Is this okay for a substrate?

[jakehinds]

Hello there, I recently stopped by my local home depot and saw these "lava rocks" that looked pretty cool. They were only 4$ so it couldn't hurt to check them out. My only question is, are they too rough for leo's? They have all those tiny little gas bubble pockets and it feels quite rough, but they didn't have any other rocks unfortunately. Here's some pictures of them and their texture:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ifwuj5y50ovk2fi/FkN74F46sS

No, that is not my future gecko's home. I was just bored, and was playing around with it.

I wanted pretty big rocks, like 4-5" and I'll probably look around more

 

[GexPex]

Looks cool, but I'd imagine they would be too rough. The little holes might also catch toes and are definitely just adding surface area for bacteria to grow. This would be VERY difficult to clean.

 

[Ozy]

I agree. I think those would be too hard to clean thoroughly. Also I think they are too rough and porous. I use slate tile. It looks SUPER nice and distributes/holds heat VERY nicely. Here's a pic of my setup with the slate.

 

[Kylerbassman]

They use Pumice stone to remove old skin on people at salons and that stuff can really rip you up. I would think over time that it could really irritate there feet/toes. Since they are smaller and more fragile, I would definitely think it could cause harm and irritate/scratch there skin. Also, it's been known to give people infections with regular use. Toes stuck could also be an issue and I agree with the above statements, it would be a b$@&? to clean. I would steer clear of it

 

[katie_]

Lava rock is very abbrasive, I would avoid it

 

[jakehinds]

Yeah, i figured. I'd still like to use rocks though. I tried searching for "desert looking" rocks in home depot but couldn't find any. I know herpsupplies.com has some cool ones for 2.50$ a pound but the shipping is expensive