Reptile & Amphibian Forums

just wondering..might get a new leopard gecko and i want to experiment wit astroturf...my friend told me it was good wit skinks but i dont know for leos...let me know..thanx

and if not what other stuff can i use? stand?wood chips? what?

1love
al

Astro-Turf is just fine. I use it with my leo after using paper towel, sand, ect. It's my favorite of the substrates I've used.

I have had no problems with it because there is nothing it can ingest with this as a substrate.
-----
1.0 Leo Gecko's *Astrid* - was told he was a her at first
0.0.1 Pictus Gecko *Raine* - too young to sex
1.1 Hollond Lop Bunnies *Panda, Oreo*

Hi al,

I haven’t used it myself, but I understand Astroturf works well for some people. It’s pretty cheep and can be cleaned in a washing machine.

I use slate in most of my large tanks, and newspaper in the racks. The slate is really attractive and is available in most home improvement stores. I put a piece of paper towel in the bathroom corner, and change it every few days. The slate should be thoroughly cleaned at least twice a year.

I would stay away from any granular substrate like sand, shavings, or cob pieces because your gecko can eat them and cause him/her to become impacted.

DaveCable

Do you have a pic of your setup? I'd like to see what the slate looks like.
-----
Check Out My Albums

1.0 Ball Python
"Aragorn"

1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa
"Gimli"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

I'll get some updated pictures up in a day or two, so keep your eye on the fourm. But untill then here is an old pic:

Do your leos use the hammocks?
-----
Check Out My Albums

1.0 Ball Python
"Aragorn"

1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa
"Gimli"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

Yes, mostly at night and during the summer. During the winter they stay close the heated area of the cage. I think the hammocks make them feel more comfortable, kind of like they are hiding under a bush in the wild.

here is astro turf...

-----
1.0 Leo Gecko's *Astrid* - was told he was a her at first
0.0.1 Pictus Gecko *Raine* - too young to sex
1.1 Hollond Lop Bunnies *Panda, Oreo*

How often do you change out pieces of astro-turf?
Is reptile carpet okay? In particular the Lizard Liner (it's a green felt carpet)?
-----
Check Out My Albums

1.0 Ball Python
"Aragorn"

1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa
"Gimli"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

for the most part you can just take the astro turf out and shake it off. if it's really dirty rinse it with warm water and let it dry. my leo actually uses his humid hide as a bathroom so there is not really any mess for me.
it's cheap to.. go astro turf. if you buy repti liner it will cost a lot more than going to a home improvement store. i think i paid like 5 bucks for enough to fill two tanks. a 20 gal and a 10 gal.
-----
1.0 Leo Gecko's *Astrid* - was told he was a her at first
0.0.1 Pictus Gecko *Raine* - too young to sex
1.1 Hollond Lop Bunnies *Panda, Oreo*

I used it for a while, but i found that it held the smell even with the paper towel over top where the bathroom was. Also when you do wash it the colour fades.

The only place i use it now is on my portable under tank heater. I got sick and tired of buying more and more of them at $30 a pad. One of these days i'll post pics and an explanation of how i did it.

Red

>>How often do you change out pieces of astro-turf?
>>Is reptile carpet okay? In particular the Lizard Liner (it's a green felt carpet)?
>>-----
>> Check Out My Albums
>>
>>1.0 Ball Python
>>"Aragorn"
>>
>>1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa
>>"Gimli"
>>
>>0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
>>"Kira"
-----
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)

$30 a pad - I don't blame you. But I get it for $5 a piece for a 30 gallon breeder. I use it for my snakes, but I wasn't sure how it would work with a leos toes - meaning would they snag or anything. My snakes pieces don't seem to have loose pieces that would snag. Every week I take a the piece out, clean (hot soapy water), disinfect (soak in Nolvasan/Virosan) and dry until the next week. I keep a clean piece on hand to replace the dirty one as soon as I take it out. I've been doing this for 5 months now and so far no color loss. I'll give astroturf a thought as well.

How often do Leos defecate/urinate?

Thanks.
-----
Check Out My Albums

1.0 Ball Python
"Aragorn"

1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa
"Gimli"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

See, i just put mine in the wash LOL. I never had trouble with my leos getting their nails caught in it and i did like it but the leo that used it was very messy, spilling calcium powder all over etc. I prefer using tiles....

I dont' know about anyone elses geckos but mine seem to like the feel of it. Since its over the UTH and is always warm i find most of them there. Even though theres 2 other heat pads on it the tile is over them and i don't think they like the feel as much as the carpet (they will lay in those other spots though). Bronx always had paper towels under his hides and when i moved him to the lager tank i didn't put in the papertowels there, just in the poop spot. He stayed on the cool side on the PT for the longest time until i put them back under his hide.....so i think they do like the softness.

As for pooping.......(here we go again LOL)...... optimum bowel health is to relieve oneself after every meal. This is by no means the standard we all live up to however.......LOL While Boo is only pooping out the white urate (he's not eating right now, but drinking like a horse LOL) Dot who'll eat like a pig poops every day. Now that all the girls are in one tank its harder to tell whose poop is whose HEHEHE, but they have all gotten it into their head that the right side of the tank is the place to do it (some at the back others at the front). My task now is to convince them that one spot is ok for all LOL.

Red

>>$30 a pad - I don't blame you. But I get it for $5 a piece for a 30 gallon breeder. I use it for my snakes, but I wasn't sure how it would work with a leos toes - meaning would they snag or anything. My snakes pieces don't seem to have loose pieces that would snag. Every week I take a the piece out, clean (hot soapy water), disinfect (soak in Nolvasan/Virosan) and dry until the next week. I keep a clean piece on hand to replace the dirty one as soon as I take it out. I've been doing this for 5 months now and so far no color loss. I'll give astroturf a thought as well.
>>
>>How often do Leos defecate/urinate?
>>
>>Thanks.
>>-----
>> Check Out My Albums
>>
>>1.0 Ball Python
>>"Aragorn"
>>
>>1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa
>>"Gimli"
>>
>>0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
>>"Kira"
-----
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)

So you actually wash your Lizard Liner in the machine? If so, maybe that's the difference as to why mine doesn't fade.

Well, I think I've narrowed it to using the Lizard Liner, disposable liners, tile or astroturf.

Thanks for all the info/help.
-----
Check Out My Albums

1.0 Ball Python
"Aragorn"

1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa
"Gimli"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"