Nameless substrate change

[Reptis]

Hello everyone!
My gecko Nameless is now amout 1 and 1/4 years old now and I am wondering should I change his substrate from tile to sand? He is so big that he would proabl need to swallow a cup of sand to become inpacted, and right now he stays in his hide a LOT and gennerally acts depressed. His tank does not get much ventalation and is very humid because moisture gets traped under and around the tiles and often crickets get trapped under ther and die, creating quite the odor. I had him on carpet when he was VERY young but the 10 gallon tank he was in just was not big enough. So I have him in a 35 gal. old turtle tank that I got on craigslist and his flooring went from carpet to tile. I do not want to do paper towels, and I think sand may not be a bad idea but I was wondering what the people who have not killed their first 2 reptiles within 3 months would say. The tiles are ones I just bought at home depot and do not hold any heat, but plenty moisture plus they are a pain to clean. He is getting bigger and need a Extreme Makeover tank edition and I will be giving him that. Namey in general acts depressed, mostly I believe from lack of belly heat. The tiles are pretty thick and are not gecko specific rather floor specific. I know impactation is an issue with geckos, but i think Nameless is big enough to generally be past that danger. Plus the crickets are getting away pretty easy propter they have a good grip on the tile. So the gist of it is, should I switch him back to sand, carpet or keep him on tile?

Thanks all,
- Reptis

 

[J&K's Lemy]

Use slate tile and get a under tank heater with good thermostat
that'll fix the heat
slate holds and transfers heat really well
get the slate floor tiles natural slate and bust it up yourself
it will look nicer and more naturalistic
and don't get sand of any kind it can cause impaction the breeders here will say the same

 

[GeckoCrossing]

If you're having problems with moisture and bugs getting under the tiles, just grout the tiles in. You'll need a tank to keep your gecko in for a few days while it cures and seals. But it's easy to do and fairly cheap.

 

[theCREECH]

I've heard of people putting just a tiny layer of sand under the tiles to get rid of air space. I think this helps warm the tiles up better.

If I'm wrong someone can chime in.

I also like the idea of breaking up the tiles into pieces, with sand underneath. This would also keep the crickets from moving in under the tiles. Just make sure to shove the tiles back together edge to edge. And make sure the edges of the broken tiles are sanded down so they aren't sharp.

I've grouted tiles into a cage before and my bearded dragons LOVE it. Plus its very easy to clean.

 

[Dimidiata]

Sand can be used under the tiles you are correct. It helps with heat i belive. But sand being used soley is no bueno. Your geckos stomache is nowhere near the volume of a cup btw, maybe 1/8 a cup.

 

[abrahamavelar]

I've heard of people putting just a tiny layer of sand under the tiles to get rid of air space. I think this helps warm the tiles up better.

QUOTE]

not only to get the air between the tiles but to level them so they are sturdy,and you dontbeed much just staru with one piece at a time and add sand\grout as needed (well thats how you do tile work)

 

[Reptis]

Alright! Thanks all! I am probably going to add sand around the edges. They did not fit right so I ended up sanding the edges until they fit properly. Namey seems to like it better now! And he got a bonus extra tank clean! (I do a total clean at min. once a month)

-Reptis