[gbhil]

I'll assume that this is an Eublepharine specific question, since it's posted here.

I'll have to mostly agree with tanala. I've found a mixture of 2 parts coco peat or clean topsoil and one part sand works very well for me. I mix it wet, place it in the enclosure, and bake it under a halogen or high watt incandescent lamp until the surface is very hard and very dry. Within days burrows will be dug and will stay formed quite well.

For subtropical bandeds (and fat tails possibly, never kept them myself) I add in a standpipe to water the bottom surface of the substrate as needed.

[leogirl16]

NEVER, NEVER use sand!!!! it can cause impaction and if ur gecko winds up with it and u find out he/she has it and ur to late, it can die from it. use paper towels, reptile carpet, and or news paper(its mainly used for babys but it works fine with adults to)

[slove1106]

Someone missed the no debate post in the first page didn't they...

[sschind]

I wasn't paying attention when I responded to the poll. I wasn't aware of the forum it was in so I just answered based on all my animals. My leopard gecko babies are kept on paper towels until they are 3-4 months old and then they are moved to aspen crumble bedding but my adult breeders are kept on sand. All my animals are fed from dishes now but even before I started using them I still used the crumbles and the sand. If I had mine tucked away in a drawer somewhere then I could possibly see using paper towels but even my breeders are in a glass tank on display so I use the sand because it looks nicer. I have yet to have a problem with impaction.

[@marko@]

i use repti-carpet. it does NOT snage my leos nails. its very smooth (maybe other brands have scrathy ones that snag on their nails, but my r-zill repticarpet works great). its also very easy to clean (spot clean for 2 weeks and then dump in the laundry and switch for my second one). not to mention, unlike sand there is no risk of impaction. i have been told by a vet that if sand is ingested (that calci-sand included) it can cause impaction. he has treated multiple beardies for impaction that were on calcisand and other sands, and they are less prone to impaction then leos. its also kinda dirty (the urine just seeps right in and you cant clean it out). and it is NOT natural. leos are not from the arabian deseret or the sahara. they come from pakistan. they come from deserts of sun-baked clay.

[sheril]

I have a DIY tank that i have done up and the bottom and 3 sides of my tanks are layers of grout I spot clean and when gets dirty I scrub with water and let dry

[pyro4fun]

I wanted to know if tanala or gbhil could post some pic's of there mixed substrate and a burrow? It sounds like a good idea but how deep do you layer it and how often do you change it?

[gbhil]

I'll get some pics next time I'm in a cage for ya, probably tonight.

I layer it about 4-6 inches. As for cleaning, I'll pick up whatever feces I come across, but I never change out the substrate. It's my experience that geckos are very good about not defecating inside their burrows or hides, so I don't bother to dig them up and scoop them out.

[RamseysReptiles]

I use a pre hardwood floor mat, it's similar to the soft contact paper. Use this because it won't slip in the sweater boxes like paper towel does and is machine washable. The geckos seem to really enjoy it to because their toes can get a grip on it with out slipping as well.

[tanala]

Originally Posted by pyro4fun

I wanted to know if tanala or gbhil could post some pic's of there mixed substrate and a burrow? It sounds like a good idea but how deep do you layer it and how often do you change it?

well as everyone knows leos use a spot where they drop their feces, so from time to time, the substrate from that side can be changed, that should suffice.
About the depth of the layer: of course one can provide a deep layer, why not, but thats not necessary i think. About 2 inches is ok - I do it only to provide a natural substrate for the geckos.
I then put a clay flower pot on the layer and press it down, so that hide is filled heavily with substrate. When the gecko is put into the cage, it begins to excavate the substrate out of the hiding spot. Doing it this way, the gecko shows a natural behavior with an only thin substrate layer.Another advantage is that this kind of substrate retains some moisture over some time.