well, love the username

 

[sheltiefan]

OK i think i may just use paper towels. He is fully grown. But I do have one question. There is a petstore here that has lots of leo's And she doesn't like to use sand either But uses ( its kinda like bird seed ) type of material. She says is easier to clean and less messy. Is this a good material to use?

 

[tbz]

I would clean my tanks every three days.

For substrate I also won't suggest the use of sand as like what fuzzylogix said, there's chances sand can make even adult geckos to get impaction. I'm currently using butcher paper for all of my geckos. However if you would like to use sand I think you just need to spot clean stained spots and adding new sand to replaced the removed sand.

For cages cleaning I just use a mix of tap water and white vinegar to clean them. I never do spot cleaning as I'll replace fresh paper every three days.

For the spots on the glass I think you can just wipe them off with some damp cloth or paper towel.

Hope these help.

 

[Russ S]

OK i think i may just use paper towels. He is fully grown. But I do have one question. There is a petstore here that has lots of leo's And she doesn't like to use sand either But uses ( its kinda like bird seed ) type of material. She says is easier to clean and less messy. Is this a good material to use?

Any type of loose substrate should probably be avoided if there is a chance it could be ingested.
Just my opinion.

 

[Holly12]

I have to agree with the others here sand is not a good idea when I had my 2 leos they was on reptile carpet. That way nothing they can get ingested and it is much safer to use.