Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Opinions seem to shift often on here so I'm just curious to know what everyone is using and why.
Last time I was on here (which was at least two years ago), the main substrate people were bragging about was tile. Now, I see no mention of it anywhere. Things changed?

The 3 I know of so far are fine-grain sand, paper towel, and tile.

I plan on getting 2 leos from the Urban Gecko and have everything set up except for the substrate.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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1.1.17 Mali Uromastyx (Ra, Isis) & eggs
1.1 Satanic Leaf-tail Gecko (R.I.P. Diablo and Samael)
2.0 Tabby cats (Cloud, Magus)

Paper towels have always been my preference - as near to zero impaction risk as possible, easy to clean, and if you get the plain white ones, IMO they actually look pretty nice too. I have no objection to those who use tile, but it seems like it'd be a bit more work to clean, and in the short term at least, more expensive. (Obviously you only have to buy tile once, whereas paper towels are a continuing expense, albeit a very small one.)

As for sand, I will never put a leopard gecko on sand; I know there are plenty of people who think it's fine, but I'm not one of them. Why risk impaction? Fist and foremost, the substrate needs to be SAFE. Looks are secondary.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

I use fine grain sand. It works well with my geckos and I have never had a problem with it. I have tried paper towels and I didnt like it that much. I just scoop the poop out of the cage and reuse the sand, very easy.

we built our own enclosures and used the vinyl sticky tile on the walls/floors.You can find them at most home improvement stores and they come in many styles and colors, so you can pick what you like. YOu can buy them singly and they are only a dollar or two a piece. They are long-lasting and are SUPER easy to clean(I just use a unscented baby wipe to quickly remove waste)hope this helps!!

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1.0 bearded dragon "Ifrit"
0.1 leopard gecko "Lucy"
0.0.1 frog eyed gecko "Nikki"
1.0 crested gecko "Strider"
1.2 cats "Cali,Kami,Greg"
1.0 rabbit "Pippin"
1.0 cockatiel "Monty"
0.1 siberian husky "Sierra"
0.1 hamster "Lady"
lots of fish

I absolutely love that idea!

I've been away from reptiles for 7 years...

About to get back into it. Not using glass tanks. ONLY using rack sytems and possibly a few display enclosures.

I am mostly getting into small boids for breeding..

but I want to get a few pairs of Leopard geckos, super high tangs and possibly a blizzard lizard pair.

Also, amel fat tail geckos.

I am sparing NO expense on this time around. But I really love the tile idea. Looks great and is easy to cut i'm sure right?

I'll be around here a lot soon. Definitely going to get back into breeding.

Going 100% professional this time. No glass tanks and junk all over the place. Just state of the art thermostats and set ups.

Anyone else use racks?

I'm glad you liked the idea yes it is easy to cut,we just used an exacto knife to score it and then bent it. All around best stuff IMO. Good luck on your up-coming projects!!
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1.0 bearded dragon "Ifrit"
0.1 leopard gecko "Lucy"
0.0.1 frog eyed gecko "Nikki"
1.0 crested gecko "Strider"
1.2 cats "Cali,Kami,Greg"
1.0 rabbit "Pippin"
1.0 cockatiel "Monty"
0.1 siberian husky "Sierra"
0.1 hamster "Lady"
lots of fish

I cut out a welcome mat I bought at Wal-Mart for $3. Cut to fit. I have had these in my tanks for about 3 years now, without a single problem. They look handsome too!