Question on Substrate

[E.D.G.E]

Now I have a few questions about the "Substrate Matter" I'm having.
I have yet to adopt a gecko from a breeder and I'm going to wait a few more months until I feel comfortable with my knowledge on these little guys. So here I go!

Now my biggest concern at this point is what is the most recommended substrate bedding? I've heard commonly sand is suggested but it can cause impaction if it is digested and I've read in one care guide that it can suffocate the gecko.

Reptile Carpet:
I personally like the idea of a bedding that can be cut to fit a tank or terrarium, but from my understanding gecko's nails can be caught on it?

Newspaper or Paper Towel:
For me this is a personal no and I have already made up my mind not to use any kind of paper bedding.

So come on guys! What do you use and suggest I should use?

 

[acpart]

There are many threads and polls on here about substrate. My personal favorite is ceramic tile. I have a manual tile cutter and get the cheapest package of 12x12" tiles from the local home improvement store (frequently less than $1 per tile). The ones I like best are beige to light pinkish with some texture. They can look very natural and hold heat well.

Aliza

 

[E.D.G.E]

Thank you for your quick reply, I actually like the idea of ceramic tiles and I'll keep a look out for the polls. Its my first day here are it quite a large forum.

~Erich

 

[leolover23]

I've been using Eco Earth, they say it's digestable, but I'm still skeptical. Tomorrow I'm actually going to the store to get my own set of tiles! I figure, why have the worry? So yeah, I think tile seems like the best bet at the moment. Plus, you can make your cage look more natural this way!

 

[OneFootedAce]

Thank you for your quick reply, I actually like the idea of ceramic tiles and I'll keep a look out for the polls. Its my first day here are it quite a large forum.

~Erich

Welcome to the forum! Its good to see another canadian

Yeah tile is a great choice if you want your enclosure to be naturalistic, but even papertowels or newspaper work great.

 

[monsters]

in my set up i have 4 12x12 tiles laid out about 2 inches apart from one another .. with sand acting as grout .. then on the very end of the tank is a cinder block sitting on a little hill of sand .. i used white vita sand and mixed it with childs play sand from home depot .. so its really mostly tile ..

 

[Joseph_Riccilia]

Right now, I actually use the carpet. Apparently one side is fuzzier than the other so I just put the not so fuzzy side up and I don't have any problems with my geckos nails getting stuck when they walk, or their teeth getting stuck when they eat. Although I do like the sound of tile a little more. It sounds more professional looking

 

[aslchick1]

I went through the same struggle...don't use sand of any kind, as my Leo started having sand in her feces, so I knew she was eating it (if only by accident when she would pounce the crickets). A guy at the pet store suggested alfalfa pellets. I have been using them for about 7 months now and have had no problems.

Regarding the carpet, my leo's nails get stuck on the carpet in my apartment, so I know they would get stuck on any kind of apartment. Then sometimes she likes to climb in this little tree in her tank, and sometimes she will fall when she's trying to climb onto the glass from the tree, so I wanted something soft like sand so she wouldn't hurt herself. She also likes something comfy under her tummy to lay on.

The alfalfa pellets work great! It conducts the heat from the under tank heater amazingly perfect (one of the reasons I also didn't want tiles or papertowels...they conduct heat weird and not uniformly) The only problem I have had is if any spills under her water dish (a warm, humid place), it can grow mold under there. Never had a problem with mold under her hide, calcium dish, etc. And the mold I've only had an issue with once, so I scooped it out and all was fine.

 

[E.D.G.E]

Thanks for the idea Bri I've been starting to collect what I need for the leos and saw the pellets at one of the pet stores we've been to, and I'm torn between the two! I might end up using both!

 

[bjleemkuil]

I use repticarpet. The only problems I have with mine is when I feed my Enigmas and they get their little teeth stuck, but I will be switching theirs to paper towels soon. If you iron the carpet with a papertowel in between the iron and the carpet and iron on low just enough to "sear" the carpet and the loops melt enough to become solid. Just a thought! =)

 

[jfreels]

Tiles, FTW. I started on paper towels, then repti-carpet then back to paper towels and now tiles. I am completely SOLD on my tiles. Wish I could do the same thing for my snakes

 

[jfreels]

I use repticarpet. The only problems I have with mine is when I feed my Enigmas and they get their little teeth stuck, but I will be switching theirs to paper towels soon. If you iron the carpet with a papertowel in between the iron and the carpet and iron on low just enough to "sear" the carpet and the loops melt enough to become solid. Just a thought! =)

I just flipped mine over when I used the repti-carpet. The other side seemed to be "smoother" for lack of a better term.