Leopards on gravel

[Justyn20003]

I wanan make a natural looking Habitat for my leopards.

I know everyone freaks out about sand so I'm not even going there. Would gravel be ok? like large river gravel that they couldn't fit in their mouths?

 

[Dan K.]

crikets and mealies might get under it but other than that and getting things like water dish level and such I don't see why not.(as long as they don't fit in there mouth)

 

[Justyn20003]

I just want something a bit ore natural looking then paper towels. I was thinking of mixing sand with rocks to where the sand isn't really obvious it just kinda fills in spaces between the rocks

 

[Superior]

Tile is more natural than paper towels :main_thumbsup:

 

[acpart]

THink about tile with some pieces of slate around to look like a rocky outcrop. I suppose you could also get some of that excavation burrow stuff and fashion a rough flooring, but I've heard that it's heavy and impossible to remove from the tank.

Aliza

 

[leonut]

I use gravel and put mealies in a bowl and I haven't had problems any at all.

 

[thestack510]

I would pick a good looking tile as a flooring with some large rocks and pieces of slate to accentuate the natural look. To me it seems it would be easier to clean than having to thoroughly rinse and dry gravel... just my thoughts.

 

[2bacop]

Tile is a lot easier to clean than trying to clean a lot of river rocks.

 

[leonut]

I really depends what you mean by clean. Yes, tile is easier to clean when you clean out the cage, but gravel is easier to clean waste off of. with tile you have to remove the soiled tile and wipe it down, with gravel just get a plastic spoon and scoop the soiled area out. Though personaly I'm thinking of using a combination.

 

[Lovey]

I wanted a natural looking place also, and we had a good set up. But I gave up with all the negitive talk about the repti bark and sand that I just gave in and used paper towel LOL

So, good luck

 

[reddmann]

I have slate tile in mine with a smaller tile on top of paper towels where he goes to the bathroom.

 

[Vyeguy]

In my custom tank i am building I'm using flagstone. can be had at landscapeing stores for dirt cheap its something like $10 for 75lbs

 

[Misstasha]

I use dirt and woodchips, and you do have to be prepared to deal with feeding issues... Its alot harder to feed a leo on dirt becuz one min u see the super worm the next its gone!! lol I love having a natural looking tank, and the leos love it too!!

If i were you, this is what I"d do.. Use potting soil, put reptile bark on top of soil, then buy some fresh moss (from a gardening store) and put it on selective areas on ur tank.. it looks soooooo nice, sooo natural!! if your not using paper towel or tile you will have issues regarding feeding.. I have a corner with food dishes, and paper towel underneath so then the lil worms can escape

 

[bmw798465132]

i have tried river rocks and tile and tile is much easier to clean than abunch of rocks so i would say u should use tile

 

[ketz]

I use gravel and it's worked well for me for like 6 years. Just normal aquarium gravel. just my $.02

 

[Neo.Reptiliac]

Imagine they pee and poop in the rocks and it drains down between them to the bottom. Then you get flies coming in the cage, which in return lay maggots in the cage. you cant seem them right off the bat cause they are under the rocks. Not a good thing to have happen. Plus its a hassel to have to clean those rocks on a weekly basis.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I use pea-gravel as a substrate for my banded geckos, but it is a size that they cannot ingest. I like the way it looks in my naturalistic enclosure, and it is a great thermo-conductor. I do not like the way the feeders crawl down in it and die, which means it stinks like crazy and I have to tear down the entire enclosure and wash all the gravel every 2-3 months... not to mention that the geckos might poop somewhere besides their defecatorium and it will dry and fall down in the crevices of the gravel.

 

[Olimpia]

I would go for it. I use a mix of gravel and Ecoearth (soon will be adding orchid bark to it) and it works just fine. People who think it's tough to clean haven't used it, because like someone said earlier, you just scoop up the dirty pebbles and you're good to go. I change out mine after a few weeks just to keep it fresh and it's really not too much work.

Congrats for moving away from paper towel! Your geckos will thank you lol