do you REALLY need a substrate?

[monkeygirl]

iv got my baby on paper towel and my adults on lino but the crickets and meal worms just crawl underneath and they poop in the corner where i cant get it out of the gap (with the lino). do they really need a substrate? i.e. can they just be kept in the plastic really useful boxes without a substrate? i know ron tremper does this but does anyone think this is ok?

 

[ReptileMan27]

It may seem easier to do without anything on the bottom but its really not. Instead of just changing out the paper towels you would have to clean the whole thing out to remove the poop... You should put the mealies in a dish rather then just dropping them in the cage. As far as crickets go, personally I reccomend feeding them with feeding tongs, I find it much easier and that way no cricks escape and hide from the geckos.

 

[ExcessiveHerps]

I disagree I've tried both substrate and not substrate and preferr non, the leos always defecate in a corner and most of the other areas stay clean. Once a week I simply remove the hide box and food/water bowls scrap the feces loose and white the cage clean. Everyone may not agree if being easier ofcourse. Also I use delicups with a whole in the lid for food and water so the water never gets dumped in the cage and the meal worms never escape.
X

 

[ReptileMan27]

you do what works for you , I have a couple leos that poop where they please lol. Most poop in the corner though.

 

[monkeygirl]

ok, ill try it with one of my geckos and see how it goes

 

[acpart]

If you buy some cheap 4 1/4" bathroom tiles and put one in the poop area,it's a lot easier to keep the cage clean because you just lift out the tile and clean it off. If you want to go with paper towels, you can duct tape them down to the bottom of the cage. I use ceramic tile (and paper towel in one case) for my glass bottom cages and nothing for my plastic hatchling enclosures.

Aliza