Question

[Euphoric]

This whole substrate thing has me confused.
I had my large gecko on sand, and obviously my five inch on carpet (I did follow the rule six inches to be put on sand)
Then a pet friend of mine said moss and like forest bedding...the kind you get in the block and add water. I use it for my crested gecko.
But I wasn't for sure on that.
Then I hear carpet is bad, and mine already stinks like dead crickets.
Now I hear tile!

*sigh*

Someone help!
My mother works at Lowe's so getting tile shouldn't be too bad if I guess that is the route to go.
But can any one tell me a certain kind or direction of what kind to get?

Quite honestly I want to stick with sand..Yes ingestion causes problems but thats why I fed not only my female gecko but my bearded dragons out of the tank in a tubaware box.

Any advice?

 

[Rich Of The U.K]

Hi there.... even though you may feed your gecko out of the tank, it still may lick the sand in little amounts till it builds up to a blockage... I wouldnt use moss apart from in the humid hide as Leopard gecko's need a dry environment to prevent respiratory problems... The best way to go is Paper towels or Tiles... you may not like the sight of paper towels as it doesnt look natural so you'd probably like some nice stone tiles which looks natural... Travertine or marble look very nice, just make sure you get tumbled or unglazed and dont get polished as this may feel weird for your gecko as it may slip around like being on an ice rink...

Tiles are also very easy to clean... i just remove a tile when it is soiled and replace with a spare, i then scrub the soiled tile with mild soapy water and rinse well, leave to dry and use again when a different tile is soiled... washing up liquid is great to use... you can use bleach but im far from a big fan of it and washing up liquid is less risky and just as effective, you dont have to worry this way about ratios of bleach to water...

Im not a fan on reptile carpet either due to several health problems which occasionaly occur such as getting there jaws stuck on the carpet or toes getting stuck and ripped off as well as many more, its also alot harder and more time consuming to clean and needs to be replaced as it wears down quick in time afer cleaning... it also retains soaps and bleach from cleaning which may be passed onto the Gecko...

So id say tiles or paper towels... tiles are my personal best... just remember to use 1cm thick tiles and make it 2 tiles thick with about 3 layers of paper towels at the bottom to prevent the tiles from getting too hot - this is just a safety measure as you should be fine aslong as you have temperature control i.e. a digital thermometer and thermostat....


Regards..... Rich.....

 

[Halley]

Then a pet friend of mine said moss and like forest bedding...the kind you get in the block and add water. I use it for my crested gecko.
But I wasn't for sure on that.

Your friend is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Leopard gecko come from dry environments, and you should continue keeping them on the dry substance. They are a totally different species then a crested gecko, and require completely different care. Also JMO, I would put both on carpet. Sand looks nice, but is the enclosures looking nice worth your gecko dying from impaction?

Then I hear carpet is bad, and mine already stinks like dead crickets.
Now I hear tile!

The substance you use (both sound fine) is up to you. Tile looks nice, and is easy to clean. The Carpet just sounds like it needs to be washed more. I would recommend getting a couple of pieces of it, one clean, one dirty, and one being used. The reason the carpet might not be recommended is because the nails can get stuck, and so can the teeth. This carpet (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=13990) works great, and comes in pre-cut sizes to fit your aquarium.

My mother works at Lowe's so getting tile shouldn't be too bad if I guess that is the route to go.
But can any one tell me a certain kind or direction of what kind to get?

I just used the stick on, in my enclosure. But any tile will work, I would think if you used regular tile that the grout would be nasty from pop though.

Quite honestly I want to stick with sand..Yes ingestion causes problems but thats why I fed not only my female gecko but my bearded dragons out of the tank in a tubaware box.

I guess if you do that, you should be fine for the most part. Some still eat the sand though, to get needed nutrients, so make sure you have a bowl full of powdered vitamins for them. I recommend the T-Rex leopard gecko, and bearded dragon dust. Then you should be okay.

 

[efx*]

I would use paper towel its easy to clean and the safest for leopard geckos.

 

[Euphoric]

Yeah I tried paper towels with my baby and it didn't work very well, the crickets and worms would hide, and I have problems dropping water when filling their bowls everyday and I don't like having to change them everyday.
I think I will just go with tile. I want to build a super fort anyways in the large cage so maybe I will just come up with some ideas and execute freely.

Thanks!