Substrate + UTH, hides

[audreythejungleg]

Recently I was informed that the chopped walnut shells I was recommended are actually not good as a substrate. I switched to newspaper immediately, and that's what my gecko is on now. He's excreting the substrate that he ate, which is good, but he can't be on newspaper forever. I'll keep him on it until the chopped walnut shells are out of his system, but in the meantime I want to know what the best option for substrate is. I was also told to stop using my heat light and to switch to a UTH, so the substrate would need to go well with that.
Also: I only have one hide, on the warmest side of the tank. The tank isn't small per say, but there's only room for two hides and a water dish, with a good amount of room to move around in. I just have the one hide and the water dish, as of now. He did have a heat rock until I was told that he could be burned by that. Anyway, I do want him to be comfortable and happy. Should I get a bigger tank?
Every response is appreciated


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[acpart]

Welcome to GF. Leopard geckos can be kept in a 10 gallon (which I assume yours is) but there's a better heat gradient in a 20 gallon long (30"x12"x12"). They can be had relatively cheaply if you do a craigslist search. I like ceramic tile for my geckos. I get the slightly rough 12"x12" tiles that are light beige and go for the cheapest (under $2/tile). I feel that works best, but other people use repti-carpet or paper towel. Tile will be fine with an under tank heater but make sure you have a thermostat so it doesn't get too hot (need thermostat with any substrate, actually).

Aliza