Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Tried to get vermiculite and our Home Depot and Lowes said its not available anymore because it causes cancer??!! Is Perilite OK? We tried moss and they geckos did not like it.They dug it out of their hide 3 days in a row.I finally gave up and put in papertowels.But they dry out to fast.Any suggestions?

What the?
how so? Man if that's true there should me MANY more deformed hatchlings then.
You sure you asked for the right thing, or they know what you wanted? Its in the gardening section...

Just a little alarmed

Were they refering to this problem that belongs to the past?

Vermiculite is a mica-like mineral that expands into a porous, absorbent material when heated. Large amounts of it are used as insulation for homes, as packing material, and as a soil additive. Because of its light weight and ability to absorb water and nutrients, it makes an excellent potting mix or soil additive.
For many years, most of the world's supply of vermiculite was mined near Libby, Montana. This mine was contaminated with asbestos, a potent carcinogen. As a result, as many as 35 million homes in the United States are insulated with contaminated material. The Libby mine closed in 1990. Current sources of vermiculite have no asbestos contaminants or only barely detectable traces.

Yah i read elsewhere that there's asbestos...
even if your post is correct i guess there's no point to risk it.

I agree, if the change in eating habits happened about the same time as adding a new gecko, then they may be related.
However, our leo had a similar change, and she is caged alone. She was eating every other day for about a year after she was grown, then it just slowed down. That's been about 6 months ago. She still eats a couple of crickets maybe twice a week. She still has a fat tail, and she still seems to want to get out and explore more. But, since she appears healthy, we quit worrying about the eating habits.