Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am going to be getting a breeding pair of leopard geckos and I was wondering what substrates should be used. I was looking into calcium sand but I was reading that the granuals are too big, and since they are calcium, it intices the gecko to eat it - further more causing impaction. If that is true then what should I use. I was looking at the carpetting but I want that to be a last resort due to its unnatural look. People were saying playsand was a good idea because of the granual size, but is this true? I need your help on which substrate to choose. I like when people base their answers on research or experience not just their thoughts! Thanks for your help!

I'll give you my experience, every leo I have kept on any kind of sand has become impacted. This includes calci-sand, repti-sand and playsand. I will never use it again. You hear of people who say they have kept their leos on it for anumber of years but those leos could still get an impaction because the sand can stick to the sides of the intestine, stopping digestion and slowley (and painfully) starving the leo. This could take many years but it is very common. So keep your leos on something they cannot eat, such as paper towel, felt, cloth, carpet, large pebbles or, the best substrate in my opinion which is slate. I use this and the leos are very happy on it, it looks great and is completely safe! A common myth is that leos live on sand in the wild. This couldn't be farther from the truth, as they live on very rocky terrain. This is why they have claws and not webbed feet, to hold on to rocks and not to stay on sand.
Hope this helps you out!
Adam

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My pic gallery

I think that paper towels might be the best because it won't cause impaction, it's easy to use, and most of all, it's cheap!
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1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Melvin)
1.0 Black Lab / Pitbull mix (Mikey)
1.0 Blue Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)

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4.5 Leopard Geckos
1.0 Marbled Gecko
1.1 Red Eared Sliders
0.2 Siamese Mice

hehe yeah that's true
but you have to go through all that disinfecting.. lol
i'm one of the laziest people in the world and i'd stick with paper towels hehee

aimee
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1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Melvin)
1.0 Black Lab / Pitbull mix (Mikey)
1.0 Blue Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)

where do u get slate for free?

where do u get slate for free, forgot to erase n/p