|
|
 Housing A Leopard Gecko:
Substrate
| |
Choosing and employing the most appropriate substrate for your leopard
gecko's enclosure could ultimately affect the long-term health and
well-being of your gecko. Dr. Gecko realizes that many people will
opt to use a variety of different substrates for their own personal
reasons so we thought we would put together some basic guidelines.
By far, the most common health problems that stem from the improper use
of a substrate includes:
Do not put leopard geckos under 6" or preferably one year
of age on any type of natural substrate. Hatchlings and juveniles
fare best when kept on paper towels. Why?
- It minimizes the risk of impaction.
- It is easy to replace.
- Inexpensive to use.
- Easy to monitor for potential health problems.
- It minimizes the risk of infections.
|
|
| |
Here are a few qualities that you may want to consider when choosing the
most appropriate substrate for your leopard gecko:
- Inexpensive so it can be replaced easily and regularly.
- Non-abrasive and non-irritating to the gecko's skin.
- Easily cleaned and/or replaced.
- Will absorb the fluid from the gecko's urates/defecation.
- Is relatively sterile (it not harboring any pests, insects,
pathogens etc...)
- Does not create any type of dust.
- Helps to reduce the odor of feces.
- No strong or overpowering odors.
- Won't injure the gecko in any way.
|
|
| |
Dr. Gecko recommends that you avoid using the following substrates:
- Cedar, pine or other wood shavings.
- Hardwood chips.
- Gravel
- Crushed corn cob.
- Crushed walnut shells.
- Kitty litter.
- Bark chips.
- Sawdust
- Potting soil with perlite (little white balls).
You may also want to avoid the use of silica sand for a variety of
reasons including:
- It tends to be very dusty.
- Can cause serious damage to the geckos gastrointestinal tract if it
is ingested.
- If it gets wet, it may stick to the body of the gecko.
- It does not readily allow heat from a sub-tank heating pad to reach
the surface.
|
|
| |
Here are some of the more commonly used substrates:
- Newsprint
- Butcher paper.
- Paper towels.
- Sand (highly debated by the way!)
- Indoor-outdoor carpeting.
- Inkless newsprint.
- Slate rock.
My personal favorite substrate is actually the slate rock option (for
my adults ... any hatchlings/juveniles are always on papertowel). I
layer it around the enclosure and then just fill in the gaps with a little
bit of sand so their feet do not get caught in the spaces. When I am
not using real slate, I make my own slate rocks using formed polystyrene
pieces covered with a concrete mixture.
I use this because I prefer to have my geckos setup in large, natural
environments. My slate or homemade rocks disperse the heat
perfectly, looks natural, there is no chance of impaction and they are
very easy to clean/disinfect.
Apparently some people have successfully used specific kinds of higher
quality felt and flannel. Ensure that the gecko's toes and nails
cannot get caught in the fibers.
|
|
| |
Important Notes About Sand |
|
| |
If you simply must use sand, than please do so at your own risk and be
responsible about it. Yes, there are lots of people who have
used sand for years without a problem (even I use a bit in-between my
pieces of slate), but there are those that have had problems.
Please monitor your gecko and the environment carefully. At the
first sign of a problem, such as witnessing your gecko nibbling the sand,
or sandy stools/fecals, please act immediately and remove the sand.
- Never house a hatchling or juvenile leopard gecko on sand.
- Never house a weakened, sick or injured gecko on sand - paper towel
is more appropriate for instances like this.
- Fine grade sands tend to cause less cases of impaction as opposed to
some of the coarser grades.
- Should be cleaned and replaced regularly to prevent the growth of
potential pathogens that could lead to a variety of bacterial
and fungal
infections.
- Limestone or calcium carbonate is preferable over silica sand.
- Some people opt to serve the prey items to their geckos in a feeding
dish to prevent the gecko from accidentally ingesting the sand while
hunting/eating.
- Leopard geckos will often nibble at the sand as a way of searching
out additional calcium. Be sure to use a proper supplementation
schedule with your gecko, as well as provide a shallow dish of pure
calcium carbonate in the enclosure at all times.
|
|
| |
- When using indoor-outdoor carpeting, its always a good idea to have
2 pieces available to make cleaning/disinfecting easier - you can
always have a spare one on hand to replace in the enclosure when the
other piece is being disinfected.
- Irregardless of what substrate you choose, be sure to regularly
clean, disinfect and replace the substrate to help prevent the
potential buildup of pathogens.
- Paper towels are the preferred substrate to use with sick, injured
or weakened geckos, as well as those geckos that are in quarantine.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
