leos and sand

not sure about this question lol

i've just got a leo my first

this is my question i 've got a wooden viv with heating pad covering 2/3rds off the base and the covering is red sand thinking about changing the covering from sand to tiles as many members recommend there lays my problem how to heat the viv ? as i don't wanna use a over head lamp

any help would be grateful

With tiles and a UTH, you'll heat it up just fine. I rarely have a day where the temperature, uncontrolled, breaks 100F.

I had housed my male on sand before and it was a horrible experience... and I will never allow any of my leopard geckos to use sand.. Because he ended up with an infection that made his genitals swell even after doing remedys and things I had switched him to paper towl and he ended up having to surgury, losing his two penises and not living after that and It's really caused me to be careful with what I do with new baby dory, she's using reptile carpet it's safe and I like it because it's easy to clean. Anyway.. about the heating I don't use a lamp or any light source I use a under tank heater at 90-95 degrees, and 85 degrees on the cool side. You can't use a heat lamp as a heat source anyway, because they need their bellys heated but I believe it would be the same for tile to use a under tank heater.

First off, welcome to the forum! I'm Kathryn! Everyone here is super friendly and nice.

Take a look at this thread: http://www.leopardgeckoforum.com/t166-proper-housing-for-leopard-geckos
it has a lot of important information on how to house your leo properly. Although it sounds like you are doing pretty good already!

Agreed with both members!
Sand is not good for leos at all. Leos can accidently swallow the sand, which will in turn cause impaction, which is a blockage. Its painful for the leo
Tiles are GREAT. They are SO easy to clean, and they hold the heat very well.
Leos get their heat from their bellys. If you watch your leo, you'll see it lay belly down in the area of the heater. The belly heat helps them to digest their food.

I hope to talk to you more soon. Again, welcome to the forum! I hope to see some pictures of your leo, we all love to see pictures!

Take it from someone who knows from experience... Sand is not good at all.. Leopard geckos live on hard clay, rocky arid grass land areas and NOT on sand.. I suggest either paper towel or slate tile... I lost my first gecko to sand impaction xx

Just be sure to check the threads relevant to you in my signature, they're a very interesting read!

thank you you all for your input to my question today is the day for me to change over to geko matts

NO ! lol

1. Leopard geckos need a under floor heat. This is because they obtain their heat through their bellies rather than their back like bearded dragons. So adding a over heat source (like basking lamps etc) wouldn't do them any good. Also the heat gained through their belly helps them digest their food

2. Sand is the worst type of substrate you can put in there in my opinion. Weather this is Calcium sand or normal sand, play sound or natural its still as bad. The leopard geckos end up licking the sand to gain the calcium from it. Or eating a mouthful of it whilst eating. It than clumps together in the leopard geckos belly and Compacts. Causing the leopard gecko to not be able to pass it. This can result in death or a very very expensive vet bill.

3. If you want to use a lose substrate than get bark bits of bark. All leopard geckos under the age of 6 months shouldn't be kept on lose substrate because this can cause a higher risk of impaction. If you want to go for a safer option you have Kitchen towel, tiles or lino. Lino and tiles can come in many different colours and some look very sandy and natural to their environment.

You might need to get a stronger heated heatmat with lino/tiles or get some thin ones so you are getting the correct heat through to the vivarium

Charlie x

Using any loose substrait whether its sand, eco earth, wood chips, or gravel ALL poses ingestion risks for any age leo. Accidents happen whe eating or a curious leo decides to taste the substrait, all it takes is 1 mouthful to lead to disaster. Coming from the mid level rocky craigs of packed earth deserts, loose substrait does not simulate a natural environment. Using kitchen roll or tiles will provide the healthiest and attractive substrait. Ceramic and porcelain tiles will likely require you to have to size up your uth since they are inslators (think coffee mug here) insted of conductors like natural stone such as slate, granite, marble or soap stone. Also going to custom counter top manufacturers could be an inexpensive option, ask them for scrap pieces or miscut pieces, you can usually get hose for free or at a great discount for natural stone.

Since you're thinking of using a wooden viv (assuming a wooden floor) you would most likely need to use a moisture proof uth like the cobra heat mats, and employ a false floor where you put the uth in the viv, use 1x1 inch tiles as feet wih a larger tile sitting on top of it over the uth. The little feet permit the uth to breathe properly to prevent it from over heating or burning out, and the tile above it will heat nicely making a proper temperature gradient for your leo. I use something similar for my sons ball pythons tank since it had a 2 inch thick slate bottom, it was very diffiult to heat thru.