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Substrate, what about the substrate?

W

whitefire50

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Hello. I had a quick question about substrate. Right now I am using the REPTI CARPET. It works great but I would like to know my options if I wanted to go after something a little more authentico.

Sand is bad, or isn't it?

I have seen alot of pix of gecks with bark, moss substrate. Is that cool?

And I think we all know about tile, lenolium, and paper towels.

I know that it really isn't a big deal and I should be happy with my carpet, but I would just like to know my options.

Thanks again guys, you are the best. My geckos would probably be dead by now if it wasn't for this forum.
:deadhorse
 
Some people believe sand is bad. I myself used washed kids playsand on my adults for several years, and had no problems. Anyway, most people do not recommend it, and the sand debate has been argued so many times here... I am sure if you do a search for "sand" in the Leo Forum you can read lots more info on that :)

Bark is not good as the pieces are large enough to cause serious trouble if they are accidentally ingested by the gecko. I would worry about that with moss as well.

I use paper towel, and recommend it to others. To those that want a more "naturalistic" look, I would recommend slate tile/flat rocks such as limestone.
 
HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!
Those are some of the worst pictures that I have ever seen. I think that the question of bark or sand has been answered.

:ack2:
 
The only substrate I use is paper towels in the humid hides, the rest of the rack bins have no substrate, I find it saves alot of time and money.
 
Keli-I agree with you about the washed play sand and I have housed a pair of Leos on washed play sand for their entire lives-they were around 11 at last count
I have raised less starting out a little older than hatchlings on play sand-before I read the great "sand debates" online and they are still with me with no problems-although they are on paper towels now-LOL
I just don't bother recommending it anymore because get alot of flack on some forums and I would really rather be safe than sorry at this point
As we all know every substrate has it's risk-I just read a post the other day from a person that said their Leo had gotten a hold of a chunk of paper towel with a cricket and she pulled it out of his mouth
Now whether that Leo would have choked on it or spit it out or it would have just dissolved in it's digestive tract is not know but i am sure that i would have had the same reaction as this person did-try and get it out of the Leos mouth
I posted the link to the calci-sand because so many pet shops still push it on anyone looking at/buying reptiles and these are usually first time reptile keepers that end up coming to a forum and finding out what garbage that it is and end up tossing $30 or $40 bucks worth of calci-sand or vita-sand or whatever they are labeling it these days
I have even seem "Glow In the Dark" Calci-Sand-<shudders at the thought>
Sandy
 
Xavier said:
The only substrate I use is paper towels in the humid hides, the rest of the rack bins have no substrate, I find it saves alot of time and money.
Click to expand...
I'm a bare bottom bin believer too. :)
 
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