Good Leo Gecko Tank?
- Thread starter Pazzoman
- Start date
whatever you use as asubstratre make sure its not loose...sand and walnut shells are horrible and can be ingested but not digested by your gecko...ceramic tile immitates their natural habitat while looking better in your tank and being alot easier to clean....also paper towels a perfect
For a hide for my leos, I gave them a rock of some sorts, It used to be a hide for my catfish until I had to get rid of them, Its a bit abrasive so it helps with shedding and they love to crawl in and out of it. Also you could try tile for a floor to help maintain decent heat, I like the looks of tile.
Hey Guys, thanks for the info. I will most likey be going to the expo in november as I have work tomorrow suddenly (Sucks working and your boss is your uncle). At least I can save money and prepare for a gecko. So instead of me spending a lot of money in one day I'll break it up lol till the day of the expo.
Now I must go through vids of leo tanks lol
Now I must go through vids of leo tanks lol
Really..What region is that? Been in plenty of Dry Humid Locations but I have never seen an area covered in Ceramic Tile
I spent $40 on a 40 Gallon Breeder during a $1 per gallon sale at Petco .
Here is my Leopard Gecko
I need to do some changes because her cage does not look as good as the Frog Eyed Geckos 20 Gallon Long I got for $20 at Petco's $1 per gallon Sale also.
Leopards and other Geckos from Arid Dry regions love to dig...Natural Habits which can not be done on Ceramic Tile and Paper Towels in no way imitate Natural
The Substrate in the leopard Gecko tank is Crushed Paver Rock for substrate under pathways.
The Substrate in the Frog Eyed Geckos is Play Sand.
I believe what that post meant was that, if chosen well, tile can appear very natural in its appearance and coloration, mimicking natural substrates. Most reports on wild leopard geckos say that they commonly live in areas with packed clay substrate, and that they actually avoid loose sandy soil. Regardless of whether a person chooses to use sand or not, one has to admit that there is an increased risk for intestinal impaction on loose substrates, particularly for younger leos. Some people choose to take that risk, some people choose to avoid it. It's a personal choice.
BEst I can find out..And again based on peoples observations of these Regions..There is a lot of loose sand, clay particles. Cut and pasted from several sources
"The native habitat of the leopard gecko is the rocky, dry grassland and desert regions of south-Asian Afghanistan, Pakistan, north-west India, and parts of Iran. Winter temperatures in these areas can be quite low, below 10 °C (50 °F), forcing the animals underground into semi-hibernation, called brumation, living on fat reserves. As nocturnal creatures, they spend the day hidden under rocks or in burrows to escape the daytime heat and emerge at dusk to feed by hunting insects."
While ceramic tiles may look color wise similar to sand..it does not have dimension and will not allow a leopard to dig.
"The native habitat of the leopard gecko is the rocky, dry grassland and desert regions of south-Asian Afghanistan, Pakistan, north-west India, and parts of Iran. Winter temperatures in these areas can be quite low, below 10 °C (50 °F), forcing the animals underground into semi-hibernation, called brumation, living on fat reserves. As nocturnal creatures, they spend the day hidden under rocks or in burrows to escape the daytime heat and emerge at dusk to feed by hunting insects."
While ceramic tiles may look color wise similar to sand..it does not have dimension and will not allow a leopard to dig.
Here's what I found in The Herpetoculture of Leopard Geckos:
"From the few published reports, leopard geckos occur in areas of clay soils with or without some surface sand, or with alluvial soils... as well as from rocky areas. One report noted leopard geckos avoided sandy soils... The question of what substrate to use is one of the most common on leopard gecko Internet forums. A concern is the risk of impaction from consuming substrate... Some commercial breeders use limestone sand in their setups to provide their colonies with calcium, and this practice was the inspiration for the calcium sands now offered commercially. However, these commercial calcium sands and other kinds of sand have been blamed for causing a small percentage of leopard geckos to suffer from substrate impaction... It is a good idea to closely watch new arrivals [to make sure they don't ingest it]. In general the risks of impaction are greater for smaller leopard geckos than for larger ones, so a general recommendation is to keep leopard geckos under five inches on newspaper, paper towels, or on solid surfaces such as a bare tank floor or tile. That is the safe course and highly recommended if one is raising expensive morphs for breeding purposes. That being said, the majority of leopard geckos at all stages of life will fare well on small grade natural substrates, which are the only choice for those interested in naturalistic displays. As a general rule, offering a dish/lid with calcium carbonate or calcium/D3 powder and placing mealworms [or other live foods] in feeding dishes will significantly reduce the risks of substrate impaction. ... In most cases, the actual causes of impaction are the grade/size of the substrate particles and over-ingestion of the substrate [due to the animal seeking out calcium sources]."
Whew that was a lot to type. As you can see, there are arguments both for and against using sand. The authors also mentioned that you need to provide an overhead heating source if you use any more than a thin layer of sand, as undertank heaters will be effective. For my two boys, I'll continue to stick with tile. They choose to taste *everything* as they walk around their tanks. I've seen firsthand several cases of intestinal impaction in reptiles at work. I'm terrified to risk it with my boys.
"From the few published reports, leopard geckos occur in areas of clay soils with or without some surface sand, or with alluvial soils... as well as from rocky areas. One report noted leopard geckos avoided sandy soils... The question of what substrate to use is one of the most common on leopard gecko Internet forums. A concern is the risk of impaction from consuming substrate... Some commercial breeders use limestone sand in their setups to provide their colonies with calcium, and this practice was the inspiration for the calcium sands now offered commercially. However, these commercial calcium sands and other kinds of sand have been blamed for causing a small percentage of leopard geckos to suffer from substrate impaction... It is a good idea to closely watch new arrivals [to make sure they don't ingest it]. In general the risks of impaction are greater for smaller leopard geckos than for larger ones, so a general recommendation is to keep leopard geckos under five inches on newspaper, paper towels, or on solid surfaces such as a bare tank floor or tile. That is the safe course and highly recommended if one is raising expensive morphs for breeding purposes. That being said, the majority of leopard geckos at all stages of life will fare well on small grade natural substrates, which are the only choice for those interested in naturalistic displays. As a general rule, offering a dish/lid with calcium carbonate or calcium/D3 powder and placing mealworms [or other live foods] in feeding dishes will significantly reduce the risks of substrate impaction. ... In most cases, the actual causes of impaction are the grade/size of the substrate particles and over-ingestion of the substrate [due to the animal seeking out calcium sources]."
Whew that was a lot to type. As you can see, there are arguments both for and against using sand. The authors also mentioned that you need to provide an overhead heating source if you use any more than a thin layer of sand, as undertank heaters will be effective. For my two boys, I'll continue to stick with tile. They choose to taste *everything* as they walk around their tanks. I've seen firsthand several cases of intestinal impaction in reptiles at work. I'm terrified to risk it with my boys.
I have never heard any leopard gecko person say that leos like to dig ... Not even the quote you put into your post supports what you are saying.
Just saying ... it is better to avoid the risk of impaction than to just .. make it "look pretty" because you think that is what they like.
