Which substrate would be best?

[dolphingirl0602]

I am considering getting a leopard gecko in about a month and I have been doing a lot of research but I still have a few questions about substrates. I would like to use tile for the substrate and I have been reading about using ceramic, porcelain, vinyl, and slate and I was wondering which one is best? And which ones heat up the best? And I plan to get a temperature probe, I don't want the tiles getting too hot or cold. And when using an UTH, which tile would heat up with it the best? What substrates have you guys been using and what do you recommend?

One more question: Will the tiles be to hot with the UTH underneath it? Do I need to use something underneath the tiles to prevent them from being too hot?

 

[acpart]

My opinion only:
I prefer ceramic tile becausea porcelain tends to have a very smooth glossy finish and the gecko could slip and slide, slate tends to be heavy and uneven, vinyl can be harder to clean and there may be some outgassing fumes with the UTH.

My preferred UTH is either zoo-med heat mat or heat cable. I like zoo-med because the heat element is sheathed in vinyl as opposed to others that just look like a piece of wired up flexwatt. I like the heat cable because I can tape it to the bottom of the cage in any configuration I want.

Aliza

 

[dolphingirl0602]

My opinion only:
I prefer ceramic tile becausea porcelain tends to have a very smooth glossy finish and the gecko could slip and slide, slate tends to be heavy and uneven, vinyl can be harder to clean and there may be some outgassing fumes with the UTH.

My preferred UTH is either zoo-med heat mat or heat cable. I like zoo-med because the heat element is sheathed in vinyl as opposed to others that just look like a piece of wired up flexwatt. I like the heat cable because I can tape it to the bottom of the cage in any configuration I want.

Aliza

Thank you, I think I might go with ceramic, because I was reading about how uneven slate could be and I also didn't want a tile that was glossy. Do you use a temperature probe? I want to get one but I'm not sure which one to get...

 

[Dimidiata]

If you do want slate though most people just put a layer of sand under the tile to even it out, it conducts heat just fine.

 

[acpart]

My temperature probe is connected to my thermostat, which you may need to have. I have found that the UTH can take days to heat up as far as it's going to go. You could probably find a cheap thermometer with probe at a Radio Shack or an electronics store, but there's also a reptile thermometer with probe made by one of the big companies (exo-terra or Zoo-med I think) that you should be able to find on amazon.com for less than $10. Once I've got the temperature set with the thermostat, I don't use the thermometer anymore. The best thermostat for the money, in my opinion was made by ESU or Alife, but on amazon.com I see one made by Zilla that looks exactly like those and is less than $40.

Aliza

 

[dolphingirl0602]

My temperature probe is connected to my thermostat, which you may need to have. I have found that the UTH can take days to heat up as far as it's going to go. You could probably find a cheap thermometer with probe at a Radio Shack or an electronics store, but there's also a reptile thermometer with probe made by one of the big companies (exo-terra or Zoo-med I think) that you should be able to find on amazon.com for less than $10. Once I've got the temperature set with the thermostat, I don't use the thermometer anymore. The best thermostat for the money, in my opinion was made by ESU or Alife, but on amazon.com I see one made by Zilla that looks exactly like those and is less than $40.

Aliza

Thank you again for answering my questions and I have another one...Should I buy one online? I'm going to a reptile expo soon and was wondering if I should wait and buy one there. Would it be cheaper?

 

[acpart]

If you buy one online you will be paying about $50 shipping for next day air and will also be buying it without seeing it "in person". If you can get to a reptile expo, I'd recommend doing it there. Look through the whole show and write down what you like. Stay away from:
--vendors who have only 1 leopard gecko and tons of other species. They probably just got that gecko in trade and don't know much about it
--vendors with a tub of lots of teeny babies selling them for $10 each. They may be too small to sell and may be overcrowded. There's no guarantee that they will eat well when you get one.

Good luck,

Aliza