substrate decision

[matt_winter]

Hey everyone

I use to have my leos on eco earth but there were beetles everywhere and i thought id try something different so i bought these stick on tiles. They were slipping all over the place so then i decided to go with calcium sand. I know its not healthy for them, so SOME people say. I was just wondering what substarte should i change it to becasue even though it may not be true i am still worried. I really hate paper towels so if anyone has any good ideas for substrate, that would be great

Thanks
Matt Winter

[Tim and Julie B]

They do not live in the desert and should not be on sand! I am not being pushy, I just want to get the point across that these geckos do not live on sand. They live in arid grasslands and rocky outcroppings. The thing is, you used the wrong kind of tile. You need to buy clay or ceramic textured tiles and have them cut to the dimensions of your tank. It's fairly inexpensive and simulates the rock they would otherwise be living on. From there you can make some sturdy tile platforms for climbing and use silicone to adhere them to the movable tile floor. That way the cage furniture can't move around:D Please don't use sand. You may not see any problems with it now, but in a few years when your leos mysteriously start to loose weight and won't eat, you'll be devastated that they are impacted because of sand.

Julie

[wileycoyote]

I have had problems with sand before and even though you don't like paper towels, it is probably the best thing to keep them on till you find a substrate you like.

[LISA127]

I prefer newspaper (even uglier than paper towels), because when I use paper towels everyone (leos and bugs) get underneath it. With the newspaper, they don't seem to do that. I use eco earth in the humid hides.

[drewlowe]

If you don't like bed a beast or eco earth the next best thing (for a naturalistic enclosure)would be slate or ceramic tiles or you can even go to a masonry and get slate rocks and break them down yourself and place them in the tank.

[matt_winter]

alright thanks

[Emily-Fisher]

I used to use papertowels but man, they are so UGLY!!
Now I use ceramic tiles. If they are slipping everywhere, it probably means that they are two small. I bought two tiles for each enclosure and had them cut so that they would measure 25cm x 24.5cm and they fit in the enclosure perfectly. Not only do they look natural and pretty, but my geckos seem to love 'em too!

[lizardboy007]

I use reptibark for my guys and girls and they seem to love it