Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all,
I was wondering,... what is the most natural subtrate for a leopard gecko tank? Tiles? Sand?

I'm currently using white paper towel, which i know is probably the best substrate, but I'd like to use something that a leo would live on in the wild.

And for the record, I feed my leo in a seperate tank so a substarte such as sand would be no problem.

Thanks for the input,
Steven
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Steven ,

and flock;
-1.1 Cockatiels(Buddy and Jake)
-1.1 Budgies(Chipy and Peaches)
-1.0 Orange cheeked waxbill

And slime/scales;
-1.0 Firebellied toad
-1.0 Japanese firebellied newt
-1.0 Leopard gecko
-4 leopard frog tadpoles

Fish, feeders and other wriggly things!

Pure sand isn't really a natural substrate for leos. They come from the dessert but it's more of the rocky sandstone type. For a really natural set up you could try some type of sandstone (I think some petstore sell the fake kind) or use a more textured tile with a very thin layer of vitamin sand, At least that's what I would do.

Emily
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2.4.11 leopard geckos (Nelson, Zander, Zoe, Baby, Houdini, Munch, & lots of babies)
1.1 ferrets (Oliver and Delilah)
1. budgie (Max)
0.0.1 Ring neck Parakeet (Kiwi)
1.1 German Shepards (Jake and Abigail)

The Spotted Gecko
**Updated 9-21-04**

The sand could still cause problems. If you use sand you need to make sure you have a calcium dish available or they'll eat the sand in search of calcium.

good lookin out Spot012!

Emily
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2.4.2 leopard geckos (Nelson, Zander, Zoe, Baby, Houdini, Munch, Gizmo & Zig Zag)
1.1 ferrets (Oliver and Delilah)
1. budgie (Max)
0.0.1 Ring neck Parakeet (Kiwi)
1.1 German Shepards (Jake and Abigail)

The Spotted Gecko
**Updated 9-21-04**

I think rocky outcroppings with fineFINE sand that's not available here would be most natual

Hill has a really nice set up where he broke pieces of slate-like tile and filled in the gaps with sand and other decorations.
I use tile as well, tile is very safe and easy to use. Try looking for natural "rocky" looking tiles.
Its really up to you and your creativity

i just got done designing a whole flooring/substrate for my leo it was cake and it actually made her less stressed b/c i created a "tunnel" dwelling area that she hides most of the day but the actual flooring/substrate is rocky looking w/ many different levels she can roam all over. this is what i did if your interest but (keep in mind i have a 65 gallon tank vertical, so it's 2ft deep, 2ft wide big square area)

Materials:
4' insulation styrofoam u can pick up in any homedepot
paint thinner
concrete/mortor mix
spray paint (Rocky sandy stuff for decorations) dude i forgot what its called
non toxic clear coat

u can probably figure out how to do it since thats the order i did it in but the only down side is how long it takes to cure w/o fumes and all but once it's finished it looks so awesome and theres no problems w/ anything easy to clean and all, i'll get a pic soon