Paper towel substrate question.

[Eric1969]

how do you keep it from curling up on the ends of the tank, so crickets dont get underneath and I have to dig them out....
I normally have ceramic tile but was thinking about layig down paper towel for now, since sparky's tail has to heal and grow grow, i figured it would be cleaner... but it always comes up on the sides and does not lay flat.....
Thanks.

 

[Mich]

I have paper towel in a few of my enclosures right now (I use it for hatchlings and gravid females) and the curling is annoying. I just put a little dab of water on the corners of along the side where it curls up to kind of stick it down and it seems to dry pretty flat. I also have a water dish at one end and a calcium dish at the other so they help keep the paper towel taunt.

 

[bman123]

Why not just cut the edge of the paper towel? Or like said above put the bowls in the corner to hold it down. Have you tried feeding mealworms instead of crickets?

 

[CallDr]

There is no need to switch to paper towels, since one of the perks to tile is it's easy to clean.

I use a diluted bacteria hand soap to wipe down the tile every week. ( plus the normal clean the poop as you see it ) After I wipe down the tile, I use a water wipe so as to not leave any residue from the soap. This also leaves a little moisture in the tile which is not a bad thing either.

 

[thegeckoguy23]

put ur food and water bowls and cal caps in the conners

 

[Eric1969]

Why not just cut the edge of the paper towel? Or like said above put the bowls in the corner to hold it down. Have you tried feeding mealworms instead of crickets?

Funny you mention the mealworms. I did before but he only ate one andwas not interested again. He hasnt wanted many crickets so today I went to the pet store and they had some medium size super worms. I bought three of them, and i put one in the tank and he ate it right up,. so I put another and he ate it too..... That is a good sign since he has not wanted to eat in the last week, I was very excited...

 

[Eric1969]

There is no need to switch to paper towels, since one of the perks to tile is it's easy to clean.

I use a diluted bacteria hand soap to wipe down the tile every week. ( plus the normal clean the poop as you see it ) After I wipe down the tile, I use a water wipe so as to not leave any residue from the soap. This also leaves a little moisture in the tile which is not a bad thing either.

I think that might be better, I will just make sure the tile is clean a few times a week.....

 

[CallDr]

I don't know what you can put on the tail....... to help it heal or keep infection away. But it might be a good question to ask?

I think the tile will not be an issue. As long as clean the water bowl everyday and maybe wipe down the inside glass too...... you should have him cleaner than I live in my house.... lol.

 

[Tony C]

Plain Neosporin (NO pain killer!) may be used on the wound.

 

[Taquiq]

I don't know what you can put on the tail

One of my geckos just lost his tail. It is almost back and I just dabbed some plain neosporin as Tony said and I had NO problems.

 

[Mich]

One of my geckos just lost his tail. It is almost back and I just dabbed some plain neosporin as Tony said and I had NO problems.

I agree I've used it before when my male was a little too rough with one of my femals and it worked well, the herps don't mind it at all!!

I myself still prefer the paper towel, I find it easier to use for under tank heat pads and the 'select a size' is great but likes to curl up. There is also the large rolls of thin brown papertowel that will lay much flatter. Again I only use this for my egg laying females and hatchlings, not my favorite substrate.

 

[Eric1969]

Plain Neosporin (NO pain killer!) may be used on the wound.

That is what I read on line before.....It seemed fine at first and then I saw it looked a bit red, so I have put it on a few times.. but its hard to, since he does not like you touching it, and I dont want to freak him out anymore. But as of yesterday it looks good, and I am so happy, he ate 2 superworms.. I have never offered those before, since he never cared for the mealworms....

 

[Eric1969]

One of my geckos just lost his tail. It is almost back and I just dabbed some plain neosporin as Tony said and I had NO problems.

how long did it take to grow back. It has been almost two weeks for Sparky... I am lucky it wasnt his whole tail...