So I first got my Leo last summer and have gone through 4 different set ups. Heres why.
First I didnt know what I was doing and went with what others told me to get plus I used my own imagination and made his home my way.
Problem was the substrate. Carpet. It was terrible and he always got his nails caught in it and when he attacked the crickets he would get his mouth caught or pull a hair off.
So onto something and better. Tiles. Went to Home Depot and bought some small slate tiles. It worked well but it looked too gray and dark in the tank since my background was gray as well and so is my Leo. Before I began to write emo lizard poems from depression I thought about adding some colour.
While I was at it, I thought I should add something a little more natural like... SAND! Yes. Sand. I figured if I did just a corner above some heat with sand it would be ok since I would feed him on the other side. It was going ok till he had an accident in his skull (got stuck in the nose over night. Still healing. Nose is plugged up now.) and I had to feed him silk worms and crickets. Crickets would run around the sand and he would eat them there sometimes but it didnt look like he was getting any sand. So I thought, myeh. No harm.
His poop changed suddenly. It went from sloppy turds to what my wife and I called "Corn Dogs" because thats what they looked like! LoL
Thinking nothing of it, the other day I decided to see what it was causing that and broke one open. (see pic attached) To my surprise, it was all sand. I have NO IDEA why hes eating so much or why hes passing that much but if it is sand, which I imagine it is, I couldnt let that happen any more. So out came the sand and everything. I felt bad. I read the warnings but thought that he should have something natural. I still think paper towels is ridiculous but I needed to come up with something exciting and safe. Im pretty sure with the sand I knocked off a couple years of his life.
Now he has a new look. New set up and its safe and fun. Lots to do and places to explore. Hopefully this is the last one and hopefully he shits crickets and not sand from now on.
First I didnt know what I was doing and went with what others told me to get plus I used my own imagination and made his home my way.
Problem was the substrate. Carpet. It was terrible and he always got his nails caught in it and when he attacked the crickets he would get his mouth caught or pull a hair off.
So onto something and better. Tiles. Went to Home Depot and bought some small slate tiles. It worked well but it looked too gray and dark in the tank since my background was gray as well and so is my Leo. Before I began to write emo lizard poems from depression I thought about adding some colour.
While I was at it, I thought I should add something a little more natural like... SAND! Yes. Sand. I figured if I did just a corner above some heat with sand it would be ok since I would feed him on the other side. It was going ok till he had an accident in his skull (got stuck in the nose over night. Still healing. Nose is plugged up now.) and I had to feed him silk worms and crickets. Crickets would run around the sand and he would eat them there sometimes but it didnt look like he was getting any sand. So I thought, myeh. No harm.
His poop changed suddenly. It went from sloppy turds to what my wife and I called "Corn Dogs" because thats what they looked like! LoL
Thinking nothing of it, the other day I decided to see what it was causing that and broke one open. (see pic attached) To my surprise, it was all sand. I have NO IDEA why hes eating so much or why hes passing that much but if it is sand, which I imagine it is, I couldnt let that happen any more. So out came the sand and everything. I felt bad. I read the warnings but thought that he should have something natural. I still think paper towels is ridiculous but I needed to come up with something exciting and safe. Im pretty sure with the sand I knocked off a couple years of his life.
Now he has a new look. New set up and its safe and fun. Lots to do and places to explore. Hopefully this is the last one and hopefully he shits crickets and not sand from now on.
What size is it?