Reptile & Amphibian Forums

well ive been thinking about changing my substrate, the pet store where i bought my gecko said i should use turf when i got him but now that i read more i find that no one uses it much and im afraid it may be too abraisive on his underside. i know that paper towels are probably the cheapest, but thats not too much of an issue, i really want to do what is best for my gecko. i have seen tile and it looks very nice in my own opinion but i dont know how to install it i guess. do you just lay the tiles in and put sand in the cracks? or do you glue down the tiles and then fill in the cracks. and with tile how do you clean up the tank? well any hints or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

I use tile in my tanks and I think its great. It's easy to clean, inexpensive, and looks good too. I just lay it in the tank, no glue, no sand, just plain tile. I use a peice of paper towel in the corner where my leos poop so spot cleaning is a breeze. To clean I just take out the tile and clean it with hot water and antibacterial dish soap.
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Emily

1.2 SHTCT (Gus, Baby & Gizmo)
.1 Tangerine (Ziggy)
1.1 Patternless (Zander & Daisy)
.3 Hypo High Yellow (Zoe, Dini, & Munch)
1. Normal (Nelson)
.1 ???? (Unnamed)
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 01-07-05**

hey thanks, i think tile looks great too, and its what i am seriously considering, i was just wondering do i just push the tiles close together and leave no cracks in it and then just put like a paper towel in the cool end where he goes to the bathroom, or should i put tile there too and the paper towel on top of it? also i had a quick question, if i have been dusting my geckos food with calcium can i convert to a calcium dish or will he not figure that out?

For the tile question: you can set it up either way you prefer. I cover the bottom with tile and just put a folder piece of paper towel over the tile itself in the one little corner, but either way would work.

For the calcium question: leopard geckos will readily lick the calcium out of the dish. They use their tounge to taste the air (do lizards have a Jakobson's organ or is that just snake, I forget?)so your leo should be able to find it. If you are concerend though, try leaving the dish in the tank and keep dusting the food until you know for sure your leo is eating the calcium on your own. that's what I did with my little guys. They only lick it out of the dish when they need it so overdosing shouldn't be a problem.

I hope this helps!
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Emily

1.2 SHTCT (Gus, Baby & Gizmo)
.1 Tangerine (Ziggy)
1.1 Patternless (Zander & Daisy)
.3 Hypo High Yellow (Zoe, Dini, & Munch)
1. Normal (Nelson)
.1 ???? (Unnamed)
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 01-07-05**

I have slate in my bearded tank. If your leo tank is something like 24 x 12 x anything then just buy 2 pieces of slate that are 12 x 12, and then chisel a little off the edges to easily take the pieces in and out of your tank, and just soak them off.