Substrate for leopard gecko's

cmacusa3

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I've been taking care of my kids gecko's for last few years and have decided it's time to spice up the enclosure,since I do so much for my torts. They have always been on sand but I'm reading that's bad for them. What's suggested? They've gotten big and shed a lot.
 

cmacusa3

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ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1477537024.687394.jpgImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1477537040.922997.jpg
This was the this morning, now the other one is shedding. It seems like every couple weeks they shed.
 

BILBO-03

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Leopards shed a lot!!! if they are having trouble I would put a humid hide to help them;)
You could use reptile carpet or Exo Terra has sand mats but they are hard to clean. I thought sand was fine but I may be wrong:)
 

Speedy-1

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I am no expert , but from what I have read sand is fine for healthy adults (which yours appear to be) ! They say juveniles , and / or unhealthy adults are more inclined to ingest it looking for minerals lacking in their diet !
If I wanted to raise the humidity to make their shedding go easier , I would go with something like reptibark which will probably hold the moisture a little longer. Plus , I just think it looks cooler than sand ! :D
 

MichaelaW

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I've always used reptile carpet. You can use a humid hide to assist with shedding.
 

MPRC

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I used slate tiles with my leo. She lived a long happy 17 years with a dozen different substrates and I found tiles were easy to clean, maintained heat, and kept her nails short. I always used 2 humid hides with coco fiber and spagnum moss.
 

cmacusa3

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Thanks everyone! One shed yesterday and the other today. They've never really had problems shedding. I've just decided to make the tank look better, because it's in my weight room so I have to see it every time I workout. Since I started taking care of them and giving them food and water they look so much better. The kids got bored with them like they do everything else plus their ages kinda dictated that too.

ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1477616284.059232.jpgImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1477616294.374343.jpg
 

lisa127

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Slate tiles, non adhesive shelf liner (my favorite), paper towels or newspaper. No sand. A humid hide is not optional, it's a must.
 
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