A word about substrate choice
by Matt Tranter
I would strongly reccomend them as a first choice for the novice reptile enthusiast. They are hardy animals and by following care sheets such as this one, you will be suprised at just how rewarding the Leo can be! A word of warning however.. as stated in this care sheet, DO NOT under any circumstances keep your Leopard Gecko on sand. Calcium sand, play sand, special reptile sand that's supposedly reccomended by experts.. AVOID IT ALL! Even if the guy you spoke to in the pet store told you that's what you need, he is only telling you this to sell you the bag of calcium sand sat on his shelf for £20! In their natural habitat, Leo's live in a rocky, arid terrain more like rock & compacted clay, so keeping them on sand, however natural it may look to you, is not at all natural to them. Again, as stated by this care sheet, suitable substrates include newspaper (preferably unprinted) paper towels or my personal favourite Cork floor/wall Tiles! These are perfect, they resemble the texture and look of their natural environment, they are easy to keep clean, pose no health risks to your Leo and best of all, very cheap! I have also seen people using slate tiles, which is a fantastic substrate choice as it is almost an exact match to thier natural terrain and warms up nicely when placed above a heat mat! A number of people also use woodchip or bark.. while this is a better choice than sand, it is still not advisable as woodchip still contains small particles that the Leo can injest, plus woodchip has a tendancy to be a little dusty which is bad news for your Leo's eyes and respitory system! Follow these simple rules and your Leo will live a long and happy life!
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