Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i currently have my one leo on calci sand in a 20 gallon tank. I was wondering if anyone knows wat substrate to change to. One question I have is does tiles let heating pad heat to be felt? Also, the substrate has to be somewat cheap as I am on a tight budget.

Yes, the heat will come through the tiles with no problem. You can get the ceramic/slate tiles, 12" x 12", at any home improvement store for as little as $1.50/ea, catch a sale like I did & get then even cheaper LOL You can also use plain old paper towels, repti-carpet (about $5.00-$6.00 for a 20 gal tank), you can even use newspaper if you leave it sit for about 2 weeks to make sure the ink is good & dried out. Good Luck

Oh yeah, you need to get it off the sand for sure. Some good substrates to use are repti-carpet, non-adhesive shelf liner, tile, and paper towel.
The tile should still let the UTH warm the tank since it holds heat but I wouldn't know for sure since I personally use the shelf liner.
Repti-carpet is what I used before but I had a problem with my newest leo getting his teeth caught on it when he went hunting. Hope I've helped.
- Rien

I had tried shelf liner in my gecko tanks, but started smelling this wierd chemical smell coming from it. It also started getting kind of soft and mushy over the heat pad. I took it out after having it in for about an hour. I am paranoid about that stuff. I just wanted your input on how it has worked for you.
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7 Leos
Milo(my adult male) Mongo, Raptor,and Spaz
Popeye and Boo(named after Monster's Inc. Character)sex unknown, but I am pretty sure they are females.
Pumpkin the Patternless (he's a boy too.)

1 Female Sandfire X Blood Aboriginie Red Bearded Dragon. Tequila Sunrise, Tequila for short

1 dog
Baby (Peekapoo)

2 Cats
Mr. Kitty and Shelly (my adopted senior citizen. She's 14!)

I lost my baby blizzard before I even picked out a name. May he/she Rest in Peace