Textured slate or flat slate?

[Dr. Turtles]

I'm going to be getting a leopard gecko, and so far I have a 18x18x18 Exo Terra cage. I'm thinking of creating a "second floor" for the cage, and I was think of using regular, flat slate, however i'm worried the leopard gecko might slip.

So, should I use textured or flat slate?

 

[Yuk]

I personally haven't had any issues with my gecko slipping on his slate tile, which is completely flat, however, there was a member having slipping issues because the gecko had some bad sheds on the toes and the feet were injured, I think. There should be a thread about it either on this subforum or possibly the housing/husbandry subforum.

 

[cricket4u]

I'm going to be getting a leopard gecko, and so far I have a 18x18x18 Exo Terra cage. I'm thinking of creating a "second floor" for the cage, and I was think of using regular, flat slate, however i'm worried the leopard gecko might slip.

So, should I use textured or flat slate?

Hello,

The 18 x18 x18 is much too small for a proper temp gradient. You will need something much longer. I'd suggest the Exo terra 36” x 18” x 12” (WxDxH) minimum.

 

[Completeleopard]

Hello,

Here is some information from Elizabeth's care sheet!

Textured tiles make excellent, risk-free substrates. They conduct heat well from an under tank heat mat. They are attractive, permanent, and inexpensive.

Either ceramic, porcelain, or slate tiles (Hampshire 12 in. x 12 in. Gauged Slate Floor & Wall Tile-SHAM1212 at The Home Depot), paper towels, or brown paper kitchen roll are good substrates for a leopard gecko. If you choose paper towels, the safest route is to contain all food for your leo in a feeding dish!

Avoid vinyl tiles, with or without adhesive backing, because of the chemical issues created by off gassing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) when heated.

Slate tiles should to be sealed with a food grade sealant so that they will NOT absorb gecko urine or feces. If you do not wish to seal the slate, then have several extra sections so that you can remove a few and sterilize them with a bleach solution. While the bleach is off gassing, replace the missing sections with different pieces.

Make sure your slate is the thickness of "standard" floor tile or kitchen tile. If the slate is too thick it will interfere with heating from your UTH.

Some Lowe's Home Improvement stores WILL trim tiles free or for a small fee.

 

[Dr. Turtles]

Hello,

The 18 x18 x18 is much too small for a proper temp gradient. You will need something much longer. I'd suggest the Exo terra 36” x 18” x 12” (WxDxH) minimum.

That's a 30 gallon long tank. keep in mind I'm only going to be keeping one leo. personally I'd be worried about the leo getting lost or not being able to get to the hot or cold side quickly enough. also, I'm probably going to be building something similar to this:

 

[cricket4u]

Yes, I understood clearly. You said a leo. The gallons really only matter if you're adding water for something like fish or turtle. 18 inches across will not allow a proper temp gradient. You want to provide adequate horizontal space for a terrestrial lizard.

The setup above will not allow zones for activity. A second level is great in addition to horizontal space. I'm just giving you the advice to benefit your leo based on their behavior and my experience observing them. It may work equally in our human mind, but they do not think or act the way we do. I've tried many setups over the years, therefore I'm sharing what conditions they have thrived in the most. What you decide in the end is up to you of course.

 

[Yuk]

I also agree that a 36 inch minimum length for a gecko is a steep minimum. I lean towards a 20-30 inch minimum, just based on the temps I get. A 10 gallon (or 20 inch length) has been fine for my juvenile, but I don't plan to house him as an adult there (though if I had to, I think he'd do fine there, honestly). An 18 inch length seems a little bit short... I'm just thinking of the floor space and how you would fit everything you need to where it needs to go with enough room for the gecko to spread out in that area. I have -just- enough room with 20 inches, and I know 2 inches sounds silly, but it makes a difference when you consider fitting in the water/poop area/food dish/calcium dish/possibly a plant/decor. You could probably pull it off, but it might take some tetris arranging skills lol

What you could do, since you are having two levels anyway, is use a UTH that makes the bottom hotter, like a gradient of mid 90's to mid 80's, then the second level have a UTH that provides mid 80's to low 70's. That way you get a great gradient and the top level will probably be used more frequently than if it didn't have a UTH under the slate/tile.

 

[JIMI]

Assessing Reptile Welfare Using Behavioural Criteria
Journal of the British Veterinary Association...March 2013

Spatial considerations
"Many reptiles are mistakenly and inhumanely kept in small cages due to erroneous advice handed down from one pet trader, hobbyist or ill-informed keeper to another. Common false understandings are that many reptiles ‘feel safer’ in small environments and that they are naturally ‘sedentary and don’t need space'. This rationale may suit the convenience of those seeking to promote reptiles as a ‘cage pet’, but it is scientifically and ethically wrong.

While reptiles, like other animals, require shelter to which they can voluntarily withdraw, the key elements are that the animal seeks a ‘hiding place’ when it senses the need for it and it does this voluntarily. Imposing a confined space on an animal is biologically equivalent to trapping it.

Home range studies of reptiles have frequently shown them to be highly active and that they travel either within local ranges of several hundreds of square meters or indefinite ranges measured in hundreds or thousands of kilometres. For example, arboreal monitors have been documented moving daily ranges greater than 186 m, home ranges for some skink lizards are 1 ha, box turtles 40 ha, indigo snakes 158 ha, and for sea turtles, travel can be measured in the thousands of kilometres.

Small species and juveniles commonly utilize as much, and sometimes more, total space than large species and adults. Smaller forms are often insectivorous and these may need to feed more frequently than larger forms and also require a great deal of activity to track and catch their highly active prey.

Regardless of these differences, all reptiles are active, including species such as pythons that are popularly, but wrongly, perceived as sedentary. Some species, in particular large carnivores such as monitor lizards and pythons, may adopt brief sedentary periods following consumption of large meals, but this is a transient phase and not one that should be used to judge an animal's general activity pattern or spatial needs."

Your leo will not get lost, trust us!;-) They appreciate more space so really the bigger the better. You will eventually begin experiencing issues due to its size (possibly medical), so fixing this now before you get your leo will be less of a hassle and it will save you a ton of money in the long run.

 

[cricket4u]

A juvenile should actually be provided with just as much space or more than an adult because they are more active. I posted a Code of practice link and another article with this information somewhere in this forum Yuk.

Here's more:

Minimum Habitat Requirements - Colorado Reptile Humane Society

30 gallon Breeder 36" x 18" x 12"

Recommended 55 gallons

Just noticed your post JIMI, thank you.

 

[Yuk]

Way off topic at this point, but I'll agree to disagree. In my mind a "minimum" means the absolute minimum and it really depends on the placement of the hides and where you put the UTH etc. My two juveniles have plenty of room in their 20 long, in my opinion. I don't think it's a matter of getting lost. It's a matter of having enough mental stimulation, privacy and comfort. I do consider a 10 gallon a minimum, because while my gecko is healthy and happy in his area, it's pretty basic. He has enough room for what he needs, he can get comfortable, but it's certainly not a long term solution that I personally am happy with. There's a difference between a minimum and best practice. Many people have geckos thriving in 10 gallon tanks, but not smaller than that. A 5 gallon is too small to be a minimum for instance. It may not be what we would personally recommend to someone, but that's not the point of a minimum. That's all I'm going to say to avoid completely derailing this thread.

 

[Dr. Turtles]

I'm going to stop replying to this thread now, as it is going way off topic. Currently I have neither the space or money to upgrade. Perhaps if I downgrade my aquarium to a desktop aquaruim, I may be able to upgrade to a 24x18x12 tank. I'll take all of your suggestions into consideration.

 

[JIMI]

Sorry about all of this. It is really done with the best interest of the geckos. If you are willing to, do some research on gargoyle and crested geckos. I believe an 18 x 18 x 18 is the minimum for a gargoyle gecko, but you'd have to look into it. They all have needs that must be met, but in my opinion their care is a bit more simplistic than that of a leopard gecko. Good luck