itstrickytorock;1867876; said:
I don't think the Leopard Gecko really minds what substrate it is on, even if sand is from their native habitat, I believe most are captive bred now anyways. If you want to keep it on it's new "native" substrate, I'd say that'd most likely be paper towels as I've seen that is what most breeders use.
Ditto

They want the cages to look all natural and sutff

I mean why stop there?


Why not ad some more natural feactures so that they can feel just at home

Stuff like a cople of desert scorpions or a monitor or two

They are pretty and that way you could watch "natural predacion processes". The beatifull desert sand would look in great contrast whit the red of your gecko´s blood
Ok now seriously

Its our duty as keepers to mantain a healty envoirement for our animals. In case of reptiles that means to duplicate a part of the natural habitat of the animal in a confined space, for well being reasons, but at the same we must protect our animals from the negative efects of the "landscape". For another words just because leopard geckos are a desert species doesant mean that we should include in there cages stuff like extreme temps, predators, etc. Nature is trully unforgiving and in the wild our animals will be lucky to survive another day. But in captivity we want our animals to live a healty long life. They deserve to trive. Sand seems to me as something so trivial for the well being of this guys and the possible consequeses of using it are so great that it simply doesant pay the risck. A big cage ,proper temps, cage decorations(logs, rocks, hiding places ,etc) and a proper diet are so much important than that

. You guys dont feel that I have something against sand or that Im a adocate of keeping herps in sterile condicions. Ive used sand whit 100% of sucess on species like many small desert lizards (skinks, agamas and even other geckos like helmet geckos and mourish geckos) ,many softshell turts(floridas,chinese,smood and spiney) and even on the soil mix I use on woodland lizards and tortoises. But I just feel that for what Ive been seen and heard , for a quite a few species , sand and any other particulate substrate for that mather isnt simply adecuat
