Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, after 6 months on sand, without any problems, I've just decided that I just don't like the look. I'd like to have something that I can make look "natural" or realistic, so paper towels and repti-carpet are out. Any other ideas? I've tried adobe tiles, but they don't hold the heat like I want them to, so I'm stuck. Any other ideas?

Jeff
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1.4.0 Nannar, Abbie, Aspen, Sigma and Raleigh
0.0.1 Ball Python Ernest

I've been using a mix of natural calcium carbonate sand and Bed-A-Beast. I pack it down and let it dry out and my two leos seem to love it because of how they can dig in it and it stays. I like the color contrast and it's much lighter than using sand alone. I would definitely feed in a dish, though, because this stuff (although packed down) will stick to anything that's moist. Another good thing about it is that I can put the heat pad an inch or so down into the substrate and it stays there. In sand it used to move around.
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Got hips like Cinderella / Must be having a good shame / Talking sweet about nothing / Cookie I think you're Tame

Who makes Bed-A-Beast?

Jeff
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1.4.0 Nannar, Abbie, Aspen, Sigma and Raleigh
0.0.1 Ball Python Ernest

Bed-A-Beast is the brand, I don't remember who makes it. Forest Bed and Eco-Earth is the same thing, basically, and it's ground up coconut husk fiber. It's got a similar consistency to soil and is supposed to pass through the body of animals very easily. It comes in a hard brick that you put in water to expand it, and then you can squeeze the water out to get it to whatever amount of moisture you want in it.
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Got hips like Cinderella / Must be having a good shame / Talking sweet about nothing / Cookie I think you're Tame

Do you have your heat pad in the tank? Is it a reptile under tank heater or just a human heating pad?

I've been frustrated with the amount of heat being lost under the tank by the heater. So i've spent the last month trying to figure out how to put it in the tank without the risk of my geckos getting to close to the elements. I found that a frame with the appropriate type of glass, raised and then vented works to make the heater portable so it can be moved from tank to tank. I'm going to start testing the temps later this week. I'm covering the frame in ceramic tiles too. I just want to see if the ambient temps can be raised this way and a portable unit saves on cost when upgrading to new tanks. It sucks that the warmth is only where the elements are and the 10-20 rated UTH's are only 6X8 inches so thats not alot of area to keep warm especially with the humid hide over it. Its just an idea i have so i don't know if it will work out.

Red
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Crested Gecko Zeek:1.0
LEOS: Boo: 1.0 normal , Bronx & Nala: 1.1 blizzard,
Lily: 0.1 patternless, Abby: 0.1 albino, Zoe: 0.1 reduced pattern, Dot: 0.1 hypo
Chip: 1.0 papillion (small dog)

Yeah, my heat pad is buried in the substrate, inside of the tank, and is a regular, reptile type. It stays in place and I bury it deep enough for the temperature to be just where I want it at the surface. The humid hide and surrounding substrate stays warm, and just beyond the pad it gets cooler fast because there is no glass for the heat to travel along. I don't have to worry about glass cracking, but I can't move the heat pad from tank to tank without a mission.
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Got hips like Cinderella / Must be having a good shame / Talking sweet about nothing / Cookie I think you're Tame