Ideas for substrates...

[neur0tix]

Any thoughts on using:

~ Construction paper (various color/designs)
~ Printing graphics (like a texture of a sand) onto paper
~ Paper towels


I don't like carpets because their fingers stick to it... and I've seen first hand that my leopards HATE a mouth ful of sand or crushed walnut, and impaction scares me.... so I think construction paper would be the best bet? Is the hard surface ok for them?

Maybe some paper towel on the bottom and a layer of construction paper on top?

 

[neur0tix]

I say construction paper because of the colors available and such... I also wondered about crumpled newspaper...

 

[EmanResu]

If there is a Lowes near you, you can get Ceramic tile for like $.80 each, and they will cut it for free. Home Depot will not cut it, not mine anyways...it's cheap, cleans easy, and looks good

 

[wakeskate420]

You could also use shelf liner. I recently found some with a sand like look to it at target.

 

[Daedric1]

I would probably avoid the paper with sand texture because it's exactly that....sand paper...and I don't think that would be comfortable or easy to clean.

I've also never been a fan of paper towels for tanks (fine for bins/racks because the whole point of them is for mass/inexpensive housing anyway). It doesn't look good, doesn't hold heat well, and it's just plain annoying to take all the cage furniture out of my tanks to change the paper towels often.

I would use 12"x12" slate tile (about $1.00 each) from Home Depot or Lowe's (thanks EmanResu; I didn't know they would cut it for you - that would have saved me a lot of trouble :main_rolleyes. It doesn't have to be slate, but it looks natural and holds heat well. Just make sure you don't get smooth tile, because it will be harder for the geckos to walk on. Also, you may or may not want something underneath the tile to keep it from sitting directly on the glass - both to avoid cracking and because the tile may not be perfectly level. I ended up using playground sand underneath the tile as a base for it to sit on - it works nice because the heatpad heats the sand, which in turn heats the slate. Both hold heat really well, and the tank looks natural.

Depending on your cage, you will likely have to cut the tile to fit the tank (you need 2.5 tiles, cut to about 11.75in per side in a 20L for example). Measure the inside dimensions of your tank to find out you need, but be prepared for some modification.

So yeah, tile may be a little more work initially, but it's worth it because it looks great, holds heat well, and is easy to clean. Definitely worth it in the long run.

 

[neur0tix]

I would probably avoid the paper with sand texture because it's exactly that....sand paper...and I don't think that would be comfortable or easy to clean.

I've also never been a fan of paper towels for tanks (fine for bins/racks because the whole point of them is for mass/inexpensive housing anyway). It doesn't look good, doesn't hold heat well, and it's just plain annoying to take all the cage furniture out of my tanks to change the paper towels often.

I would use 12"x12" slate tile (about $1.00 each) from Home Depot or Lowe's (thanks EmanResu; I didn't know they would cut it for you - that would have saved me a lot of trouble :main_rolleyes. It doesn't have to be slate, but it looks natural and holds heat well. Just make sure you don't get smooth tile, because it will be harder for the geckos to walk on. Also, you may or may not want something underneath the tile to keep it from sitting directly on the glass - both to avoid cracking and because the tile may not be perfectly level. I ended up using playground sand underneath the tile as a base for it to sit on - it works nice because the heatpad heats the sand, which in turn heats the slate. Both hold heat really well, and the tank looks natural.

Depending on your cage, you will likely have to cut the tile to fit the tank (you need 2.5 tiles, cut to about 11.75in per side in a 20L for example). Measure the inside dimensions of your tank to find out you need, but be prepared for some modification.

So yeah, tile may be a little more work initially, but it's worth it because it looks great, holds heat well, and is easy to clean. Definitely worth it in the long run.

I actually meant regular paper w/ sand texture printed on it... kind of like taking a picture of a beach and printing it onto paper...

 

[Daedric1]

I actually meant regular paper w/ sand texture printed on it... kind of like taking a picture of a beach and printing it onto paper...

Ah, I misread the first post, and by "texture" of sand I thought you were meaning to use the strict definition of the word, perhaps accomplished by placing adhesive on paper and getting the sand to stick to it.

Anyway, I actually think this would probably be worse (even than sandpaper) for a few reasons.

First, printing a picture of sand onto paper is going to be expensive over time, regardless of whether you are doing it yourself at home or buying paper with pictures of sand on it. It's going to get dirty. You're going to have to change the paper so often that it's not really worth the trouble of doing it yourself or spending the money to buy ready-to-go sand-image paper.

I would also avoid exposing your gecko to anything with ink (chemicals) printed on it (for the same reason I wouldn't use newspaper). When images get wet, the ink tends to run and get sloppy, and that can't be good for a gecko's skin. We also know that leos lick things constantly, either to drink from wet areas or just to "smell it," which is probably also not good for them. Even dry paper can have the ink transferred onto another surface - which is why newspaper can get on your skin, silly putty, and other surfaces.

For those reasons I would stay away from this idea. If you really do want to use some kind of paper, I would just stick to paper towels.