Reptile & Amphibian Forums

wat should i do so that my geko will poop in the sand instead of rocks so that i can set down a paper towl ? i am probly going to have to clean up the rock realy good arent i ?

yes and wat else can i use instead of useing sand and paper towls for bedding ?

To get leos to poop in one spot you can try putting all of their poop from a few days onto the spot you want them to go on. As far as the rock, yes you'll have to clean it very well...I'd scrub it well with just water to get all the visible junk off...and then bake it at like 200 degrees for at least 2 hours to disinfect it (if I have the temp or length of time wrong someone please let me know!) I wouldn't recommend cleaning rocks with bleach or soap as they can absorb which would make it REALLY hard to get it all out. Unless of course you're talking about river rocks or stone like that that is non-absorbant...in that case you can wash with a 5% bleach solution as long as you rinse REALLY REALLY REALLY well. As far as substrate. I think the best and most natural choices are tile and slate. They're easy to clean, hold heat well, look good, nothing can get under them, and they're cheap.
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Christina

Leopard Gecko Morph Descriptions

2.3 leos
-0.1 tangerine het rainwater albino w/jungle background (Blinkers)

-0.2 jungles (Vahz & Skissor)

-1.0 tremper albino (Spitfire)

-1.0 tangerine rainwater albino (Bronx)

There are many different substrates this kingsnake and DR. Gecko (http://www.drgecko.com/index.html) are my gecko bible website. Dr. Gecko has a list of substrates and the pros and cons for each.

Perhaps moving the "bathroom" area is not the solution, but making the bathroom area sanitary is the way to go.

I put a piece of wax paper (roughly 4"x4" on the spot my gecko goes to poop. The wax paper keeps the turd isolated and prevents any liquids from getting soaked up into the substrate (which also prevents bacteria growth and other nasties things from happening).

Also a note on bacteria growth and sand. Sand is extremely absorptive. If your gecko pooped on the sand, then chances are alot of the urea and other waste products from the poo got absorbed into the sand in a much bigger area than you might think (think of how a drop of water spreads on a paper towel). This then gets kicked around by your gecko and gets spread to the far reaches of his tank. This is one of the reasons most VETS say not to use sand (or any particulate bedding), and rightfully so since it becomes a bacteria breeding ground if you don't change out the sand very often.

But if you use the wax paper trick, this problem should be reduced somewhat.

-Lemur 6