Buying A Leo

I don't think the wattage of the heat mat matters, I think they list it on there so you don't blow out a rheostat or a thermostat. I personally have my leo's on slate tile, but you can do whatever you feel you want. The general census is that sand is a big no-no for any leo, and some make the argument that mature leo's can be housed on sand safely. (I'm afraid the natural habitat for leo's is not sand )

if you don't house leos on sand then what do you house them on?

With kitchen roll:


OR, with tiles

But can you put them on sand?

If you want to, yes. Many people will not advocate it, but many people have also done it and experienced no problems. Others have had leo's die of impaction due to ingestion of the sand.

Silly Pet Shops will often say yes, but Ignore them... you can't put them on sand... because if they eat it by accident when they are eating their live food, they can get impaction.
Impaction can be fatal for both young and adult leos.. it's where sands gets stuck inside their digestive system.. and it blocks it.

Some people find a way around impaction.. like by feeding their leos outside of their tank.. soo they don't accidently eat the sand.. but I don't see the point in risking it. I used to keep mine on sand but after discovering what it can do to them, I changed it to tiles.

thanks. Kitchen roll or tiles?

To outfit my entire 20 Gal. long tank, I spent MAYBE 15 bucks in tile. And it's as permanent as it gets.

so is tile the best since it absorbs heat well?

Yes, that is the best. It is permanent and is easy to get your hands on.

thanks so much

You really need to read the housing thread sticky as it oulines EVERYTHING you've been asking in this thread.

ok
what's it called?

my tile was free.. i went to the tile shop and i was asking about natural sand colours and stuff.. or brown.. and he came out with this huge slate tile.. and said it used to be on display and he couldnt sell it because of the glue on the back.. sooo i got rid on the glue on the back and used it

Value Kitchen roll, is rediculously cheap.. kitchen roll all the way for my gex.

cool but is tile the better option or should i do kitchen roll?

What ever is going to work for you. When I first get a leo and have it in quaranteen fro the rest of my group I keep them on kitchen roll. When I move them to a permanent home I put them on time because I can wipe it clean without too much hassle.

Yeah that's a good idea.

Tile usually is for personal/display purposes. Jordan here breeds, so it's more convenient to be able to come in with kitchen roll and be able to clean in less time.

I used kitchen roll until I could get some cheap tile
Kitchen roll is great for housing baby geckos on because you can replace it everyone to keep the viv clean. Banana is an adult.. and I do a full clean out the deco and the tiles every month

cool thanks

Why is it that on the wee orange/purple dot next to the title of this topic there's a little white star on the top left corner?

I honestly wondered that myself. I think maybe this is an extra-active topic?

Yes it represents a popular topic. The fact that it is orange just means it has a new post in it.

There is a legend, at the bottom when you click on 'General Discussion'

Ok my quote option isn't working either so here is a link to the housing thread... http://www.leopardgeckoforum.com/t166-proper-housing-for-leopard-geckos it is in the housing section and is a sticky. pretty easy to find... called Proper (housing) set up for leopard geckos.