Would crushed walnut shell sub. be OK if...

[Adonis]

I think a nice packed clay heavy dirt could work. Pretty? No. But that essentially what they live around in the wild. Staying away from the sandy areas and living within the rocks/dirt grassy lands. And yes, geckos lick a lot. Everywhere they go. That excavator clay may be more what you are looking for as I think it has a red hue. Not sure how it dries etc though. Trying to find the thread that had a picture of some hatchlings in a bucket of compacted dry dirt. I remember thinking they looked right at home. I'll try to locate it.

Thank you, that would be great!

In all honesty, I thought that stuff was called sand. Had I known it was clay, the thread title would have been a lot different.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

The clay substrates are pretty cool and look great, but they do not hold up well with undertank heaters (UTH's). There is a brand on the market called "Excavator", and it specifically says that it doesn't work well with higher temperatures. There may be another product available, but I am unaware of it.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Sorry, I didn't read the previous post regarding this product... I only saw the last post.

 

[Adonis]

The clay substrates are pretty cool and look great, but they do not hold up well with undertank heaters (UTH's). There is a brand on the market called "Excavator", and it specifically says that it doesn't work well with higher temperatures. There may be another product available, but I am unaware of it.

I came across a thread that musick posted in, and they said to make a 40/60 clay and sand mixture (with water of course). Apparently they've had no problems with over-heating and what not, so I might try that method out.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I'm not so sure it's an overheating problem with this stuff, but it dries out, cracks and crumbles. Maybe with the sand it would change that, but I can't say. You could always do a mock-up test with the heat before you committed to the entire tank?

 

[Adonis]

I'm not so sure it's an overheating problem with this stuff, but it dries out, cracks and crumbles. Maybe with the sand it would change that, but I can't say. You could always do a mock-up test with the heat before you committed to the entire tank?

Yes, I'd make sure the terrarium was 100% habitable before I introduced by leo to his new environment. I read that you shouldn't use a UTH for heating when it comes to the excavator clay, and as for the cracking and stuff, I'd make sure to brush it once dry and vacuum the debris and crumbles out.

 

[FatalityBoyZahy]

I use a combination of slate tile, and dried/sifted Top Soil. Works well, and looks great. No signs of impactions on my Leo.