How to make a good natural set-up for leopard geckos

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Vicious_Fish;4465724; said:
Here's my opinion on using sand for substrate. I've used it for 18 years now and I've NEVER had an issue with it. I only use it for adults, not babies or juveniles. People complain about the risk of impaction, blah, blah blah....if your gecko is eating sand then YOU are doing something wrong with it's husbandry. A healthy, well-fed gecko that gets all it's vitamins from gut loaded and/or dusted food will not eat sand. And a healthy gecko that gets a mouth full of sand while lunging after a cricket can easily pass it out. And as long as you have a moist hide for the gecko to gain moisture during shedding you will not have to worry about retained shed on the tips of the toes.

The same kind of sand you use for a bearded dragon I suppose? The play sand from hardware stores. I like your idea of having something to play with underground. Alright, I have a rough idea now. Thanks again!
 
right now my breeders are in a planted tank, a good 6 inches of dirt lots of cover and bugs, I felt bad that they were in tubs for the past 10months so this is their holiday
added behavour I have seen as been digging a lot of climbing, more active all that stuff

also people say they dont like to climb but mine do I provide pieces of bark and they climb all over it at night
 
Good. Thanks! I have gotten one of my doubts cleared about leopard gecko and their "arboreal" interests.
 
yea, just offer branches with lots of good bark on them, like right now I have one leo at the top of their 29g and two more in another tank on branches just chillin
don't be afraid of dirt, if you have good temps, good hydration and good food you'll be fine
I would suggest plain old dirt from your yard rather then sand though, better for digging
 
Sounds like they're gonna get spoiled real soon with a nice cage, I like the idea of a natural cage. I would stick with a sand substrate play sand or even some pool filter sand you could even mix in a little eco earth for a denser(sp) consistancy, i would stay away from regular backyard dirt as well because 1.you don't know what kind of chemicals are in it, 2. you don't know what parasites are in it, 3. it is a totally different consistancy from where they are from (i have first hand experiance).

The reason they dig is to get out of the light and find a place to crash(since they are nocturnal) when we would go out at night they were climbing all over the walls and rocks outside not to many branches out there though. stick with a sandy/rocky terrain i think your gonna come up with a pretty sweet set up.:headbang2
 
snakefin;4468246; said:
The same kind of sand you use for a bearded dragon I suppose? The play sand from hardware stores. I like your idea of having something to play with underground. Alright, I have a rough idea now. Thanks again!


Yep, I use regular play sand that has been sifted.
 
Just wondering. What is the grain size of play sand? I remember seeing some very flour like texture dirt outside the boundaries of my house, I do know that it is unwise, but do you think it could be possible that I use it after heat treatment?
 
snakefin;4468519; said:
Just wondering. What is the grain size of play sand? I remember seeing some very flour like texture dirt outside the boundaries of my house, I do know that it is unwise, but do you think it could be possible that I use it after heat treatment?

The grains are pretty small and powdery. I know this because my Ackies kick up dust when they dig after I add a fresh batch. :D

You can use soil from a safe location as long as it's free of chemicals like herbicides/pesticides, oils and other household products.
 
Does toys-r-us sell playsand?:D Its ridiculous that I can't find places that sell playsand online, in my country that is, which is somewhere in asia.
 
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