What substrate are you using? - Page 39

Ozymandias · #**381** 06-23-2010, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geckofactory

It is like a really smooth powder actually, in bags similar to those of sand (at least around here). mixed with water it get's hard as rock.

yours,
Fabrizio

ok will ask my dad about that then, he's a potter so that should give me a better idea of what it is.

Karagain · #**382** 06-30-2010, 08:20 AM

Btw, "The native habitat of the leopard gecko is the rocky, dry grassland and desert regions of south-Asian Afghanistan, Pakistan, north-west India, and parts of Iran." Desert does not always = Sand. Desert is any area with low rainfall.

I got my first gecko (also first reptile) a month ago, kept them on sand like the petstore said and I have had to deal with sand impaction. My little gecko died from sand impaction and it was very heart breaking. Luckily my other gecko is ok but I have switched to newspaper.

**Elizabeth Freer** · #**383** 07-01-2010, 12:08 AM

Thank you for sharing your sad news. For that I am sorry

.

I truly think it is best to keep young leopards on paper towels or tile till they reach at least one year old. It is even more important for beginners to do this until they aquire expertise with their pets.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Karagain

Btw, "The native habitat of the leopard gecko is the rocky, dry grassland and desert regions of south-Asian Afghanistan, Pakistan, north-west India, and parts of Iran." Desert does not always = Sand. Desert is any area with low rainfall.

I got my first gecko (also first reptile) a month ago, kept them on sand like the petstore said and I have had to deal with sand impaction. My little gecko died from sand impaction and it was very heart breaking. Luckily my other gecko is ok but I have switched to newspaper.

geckofactory · #**384** 07-01-2010, 03:09 AM

If you have a good hard sand clay mix, you don't need to use paper towels, even as a beginner. If you keep them on paper towels for one year, THAT can cause problems when changing the substrate. I put my offspring on that sand clay mix right after they hatch, and I have never had any problems with that.

A good idea would be to simply try out the sand clay mix, and how hard you need it, before you get a new gecko. This way you can easily learn how to mix it.

yours,
Fabrizio

matute · #**385** 07-01-2010, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geckofactory

If you have a good hard sand clay mix, you don't need to use paper towels, even as a beginner. If you keep them on paper towels for one year, THAT can cause problems when changing the substrate. I put my offspring on that sand clay mix right after they hatch, and I have never had any problems with that.

A good idea would be to simply try out the sand clay mix, and how hard you need it, before you get a new gecko. This way you can easily learn how to mix it.

yours,
Fabrizio

Amigo. I understand the part that you say to mix the sand with clay. This is hard is not it? But remember that in summer the gecko go back into the fountain to cool off, and when drinking out of wet clay and sand. And this will start to disarm and the gecko might eat a little and thus impacted.
I think from my point of view that the best substrate is coconut fiber, or paper towels

**Riverside Reptiles** · #**386** 07-01-2010, 05:28 PM

The fact of the matter is (and I've said this before in this thread) is that in the wild, leopard geckos come across tons of particulate including sand, pebbles, etc. The ground is clay, but there is also certainly a layer of sand/dust/dirt etc. Yet they somehow manage to stay alive. In general, most cases of impaction are secondary due to poor husbandry and/or illness. I think that one problem with a lot of people that use sand is that they use WAY too much sand. A thin covering is all that's needed. You don't need 6 inches deep of sand.

geckofactory · #**387** 07-01-2010, 07:00 PM

I agree with some of Riverside's arguments there, though I personally think that a bit of a thicker layer of the substrate gives you the chance to play with the scenery a bit (which can vary of course, maybe you don't like it that much)

I think most geckos that get impaction either are living on sand only, or never really get used to it right. A friend of mine once got a leopardgecko that has never seen any substrate and has only been held on paper towels, and as soon as it got to the (pretty hart) sand clay mix, it got impacted. All of the other never had any problems with it.

yours,
Fabrizio

InsanePirateDragon · #**388** 07-27-2010, 01:31 PM

Mine have been on paper towels and last month I found some lizard carpet that I switched them to.

My leo was on sand when she came to me and had a minor impaction so I switched to paper towels until she was feeling better and kind of stuck with it. But got tired of using so much on a massive tank so I tried to carpet and I love it a great deal.

Ozymandias · #**389** 07-27-2010, 01:46 PM

just a word of cation the carpet stuff can be a breading ground for parasites and get caught on the leo's toes so it not the best. alot of people use tiles because the the safety and how easy it is to clean so you might look at that option too.

InsanePirateDragon · #**390** 07-27-2010, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ozymandias

just a word of cation the carpet stuff can be a breading ground for parasites and get caught on the leo's toes so it not the best. alot of people use tiles because the the safety and how easy it is to clean so you might look at that option too.

I do clean out the tank weekly (slightly OCD about it) but I'll look into the tiles at a point.