Leopard Gecko Question...?

Question

Hi guys. I just purchased a new female albino leo. She is quite small, probably about 4 inches. I have a full grown male along with another female. My substrate is VERY fine sand, and I am a bit worried about impacting the little one's intestines, so my girlfriend mentioned getting some of that cabinet liner, that ya put in the bottom of a cupboard to keep glasses from slipping etc. If I get this stuff and just cut it to fit my terrarium,and place it over the sand will it harm my geckos?? Is there possibly any chemicals in that stuff?? I am on a pretty tight budget and don't really wanna change everything around. Thanks.

I did forget to mention guys that I do have a calcium lick down, and that my male is VERY mellow. My big female is actually more dominant than him, for some reason. I will keep a close eye on them.

UPDATE: Ok guys I reckon I have found an awesome solution to my question, and I shall pass it on so it may help someone else. I had one of those cricket keepers, that plastic container with the four large holes in the lid that holds the dark tubes. Well I have a 20 gallon long tank, and that cricket keeper fits PERFECTLY and hangs on the tank's sides, keeping it suspended. I just put some water, a small shelter and a calcium lick for her, with a paper towel in the bottom for easy cleanup. I have it pretty close to my heat lamp (150-watt infrared) and it's hovering about 80 degrees in there. So until she gets a few inches bigger she's gonna stay in there :) Makes me very happy since I care for my animals very much but like I said, I am on a tight budget. Thanks for your time guys, and I will choose a best answer still.

Answer 1

Honestly I would not use the liner..use paper towel's first if you want a flat surface. And the comment below me is correct; you don't want to ever house a male and a female together...ecspecially a baby and an adult. i work at petco and I just had to treat a baby for having a lost tail and a bite on his poor little head from violence between the other gecko's, and they were all female too! So never put them together no matter what or you'll end up bringing the little guy to the vet really sick or even dead. If you do get sand, DO NOT get cali-sand. I know it says digestable on the package but it's sooo bad for them. The best sand is the vita-sand, and try to get in in white because the different colors will sometimes turn ur gecko funny colors. Never put any kind of substrate thats hard and sharp like rocks because it will rip open your gecko's belly, not good! if you need anymore help let me know. I have adult geckos too. Since working at the pet store I wan't to bring everything home!.lol

Answer 2

I would be more concerned putting a young female with an adult male. Males are sexually mature before females are, and he will likely attempt to mate with her. She may well become egg-bound. Keep an eye on their interaction.

Sand can cause impaction, certain kinds are worse than others. Wet your finger and stick it in the sand, then remove your finger. The more stand is stuck on your finger, the worse the risk of impaction.

I suggest you just ditch the sand altogether and go with paper towel. Clean, easy, safe, and cheap.
Or, if you prefer a natural look, how about large pieces of slate rock overlapping a little? Or lots of large flat pebbles? These are obviously too big to swallow. Just be careful that they can't get under the rocks, in case they topple over or something.

I would not use those cabinet liners. They are probably fine, but who knows what they contain. However, I have used peel-and-stick tiles in my snake cages. You can get them very natural looking. You can leave the backing on if you don't want to stick them to the tank but you can stick them to tank - the resell value will drop though ;) The tiles aren't expensive, 1-2$ each and you won't need many. I also bought a tube of 100% rubber silicone (NOT the type that says mildew resistant) to seal the edges and seams so that water doesn't leak underneath.

Answer 3

Check out your local Lowe's or Home Depot for astroturf. It's fairly cheap and you can get a large piece. Use that to cut cage-size pieces. When one of the pieces is dirty, just put another piece in while you clean the first one.

Answer 4

i dont think it will her ive had mine since she was about 4" also and ive always used the sand ..... i am now using the substrate called repti-lite and its like artificial sand and easly passes! hope i could help

Answer 5

if you put your dishes that you eat and drink from on it. then it cant be harmful. or you would get sick too