Sand - i know i know its a can of worms

[gaz_morgz]

I have 3 adult leopard geckos and the poo lots and its a pain in the behind to keep replacing newspaper every other day.

So i wondered if i got the really fine sand but then fed them in a seperate enclosure with paper as substrate would they be ok or is it just not worth the risk. I have heard of this coco-fibre stuff, what is your take on this?

 

[d13t_p3ps1]

I would say it's not worth the risk, based on the times I have seen all of my geckos lick the floor tiles in their tanks. I wouldn't want them to be licking sand with the same frequency. As far as the coco fiber, i use it for my crested gecko and my pac man frog, but for my leopards i stick with slate tile as the main substrate, and paper towels in their humid hides.

 

[gaz_morgz]

fair enough, i thought that about them just randomly licking the floor, need to invest in some nice tiles! What do you think about reptile carpet?

 

[cuomop]

i use both, the easy thing with poo paper is to notice where they like to go and put a square of paper towel there. I make a big stack of double think squares and change every other day or so. I allow 3-5 poops before a change.

 

[Alliemac]

I put paper towel over the tile in the spot where they each go. Then I can just change the small piece of pt everyday, give the area a quick spray with a vinegar solution and replace the pt. Mine all go in the same area all the time though.

 

[froggz]

No matter what substrate they are going to go just as much. The benefit to paper is that you can easily remove the waste. I've also noticed with sand you must remove the ENTIRE area under the fecal matter as it does contaminate the surrounding sand.

 

[lizardlove]

My leo likes to poop ON things. She likes to poop on her cool hide because it's the hardest to clean, so when I took it out and replaced it with something that's harder to poop on, she angled herself against the glass so she pooped ON the glass, causing me to have to scrub it... But nah, sand isn't worth it and if you put a piece of paper towel on the 'toilet' area it's not tough to clean. Assuming you don't have a leo that likes to make your life more difficult. >.>

 

[gordmit]

I switched from sand to paper towel and some slate tile--I get frustrated because the crickets and mealworms always seem to find ways to hide under the paper--doesn't seem to bother the gecko though.

 

[Foreverandever]

All I can say is why take the chance? Obviously you know the downside from the way you titled this thread. Yea, sand looks cool and natural...but so does tile and its WAY easier to clean and the safest substrate you can use

 

[Nigel4less]

No need to replace the Newspaper every other day....

And NO its not worth the risk... PERIOD!

 

[yoyofanatic]

I wouldn't risk it. what i do is I use paper towels but I find where they poo most often and put an extra cuple sheets over that area and just replace thoes daily.