Which Setup Is Best For Leopard Geckos? - Paper Towel, Carpet, Naturalistic or Bio Active 🌵
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ก.ค. 2019
- Today we'll be looking at 4 commonly used setups for Leopard Geckos - Paper Towel, Reptile Carpet, Naturalistic (loose substrate) and Bio Active. We will rate them on various criteria as well as looking at how good they actually are for our Geckos.
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I like how she said it was ok to have the paper towel and carpet setup. It kinda made me feel better about my old setup for my gargoyle gecko and leopard gecko
haha no worries :) I tried paper towel with my crestie when I first got her, but I found the humidity was always super low, so I swiftly changed to eco earth, then eventually earthmix :)
Leopard Gecko I have a question, sorry if I’m not on the right platform but I have one adult female leopard Gecko and two teens, can I house them together or will my adult hurt them. My adult is really tame and only become scared when I pick her up
@@mrnotsosocial1389 Do not house geckos of different sizes together
I loathe reptile carpet for a number of reasons. Eco earth, too, just because it’s not really a soil. I think earthmix arid looks neat
Yeah I've never really fancied reptile carpet lol
Reptile carpet is just awful
When my Leo was a baby I kept her on paper towels so I could make sure she was pooping and eating
Agreed. It perpetually snagged the leo's teeth.
I used paper towels and then changed to carpet but now I realized how much better paper towels are for them.
I'm getting my first leopard gecko tomorrow. I've been preparing since March or February, and you've been my main source of info. I've learnt so much from you, thank you!
aw that's brilliant, glad i could help :) thanks for watching and good luck with your gecko!! :)
Good luck m8 im getting mine next week
Any updates?
How’s he doin?
How is your gecko doing!?
I have my Crested Gecko in an bioactive tank. Cool thing is i can grow strawberrys in there =D
Ah wow, i've never thought about growing anything like that in the tank lol.
Lol
He protecc
He attacc
But most importantly:
He hast own snacc
That’s awesome! I wish I could see your setup
Lunix can you post a video on the setup of your tank? I’m really interested.
WELL DONT EAT THEM BECAUSE THEIR IN A CRESTED GECKO TANK
I’m using carpet right now but I’m gonna change to the naturalistic and mix of bioactive one so my Geckos can dig. Just like you said carpet sticks to powder
Dank The Meme same im on paper towel atm and I want to have a more naturalistic setup when I get bigger tanks
ah nice :)
@@leopardgeckotalk I have carpet as my floor but I’m thinking of using eco earth but I’m afraid that my gecko would eat it. But I’m assuming that’s not really an issue for you ?
i just got a baby gecko a week ago and she’s already pretty calm around me. She ate on the second day too! Btw i’m going to name her Neoma❤️❤️❤️
ah that's brilliant!! :D
I have a leopard gecko the morph is a super snow eclipse and his name is Draco
That's a pretty name 😍
I assume by the time I'm commenting she's a teen?
Mines name is Santiago the 1st of bagel
I have a friend named Neoma
I personally use a naturalistic set up with Eco Earth as a substrate for my leopard gecko. She's in 20 gallon right now but I'll be upgrading her to a 40 gallon bioactive enclosure very soon.
ah very nice! :D
Same! 😅
Definitely don’t use eco earth😬
@@baker4132 what’s wrong with it
@@themakdiary using it by itslef is not recommended because the humidity level needed for a gecko leaves this substrate to dry and dusty which could cause impaction or R.I.
Con of paper towels: To get the paper towels out, you have to take out everything on top first.
true true - i guess it goes for all of them really, but must be annoying due to how frequently you have to take the paper towel out.
I keep the potty corner as clear of stuff as possible. I fold the paper towel into a square so I only have to change the square. I then change all of the paper towel on cleaning day.
@@katieoneill-meledin6759 Smart idea. I might try it out.
@@leopardgeckotalk I guess it's fine, if he wants to climb out for a while anyway. Which he always does.
I’m doing a paper towel, and then switch out with sand every once and a while, just to change it up a bit. I’m very nervous to get a gecko, anybody have any tips? I’ve heard to take notes, check sources, research heavily.
I've had a bad experience with reptile carpet, my leopard gecko had some sort of reaction to it over time. His feet were red, since then i switched him over to loose substrate instead.
aw no, i wonder what caused that. Glad he's doing better now :)
same but i dont like it cause i have to take the mat out to clean since some like poop gets stuck and he gets his claws stuck kn there too
@@sammy0937 same here, i always tired washing it off but it never fixed anything. Nastiest stuff.
Thank you for another amazing video! Videos like these really help me as a beginner reptile owner and allows to me to create a better environment for my leopard gecko. You keep it real and that's an amazing quality. Thanks again for the research and information!
Aw thank you so much!! :)
This might be weird but I love your intro when you say “hey guys!” It’s so warm and welcoming and I just feel so happy because it sounds like you want us/me here!
Your videos are always soooo helpful!! Thanks so much!!
aw thank you :D
I can’t wait until you make one of your leopard geckos tanks fully bioactive 😍
I too would love to see you show us how you would do this!
@@nikkidian Her enclosures already have bioactive substrate so literally all she needs to do is add springtails and isopods.
Yeah once I can get them bigger tanks I'll like to go fully bio active :) I may set a tank up and keep it running a little while before moving a gecko isn't it :)
@Coldhands I think you need to have live plants in a tank as well for it to be bioactive as plants help balance everything in the mini ecosystem (not fully sure on the science of it but it’s just what I’ve read that it’s not balanced without the plants but I’m not completely sure). Plus clean up crew is a little more difficult for arid tanks bc isopods and springtails won’t survive in the dry environment unfortunately :/
Gecko is famous! yes that's his name. my sweet little yella fella is honored to be in your video ❤️
wooo! thank you!
This was so helpful, thank you!
I enjoy your channel very much:)
Good content, easily understood, love how you show animals so much :)
Thank you for mentioning the VOCs! I try to keep anything plastic away from the warm side of the tank though ideally soon I wont have anything plastic in the tanks at all.
No problem :) Ah cool cool :)
I’m finally getting my first crested gecko!! I’m sooooo exited!!
Ohhh you lucky
ahh good luck!! :)
I got mine about a month and half ago! A bit of advice... you’re going to feel like you’re doing it all wrong but you won’t be
@@rxss6154 Whatcha mean? :P
Nerf Master blaster they mean you’re gonna feel like the worst gecko owner but you aren’t
My daughter and I love your channel. We have learned a lot from you and honestly we would have made so many mistakes if it weren't for you so thanks a ton!
This was a great video
Love your chanel by the way xoxo
Thank you :D
I inherited a Leo with a four feet long tank, reptile carpet and 2 hides. I added a lot of naturalistic hiding spaces and replaced the reptile carpet with eco earth after watching your videos. Unfortunately he stopped going into his warm hide and seemed really unsettled so I cut the reptile carpet into four one foot pieces so now he has one foot of carpet with a large hide on it and three feet of eco earth in the rest of the tank. He now sleeps in his warm hide during the day and explores at night, he seems to love digging which wasn't an option with his previous setup. I change the small patch of carpet twice a week and wash with reptile safe disinfectant. Maintenence is easy and he is happy and thriving.
ah that's really cool :) it's like his nice comfy carpet bed, and then he's an explorer at night :)
When my gecko was a baby I use to keep her on reptile carpet (which was soooo annoying to clean) but now she’s moved into a naturalistic setup! She’s a lot more active now!
ah that's brilliant!
Your voice is so perfect for these videos makes them much more enjoyable too watch
This has helped me so much!!!
Thank you 💖 this video was REALLY helpful , as are all your other videos . You have helped me figure out sooooo much research as I’m getting my first leopard gecko in a few weeks 😊😊 btw , give gizmo a little rub under the chin from me 💜
aw thank you 😊😊 good luck with your future gecko!!
As somebody whos getting a leopard gecko for my birthday, your channel and many others have been really helpful!! ❤️ also, any good name suggestions? Because I dont have many except for Two, Ritz and Rango,and I like both, but once again, thank you for your good work, and keep it up!! ❤️
aw thank you! I like Rango, reminds me of the film about the Chameleon :)
I just got a leopard gecko today and I don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl so I decided that I would name her Ramona if it’s a girl and Roman if it’s a boy. Lol
Yay you posted! About to watch this with my Leo😁
haha awesome, thanks :)
Great information. Thanks 😊 🦎
Nice video mate👌👏👏👏👏👏
Also, I definitely agree with you on the cost effectiveness for a bioactive vivarium.
A con about my bioactive leopard gecko setup, is that you need to purchase alot of substrate if your going to be planting it properly, and the lights are quite expensive.
thank you :) yeah lighting and all that equipment, definitely pricey :')
Leopard Gecko, I’m getting a new many two new leopard geckos, any suggestions?
I’ve tried a few different things with my leopard gecko Hei Hei over the year and a half I’ve had him.
I started him off on repticarpet since I didn’t have a lot of time for a great set up due to the fact he was found under a refrigerator in a dorm room and was given to me. I hated trying to clean it!
I then went with a bio active set up with products mostly from the bio dude but the plants died and my gecko didn’t seem to love it very much.
I then when to more calm set up with kitchen cabinet liner and a super cool foam background with places to climb and hide. He loved that but some super worms escaped and burrowed into the foam and made a yucky little habitat in there.
Currently Hei Hei is in a paper towel sterile tank while I make his naturalist tank with excavator clay, bio dude substrate, mostly real hides, and some real plants. I’m super excited to see how it turns out! I’m hoping in the future to turn it back into a bio active tank, since I have one for my box turtle and it is awesome.
Great video, im looking at getting my first gecko and this had been really informative 👍
i am going to adopt a gecko soon! i am so exited thanks for all your help
I use non adhesive shelf liners! It's super easy to clean, is very cost affordable ($5 per a large roll), and looks nice! Also you don't have to replace the liner that often!
Ah very cool! :)
My leopard gecko was not only my first pet reptile ever, but his enclosure was also the first ever bioactive tank I ever built! I know lots of people probably think that bioactives are for more experienced keepers, but I love a challenge! Building bioactive was the most rewarding experience I've had with pet keeping and I hope to make more in the future. I don't know if I could ever do any other kind of tank after going bioactive, besides paper towel for quarantine and hospital situations of course.
Ah that's brilliant!! :) Yeah I also think they look more interesting, like you have a little slice of the wild in your room :)
@@leopardgeckotalk Exactly! I want to get into wildlife education and the like as my career, so having bioactive enclosures just make sense to me. I want to be able to show people what's possible when you push those boundaries instead of just doing what's already been done for the past 20 odd years.
Such a well done video!
Thanks so much. Fantastic! 🥰
I'm getting a my first gecko so I'm gonna use paper towels first to make sure that they don't get harmd
I've actually been using that method where my geckos tank is half eco earth half tile and slate and I love it. And I feel that he does too. With a tile or slate side it's easier to feed him without him ingesting substrate. He also likes to dig. My only issue is that I he has no respect for the decor I put in there 😂 but that's ok. Also I have hides that have little nooks inside that crickets end up getting into and it makes it difficult for my gecko to eat them
Ah that's really cool :)
I’m getting a Leopard gecko in January I went to my first ReptileExpo a few weeks ago I’m super excited!
I’ve had my carpet for my gecko then I changed it to a naturalistic tank and when I put her in her new home she was much happier so thank you so much
you teach me more than my teachers teach me at school 🤣
I use papertowel for my geckos and It works well, I don't like the idea that they could eat any substrate.
ah fair enough :)
Same I use paper towel too I have slate and cork bark hides I think just perfect at min
bbdragon same when I had my gecko I didn’t want them to eat the eco earth so I used reptile carpet but I realized her nails got stuck in the carpet often so If I ever get a leopard gecko again imma use paper towel
@@hardkorr5961 sound good! I just think paper towel is the best
It’s very beneficial to offer digging enrichment with reptisoil, organic top soil, or a bioactive substrate. In a dig box at the very least.
I have a carpet/plastic hides situation going on rn,but I am going to switch to a bioactive one soon!im so excited!
Yet again, An amazing video! :3
thank you :D
I am currently using paper towel. I don't use real plants because I am horrible at keeping house plants alive. My decor and hides are a combination of man-made and natural items. I use a lot of rock and wood. Most of my plants are actually silk, though there are some plastic. I like paper towel because I find it so easy to clean and I don't worry to much about them ingesting the substrate. I am pretty new to geckos and this is what work for now.
ah sounds nice, lots of variety. :) Like I said in the video, its cool when you can mix things up a little, so paper towel with real rock and wood is cool :)
Another new thing to take note of for me lol
I had a leo for a long time and I used the reptile carpet, he was blind and I didn't want to worry about him eating substrate. I only had one mat so I used paper towels for the days it was being washed and I always made sure to wash and dry it thoroughly. I never had any problems and even if it wasn't ideal it worked really well on a budget
Another con to the loose substrate is that they kick it into their water dishes and calcium bowls lol. My Leo loves to do that. Plus if you’re using a heating mat you can’t do a very thick layer of substrate
They make suction cup feed bowls to put up off the bottom, which is what I'll get when I upgrade from paper towels. Also I've seen several ppl put the heating mat on the side of the glass when they have thick substrate. Just an idea. 😉
omg yeah my girls especially will kick dirt in their water when its egg laying season. You can do a thicker layer on the cold end, but yeah not so much over the heat mat.
I do bioactive tanks for all my geckos. I just feel the carpet and paper towel aren’t really appealing to look at. Also I’ve noticed that my geckos like bioactive more. I just recently changed my leopard gecko over to bioactive and he has been exploring a lot more. Yeah in the beginning it’s very expensiveee, but as you said once it starts going you’re gonna be good. Thanks for talking about this topic. 💚🦎💚
ah nice! Yeah I also feel with a loose substrate they can kind of customise their tank a bit too - like the other day Ziggy filled a hide up with a ton of dirt, and just kept a little tunnel for her to walk in and out of it. It's cool to see them interacting with their environment so much :)
Leopard Gecko aww how sweet
Great vid really good!!
aw thank you!
I used like a mat from a bird stand for my gecko and he loved it, it obzorbed heat in a good way, his claws and teeth didn’t get cought, it is really easy to clean, he couldn’t actually eat it but he did get a good hold when missing food. It gave a cool texture and he could kind of dig. Tho it probably did feel slightly weird or like fresh cut grass.
Bioactive really seems fantastic but keeping alive plants just seems impossible, idk
ikr! I literally just look at a succulent and it dies! I find the more humid, arboreal tanks easier and most of the plants love water, whereas I either over water or under water arid plants.
Succulent do well, it's just hard to give them proper lighting. Most succulents need a shady place and they'll thrive. My recommendation is to put them underneath a ''slope'' where they have shade, but also are able to get some lighting. I understand it's a little though, but once set-up it's great.
Aye notification gang
yasss :)
Even though I don't have Geckos, you're by far one of the few pet TH-camrs I like 🙈 Very Informative 👏🏻
haha thank you :) means a lot :)
Iam soo exited i going to get a leapord gecko and thanks to your help now i know how to take care of one
Thoughts on the Exo Terra sand mat? I’m starting to build my first leopard gecko terrarium and I have researched ALOT but I’m still stuck on what substrate would be the best because each one has its pros and cons
Don’t recommend sand mats. It’s messy and can cause impaction
What would be the best in your opinion? I’m open to everyone’s thoughts and opinions
I've heard mixed things about them - some say they have a weird smell at first, that calcium gets over them and bits come loose on them, and others say they're great. :/
I’ll probably start my channel when I get my baby Leo so I can keep y’all updated 😊
I got a reptile carpet setup but Its so annoying to clean! I'm going to change to Eco Earth when my Leo is a bit older. (There only 4 months old)
MatthewNinja yea same, especially when my Leopard gecko steps in the calcium and gets it on the carpet🙄
ah cool, yeah it does seem like it's a bit of a pain to clean lol
I clean my geckos carpet in the afternoon and he stays in his tube then I wash and dry it in like 10 minutes.
Thankyou I was about to get one with reptile carpet glad I didn’t
I will get hardwoods from where I live. I give them a light rinse cleaning to remove loose soil and plants and stuff, but I'll try to keep some of the moss and stuff. Then I'll bake it at 300 degrees for about an our or so to remove moisture and kill bacteria and insects. It adds a beautiful natural loos all while making sure it is safe. I'm currently using hickory so it provides an appealing smell when I open the terrarium as well.
I live in Sweden and our choice of substrate is very limited, all the stores I’ve seen sell different kinds of sand and wood chips, which are both bad substrates for geckos.
I would like to use paper towels but my mum disagrees thinking the gecko should have a naturalistic substrate and my gecko is kind of a digger so I’m not sure he would enjoy it.
My mum wants to use wood chips and I have informed her of the dangers of using it but she talked to a pet shop employee who convinced her that geckos enjoyed wood chips.
I told her we could use eco Earth since it’s quite natural but she’s not convinced. I have looked online for eco earth but no company sells eco earth in Sweden and the shipping would be quite expensive if I bought it from another country.
Please help me on what substrate could be suitable for our dilemma
I know some places that sell bio active soils use organic top soil as there base (I think, you may have to double check), but that could be something to use, just make sure it does not contain any fertilisers/ chemicals. Serpa Design of TheBioDude on here may have videos on making soils safe for reptiles :)
miss reaney I live in Norway and I have same problem, but the store I buy from finally got better. But You could try eBay?
I am hopefully getting a leopard gecko and I’m 11 wish me luck
awesome MG good luck I have a leopard gecko and I use carpet
I am 11 and have 5 geckos lol.
I hope u get one!! There really pretty creatures
Awesome good luck I got a bearded dragon.
good luck :) I got my first when I was 13 :)
strange_eggo 11 what lighting do you use because that’s the last thing I need to figure out before I get one
Is it me or do all of us just love this channel. Btw love your vids
aw thanks so much :)
I use paper towels for my leos, but I also give them all a dig box with loose substrate for enrichment! Paper towels are super easy to clean and I buy cute ones with lemons on it so it looks adorable. Aside from that, I find that they don’t absorb smells really well and I’m constantly replacing them. I spend around $7 a month on paper towels, but that’s nothing since I spend A LOT on bugs 😭
this video is so well done!! 👏💕
also @7:50 blaze lol
My geckos have a combo of all of these. I've recently switched from carpet to paper towel. I personally get around replacing the paper towels all the time by creating a small, sort of "litter box" in the corner they poop in with eco earth. It also acts as a dig pit. They seem to really like it.
I like using real hides when I can and since I have ABISMAL luck with plants, I use fake plants. Some real rocks or tile for nail filling. Eventually I'd love a natural setup but as long as they're happy that's all that matters to me.
For my Leo, I use a kitchen liner without any adhesive or overall scents. Easy to clean, but she loves her calcium trails...so it is a constant clean. I do wish to make a bioactive enclosure for her soon, but adulthood bills are keeping me from getting a large exo-terro to ensure she has more space than a 20 long. Always look forward to your videos.
Ah nice :) Oh i know what you mean, I want to eventually get bigger tanks and do fully bio active setups - then I think about all the new LEDs, drainage layers and so on I'll have to buy, as well as tanks, and just general life stuff 🙉
I just got a 2 month old gecko this was very helpful
I have a naturalistic set up and it has worked really well for me the eco-earth I use is it the expandable and it has lasted for two years and I still have one brick and a half left so I really like the idea of a naturalistic set up love your videos bye❤️😃
Eco earth can be dusty and cause joint problems. I recommend reptisoil or organic top soil
This video is very helpful! I want to change my gecko’s tank to a much more natural look :) I have started with getting eco earth instead of paper towel, pretty sure I already said that...
ah nice :)
Ty,im getting one soon so this is cool
ah awesome, no problem :)
I am currently using a tile and a bit of paper towel but will soon be upgrading tanks to use tile and eco earth. I honestly LOVE my tile and am not a fan of paper towels for a few different reasons but it still works. Love these videos so much!
Eco earth is dusty and unnatural. The best options are reptisoil, Scott’s organic top soil, or a soil/playsand mix.
@@nightinggale6470 thanks for the info I am looking into reptisoil right now. Have you used it with a gecko you have? If so will Leo’s burry and dig in it?
@@megancovington3531 I’ve been using it for several months with my leo with great success (I also know a lot of other people who use it with positive results). And yep, a lot of geckos will dig in it
@@nightinggale6470 awesome thanks so much
I used forest floor bedding for my leopard gecko, and I am shocked how fast the humidity spiked up over night!!
I am now using paper towels for my little dinosaur.
I recommend switching to a soil mix, digging enrichment is very beneficial for them!
I had paper towel and eco-carpet before getting my bioactive setups. Paper towel was a pain and often tore, one of my Leos caught his teeth in the carpet, and you couldn’t leave extra crickets in the tanks because they had nowhere to hide away from the geckos. The bioactive is easy to maintain and I can leave a few crickets in the tank; they’re very happy to climb around or hide until the geckos eat them. The geckos have lots of places to dig and rub, so shedding is a breeze. I just mist the plants and moist hide each day and spot clean as needed. They look great, too!
4:05 "ONWARD, MY STEED! WE RIDE INTO BATTLE!"
I recently switched to reptile tank liners from etsy. Small business, really easy to clean. Like vinyl flooring for your gecko, easy to disinfect and fit your tank / color theme.
I strongly recommend switching to a suitable loose substrate such as a soil/playsand mix, digging/burrowing enrichment is extremely beneficial for them.
I use paper towel because it is easy to clean. I have 7 leopard geckos so the less time cleaning the better. All the tanks have rocks and leaf litter over the paper. They also all have a moist hide with different substrates in them. A Facebook group I am part of will not let people promote or post photos of leopard geckos on lose substrate.
ah cool, interesting setup :) yeah i've heard some leo fb groups hate me because my geckos are on loose substrate, but they have to understand that leos are exposed to loose substrate in the wild lol, the bio active substrates like earthmix arid and probably some of the safest :)
Im getting a leopard gecko very soon i cant wait
awesome, good luck!
I'm inspired to change out my reptile carpet for eco earth. Should be an interesting transition!
Fiona Shepley Omg, thanks. Glad I read this before I started, you’re a life saver.
This video was super helpful! I just recently made a leopard gecko bookshelf and am planning on getting two more geckos. I have been going back and forth for weeks about how natural the terrariums should be and this video really helped. Also, where do you find your natural rocks that you use as hides?
Just wondering. will the geckos be housed together?
@@fionashepley478 Nope, it is three separate shelves.
I've had my gecko since 2021 and I have been using paper towel since. And I'm planning to change the substrate to something more naturalistic since lets be honest, using paper towel doesnt look that good. So i just wanna say this video has been helpful !!! Thanksss !!!
I do a mix with sand mat, and eco earth. I find the pros with sand mat, is that it probably is the most natural-looking with the rocks on it, and The Rock stick on so they never fall off and are a eating hazard
I put eco earth in hides so they can dig and sleep on something comfortable
ah that's a cool idea. I've never been able to see a sand mat in person. I heard it can smell a little when you first get it, but its good after a while :)
I use the eco earth coconut fiber brick and I just add the waste to my garden and potted plants, they honestly have never thrived more ❤️🙌
Eco earth can be dusty and cause joint problems. I recommend reptisoil, organic top soil, or a bioactive substrate :)
Thank you for this video i have been waiting for something like this to come. Really helped! Also, what is the ambient night temperature i should keep my leopard gecko enclosure at?
ah no problem :) I always keep my heaters on during the night, its easier to raise the air temp with a deep heat projector or a ceramic heat emitter, but usually room temp will do.
I saved one from a person who mistreated it not feeding it cause they wanted it to die , building his new habitat now cutest little guy , im giving it the life he deserves
Very interesting video to start for a beginner( like me)!😉
Each has his pros and cons. Think that i'll start up with the natural environment or the earth mix arid substrate. Because i want to work with real stones, real plants and wood.
I use peat moss and my geckos seem to enjoy it. I do not have access to the bioactive bugs that you mention but my geckos like to release some mealworms, superworms and let some crickets live which have bred in the tanks. I tried the live plants in my tank but my geckos have crushed them so I need to find something tougher than what I was using that does not get to huge. I like to change up my tanks and the geckos get quite excited to explore when I do this.
I’ve literally watched so many reptile videos that I’m getting ads for dubia roaches😂
Hello watching from Ohio big fan and love the vid
Thank you!! :)
I use excavator clay. Nothing soaks into it, cleanup involves a small vacuum. It looks great, no impaction risk. I do have a low area I provide eco-earth so he can dig and I can moisten it when humidity is needed (I live in Las Vegas). I also have various textured hides he can climb on for enrichment. He must be happy, he is always grinning ear to ear!
Ah nice! I've seen some cool setups from excavator clay, but I could use it properly myself 🙈
I have my Rambo on reptile carpet right now and she was on paper towels for a while when she got pinworms. I'm switching to slate tiles soon because I know the carpet probably didn't help the pinworm situation. loose substrates always make me super nervous because I fear impaction. she does have a hide with eco earth that she digs in and it also doubles as her humid hide.
Ah well that's good, I think the slate tiles will be cool :)
I have personally used reptile carpet, eco earth, and shelf liner.
I used reptile carpet when I initially got my gecko. I absolutely hated it. I washed the carpets weekly but regardless of how well I washed them an odor always lingered. Supplement powders also got everywhere after feedings and made the enclosure look messy until washings.
I gave eco earth a whirl after doing research. I wanted to form my own opinion about it. Cleaning was definitely easier and less maintenance than the carpet. The cons I had about it were my gecko didn’t seem quite so happy with the loose substrate and I noticed an appetite decrease. Feeder insects would also occasionally get loose from feeding tongs and burrow. Overall I became worried about the health/happiness of my gecko and switched very soon.
That brought me to shelf liner. I have been using it for about a month or so now and it’s definitely been my favorite. It’s so easy to wipe clean, my geckos appetite seems to have gone back up, and he also seems much happier. Throughout the cage I scattered leaf litter, he has natural rock and wood pieces to climb on and explore, so he still has plenty of texture enrichment!
I kept my leopard gecko on carpet for a while and I will NEVERdo that again. He would get his teeth stuck in it and I felt so bad for him ☹. Now I use eco earth and its way better! I will check out earthmix arid soon because it seems like the best choice from this vid!
I had bioactive but my geckos stopped eating. So I switched to paper towel and have slate and a dig box. With cork and plants. So they still have all the fun but with paper towels. And now they are back on food and seem super happy.
ah cool, I wonder why they went off of their food? maybe it was quite a big change for them. Glad they're happy now :)
i have one of my leopard geckos with paper towel substrate, because she kept getting the eco earth in her eye. the other gecko has been eco earth since i got him and never ever had a problem with getting it in his eye, it was always just the other gecko.
I used to use reptile carpet but it was consistently nasty and as you said, my gecko’s nails kept catching it and teeth when eating off it. I use paper towels now, and it’s nice because I can take out the one sheet he poops on and the calcium doesn’t show up as much. I have a wooden half-circle hide under my lamp, but the others are plastic. I would like to one day have the space and everything to set up a more natural tank. I’ve always been interested in seeing my geck dig ;)
Ah cool :)
thanks
I started with a bioactive setup, but if my Leo didn’t catch her bugs they had so many hiding places so I couldn’t get them out- I didn’t mind so much with mealworms and a couple of Dubai’s but the crickets kept chirping and they ended up breeding which wasn’t ideal as I think the pinhead crickets did bite her. I’ve recently changed to a more simple set up with vinyl flooring as it’s so easy to Clean and no pesky 🦗
Ah that's a good point. Some of the crickets found a small gap in a rock hide, and they get in there, so I have to lift the rock every time to make sure I get any loose ones out lol
I hear you regarding the crickets, they are troublesome. What I have done is to only put about 4 crickets in, remove the cork bark and only leave the main hide, and the geckos get them all. Also, I now use plastic tubs exclusively because they are easier to dump substrate when necessary, round corners are nice. The other nice thing about tubs is that they come in sizes to accommodate an adult gecko perfectly but not weigh much. I was using some tubs with lids on wire racks, which is fantastic, along with a few glass tanks. Now I use a lidless rack system (Vivarium Products) for all, which makes things even easier to service. Leopard geckos do extremely well in tubs and glass tanks, but tubs are easier for me to maintain a perfect humidity yet keep the substrate mostly dry.
Hi again, when i bought my first gecko, i bought it with its own glass viv, mainly because i thought he would settle in with me a little better. The previous owner used sand, so i bought 2 bags, the day after i brought him home i read about the dangers of sand, so i bought a coco brick as the local pet shop recommended it, and i took the sand out of one half at first, and had the other half coco, and gradually reduced the sand, so after 2 weeks he only had coco, he seems to be fine with that and is healthy, eats well etc, the next gecko i bought they already used coco substrate, the 3rd one came in a monkfield tank with a huge hide a stick (not sure what use there was for that!) and a massive waterbowl, and the substrate used was aspen bedding, which is what i use for my cornsnake, but again, she got it reduced daily till she was on coco too. I had previously looked into substrate before i got the first gecko but when theres a picture of a leopard gecko on the front and you buy it from a reputable shop, and some care guides say use it, it's easy to assume you're giving your gecko the best! I am happy with the coco and the geckos seem to like it too. They can dig, their hide stays moist so no shedding problems, its soft for them to walk on and looks natural. My geckos have all gained weight, are healthy, active, so they all have various stones and natural rock, cork tunnels, logs to climb up, and fake plants which i buy from the aquarium section as i was told if its safe for fish it will be for reptiles, so i hope that is true, but they add a bit of colour, but theres only a couple in each. It looks like a natural environment and they thrive so i assume they are happy. They certainly seem very chilled! My son says i think too much into it and worry too much, i change their water at least twice a day as they just walk through it and get coco fibre in it! I feel like most animals/reptiles need stimulation or they can get depressed, a cat doesn't need fuss but they love getting it, so geckos in captivity need interesting homes, clean, safe and secure. Its the least we can give them. I feed all mine with tongs just so i know they are eating and how much. If a cricket escapes i catch it so it can't bury itself in the substrate, and it doesn't get into the hides and nibble on the geckos. One thing made me laugh and think maybe i go over the top was you saying change the whole substrate every 4 to 6 months i think you said, i do it every month, cleanse it the whole caboodle! Not easy with 2 6ft x 2ft x 2ft vivs! The snakes viv is easy as its aspen, so quick to change and cleanse but one male gecko has the other 6ft tank to himself, and he does his business at the end of the viv so that end of the viv always has newer substrate because i take a fair chunk of soil surrounding the poop every day. I love it all, seeing the geckos running around their tanks,climbing, and looking like they enjoy life makes me happy! I didn't realise you had made over 600 videos, ive only watched 4 so far, I've done nothing for the last 2 hours or so! Gonna watch the next one. Totally having the time of my life watching!
Coconut fibre can be dusty and hard on their joints. It also isn’t the most natural option. I strongly recommend switching to reptisoil, organic top soil (without fertilizer or perlite, Scott’s is a good brand), Arcadia earth mix arid, or a bioactive mix
So I just went bioactive and my leopard gecko and pretty sure that my gecko likes it. She super interested in hunting now and she wasn't interested in digging before now the bioactive set up she's really into digging now.
Cons with the bio active set up would be first month or two day you have do spot clean for a while until your clean up crew can get settled. Also some plants are better suited for a bioactive tank like Zebra Aloe (I've noticed)
I'm debating on trying it as well. Ever have issues with the clean up crew escaping? Or a stronger oder? I have to convince the hubby and he will want to know. Lol!
My mom I was worried about that too lol 😂 but they won't they like to burrow (springtails) and orange isopods and decent sized so you actually can see them. I've never noticed a bad odor and I have a sensitive nose lol
If you have any questions just let me know 😊
@@crystlesenn8901 haha! you rock, tysm. ♥️
I’m getting a baby ball python tomorrow!!!
We have been saving for him for a LONG time.
ahh brilliant, good luck :)