Feeding - Getting caught on carpet

[lilmidget865]

Spazz was eating meal worms for the first time tonight since I got her. It seems like she gets her jaw caught on the carpet almost every time I feed her. Should I switch out the carpet for something else? I tried to put them somewhere else and have her feed there, but it's like she got afraid she would get stuck again so wouldn't eat them. Does anyone else find they have this problem with cage carpet?

 

[leoman777]

try switching out to paper towels or tile

 

[lilmidget865]

try switching out to paper towels or tile

I am using carpet....I was thinking of using paper towel...I just hate that you will be able to see stains on it....but, I may just do it anyway!

 

[leoman777]

lol i accidently typed carpet and then edited it lol try tile

 

[lilmidget865]

lol i accidently typed carpet and then edited it lol try tile

What kind of tile would I get/from where? I have seen people talk about tile...I just wasn't sure what kind people usually use.

 

[leoman777]

slate you can geet it from home depot or lowes they will usually cut it to the right measurements for free

 

[lilmidget865]

I think I am going to try Seventh Generation paper towels. They are organic and you can get them in brown. There is 120 2-ply sheets per roll at about $2.50 - $3.00 a roll. If I only use them for the hide and the bottom of the cage, I should get a lot of changes out of one roll and at least the brown will hide some stains....I hate the way white paper towels make the tank look when they get dirty! Also, I feel better using the organic stuff since they are finding more and more ways to make our products unsafe these days with chemicals!

 

[ariana]

you could get a dish for the mealworms too ya know...

 

[AMoore311]

I use ceramic tile from home depot. I used a couple 12 x 12 tiles and then cut up another to fit the 6" space left over. The tiles are like $2.00 +/-$5 depending on what style you want. All you need is a moist paper towel to clean up the poo. The once every 2 weeks I will remove the tiles completely and disinfect them and the entire tank.

Home Depot should cut them for you, I cut my own since I have a tile saw though.

 

[Kellyr]

I tried the carpet, when I saw my geckos toes and teeth get stuck in it the first day.. I brushed it with a bristle brush to get out all the loops so nothing would get snagged, it didnt work they still got stuck.
Tile is much much better, one tip I have is make sure its not porcelin or ceramic that has a smooth to the touch feeling, these tend to be slippery for the little guys to walk on, they cant grip it very well.
Paper towels I love although it doesnt look as nice, its just cleaner IMO (since the poo dries on it, when they walk over it - it doesnt get tracked throughout the enclosure) and easier to clean when the time comes, you pull it out and most mess comes with it.

 

[geckolvr88]

That used to happen when my girls were younger, so I changed to paper towel for a bit until they got a bit bigger, then changed it back and never noticed that happening. I just recently changed to tile though, and LOVE it.

Good luck!

 

[mainelygeckos]

I guess my only question would be does the heat distribute the same thru tile? I h ave carpet and occasionally the teeth get stuck when going after crickets but not toes so far. I am thinking about getting tile but don't want to have to change the UTH to make sure the heat is distributed properly. Whatcha think?

 

[geckolvr88]

Yeah, the heat distribution is fine. Though, I put the smaller of the two tiles (I have a 10 g tank, so one had to be smaller to fit) on the heated side, and it just covered the UTH. That way if a whole tile did conduct the heat, it would be the smaller one, rather then the 12 inch one.


Either way, I'm pretty sure you won't have any problems.

 

[mainelygeckos]

ok thanks wanted to be sure that the temps stay right

 

[t04jas]

That used to happen when my girls were younger, so I changed to paper towel for a bit until they got a bit bigger, then changed it back and never noticed that happening. I just recently changed to tile though, and LOVE it.

Good luck!

Dex used to get caught when I first got him as well. I think he has learned to just pluck the mealworm off of the carpet without getting caught now, although he will occasionally get caught for a second. It doesn't seem to bother him though as he'll keep on eating after getting caught.

 

[geckolvr88]

Yeah, it didn't seem to bother them either, but it drove me crazy! I would watch them eat like hawks, just in case!

 

[idmd]

After using carpet for a week and having my guy's toes get caught I went to Home Depot and got two 12"x12" slate tiles that fit perfectly into my 12"x24" tank - couldn't be happier.

Each tile was $1.45 and nothing needed to even be cut.

Low maintenance, esthetic, thermodynamically perfect with UTH and most of all absolutely safe.

 

[Ciprion]

Also, if changing substrates dosent happen to work out for you, you might consider a food change....Just a suggestion