Complete Guide to Leopard Gecko Substrates
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- čas přidán 1. 06. 2024
- In this video I look at all different substrate options for your pet leopard gecko, I list their pros and cons, along with accessories you can use with them, such as slate. As well as this I talk about substrates that are quite dangerous for your leopard geckos, and along the way I offer you some tips about setting up the tank. I hope this helps!
Thanks to everyone who sent in their photos and clips for this video!
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all the people who disliked probably use calcium sand
Maybe because it’s best
Leopard gecko Care
actually it's the worst
Leopard gecko Care....it's the best if you want to kill your gecko
Ben Animations or work at PetSmart
i think it was a joke
lucky this video exists, I had calci sand in my tank since I'm getting my gecko in a weeks time from a breeder and immediately cleaned it out and went out to buy eco earth, thank you!
me too
A lot of the companies like Flukers and Dubia say that the fears of impaction with calcium sand are overblown, but the people at PetSmart advised against it
@@dylanmccreary2164calci sand is bad, but also never listen to the employees
Everyone hates on eco earth now 😭😭
How are you looking back on your decision right nowv
My local reptile shop refuses to sell sand at all
kaleb kralicek i love your petshop
What is it called? My Pet smart sucks!
kaleb kralicek THATS AWESOME!!!
That is amazing!
@@emmaag_11 my pet smart sells eco dirt
i used eco earth for my anoles for 5 yrs and i just got a leopard gecko recently, the pet store girl or whatever told me eco earth causes impaction and that i should grt calci sand i laughed in her face lmfao😂😂
Olive Shupe lol c sand is the worst
wow that's... very sadly ironic. Calcium sand is way more likely to compact them, yikes
just found another case of autism I don't like pet stores especially for 75 percent of he time the "live" mealworms are dead
my crickets think its amazing to hop into the water dish and die :/
Same😂
i dont use crickets for my dudes anymore because theyre all suicidal. They live off of mealworms and dubia roaches along with like calcium and vitamins and stuff
Carlee dyer The crickets would rather drown than be eaten alive by another animal. Still an inconvenience none the less.
Carlee dyer so do my crickets!!!
same with mine
I actually love the earthy smell of Eco Earth :)
Midnight The Dueler yeah i dont mind it either haha
it's really lovely.😃
I love it; it smells like moss.
until you get bugs in it
Ikr
7:36 I am so angry at the breeder that told me “this is an amazing substrate It can’t cause impaction and they benefit from eating it” ಠ_ಠ now changing to slate and eco earth
Thank you LG
You should wright a book.
Yes!!!! I would definitely buy it!
Excalibur Sword You probably shouldn't, it just wouldn't be RIGHT.
Excalibur Sword haha that would be awesome!
+Excalibur Sword She totally should, I love all the valuable information she has and she has so much humor with it ;)
Leopard Gecko
is it okay to use carbord box ? plz get back with me ...thanks
Would you consider revisiting this video with your newfound information? I would love to hear your current opinions on this topic!
Yes this is still very good
I thought calcium sand was okay then saw this video and you may of saved my geckos life thank you
For me the best and safest choice is a textured ceramic tile. The tiles are 100% safe, wipe clean and wont absorb any urate or loose feces like slate can, they look natural and best of all the tile heats up and spreads heat evenly across its surface which means you don't have any pesky heat spots, keeping your Gecko happy wherever on the UTH he may be.
Zuxeh yeah they sound pretty cool, i kinda meant to include them with lino and vinyl tiles, i know the materials are different but they work the same :)
Shane where do you get your tile?
Dylan I recommend dry Eco earth :)
Fiona Shepley I have had a bad experience with eco earth. I had a crestie, and it swallowed a mouthful of eco earth and the vet couldn't save it. I could always give it another try
Ah, sorry to hear that :( As long as you give your Leo proper husbandry, he shouldn't get impacted. It'll also give him stimulation by letting him dig :)
The pet shop once offered me calcium sand, and I said....NO!
Leah Van Rensburg good!!!!
That's great
I get loose eco earth that doesn't come in a brick so I don't have to wait for it to dry out
Same
Awesome video! Thanks to you I started using eco earth in my tank again! It looks amazing
Really wonderful vid you've made. Seems like you talked about every possible substrate and made excellent points on them all.
Ocean Truth thank you :D
she didnt talk about bio-active substrate
@Stephen yeah when i was thinking about all the substrates ive heard never to use, I always remember reading about crushed walnut shells lol
love the video I think it covers pretty much all the substrates
I saw a sneaky cricket hidden under one of your gecko's hides it's almost visible you can see it at the right at part 6:19-6:30 keep I close eye on them
Dinosaurs Terror World lol
Thx for telling me to not use calci sand because a shop owner told me it was the best substrate. But now i know better
thx for help.
hi! I'm thinking of getting a leopard gecko and the do nots were so useful! i was thinking of using calcifies sand but i changed my mind. thanks again!
You should use it but would recommend big flat rocks as stepping stones. That's what I use
Love your videos youve helped me so much with my first leo. Im currently feeding crickets and meal worms but Ive been considering switching to dubia roaches since crickets are a pain. Id love a video on how your leos are doing on them. Are you using dubias as a staple or still using crickets as well?
Bethany Lackey thank you :D at the moment they are mainly on crickets as i am waiting for the mealworms to get bigger (as i am currently breeding the beetles) and also throughout the summer my roaches have been kept in a warm shed, so they will hopefully breed, as i ran out of nymphs, so they havent had them in a long time.
Your videos r great and so useful, I'm getting a gecko for my son this week.I have owned 3 in the past they are great pets.I found this video so useful.
Thank you so much , you were so helpful because I have a sand and carpet mat and I hate it so I think I will try eco earth because of the pros
@Timmy if it gets particularly cold, say in the winter, you can always try a black light (aka a real infra-red light) just to bring up the temp a little, but id suggest using a thermostat to make sure it doesnt over heat :)
if I have a thermometer that doesn't have a probe and I have a heat mat where would I put the thermometer
I highly recommend you get one with a probe; any other one (except temperature guns) are inaccurate. If/once you get a probe, it goes on the substrate on the warm side
Wait, do you just get eco-earth or the eco earth coconut fiber substrate one...
Thank u.. Im new to this gecko staff.. Im a tarantula and scorpion keeper.. Im reviewing and researching about leopard gecko before buying it.. This video help a lot..so the best subs is ecoearth and aquarium stone..
Hello,
I just want to say thank you so much for creating this Chanel. I have been watching this Chanel for about a year now and I would be completely stuck with out this Chanel and I would probably be the worst gecko owner ever. My heck that I got for my birthday in March is nearly 6 months old and he is looking happy and strong. I seriously don't know what I would do with out you .you Chanel is amazing and please keep it going because it's amazing. Ps. You should write a leopard gecko book because that would be so useful and great!
Thank you for reading this I love your Chanel!!!!!!!!!!!
Barnaby Clark aww thank you so much! :D i am glad your gecko is doing so well, its great to hear you're doing such a good job! :D
That gecko terrarium at 6:07 is way to small for a bearded dragon
Jamie Wylie very true!
Since you said eco earth doesn't have to be cleaned as often, so when should I clean it?
Change it out every six months :)
your voice is really engaging, love your vids
I've been caring for my brothers gecko so I've been watching your videos since last night :)
So, my baby leo ate a MOUTHFUL of eco earth last night... Feel awful!! he didn't seem very hungry tonight, but he pooped and I caught him eating his shed (maybe why he barely ate)so i'm watching him closely and hoping he'll be okay...
Aries Animals I know this comment is old, but I just bought eco earth (Komodo compact brick), and I’m kinda scared my leo will eat it, despite many recommending it. How did it go with your leo after he ate the substrate? Did he turn out ok? Has it happened since?
I'm Pretty Sure It Is Digestible But, If Your Gecko Eats It I Think You Should Switch Him To Paper Towels TEMPORARLEY So You Can Monitor His Poop. As I Said I'm Pretty Sure It's Safe. (I Meant He/She)
Can you use a mix of excavator clay and Eco earth? Because those are my two favourite substrates and it would look awsome.
Probably, but I don’t think it could get too wet
I have same carpet sand you have ar end...love it. Thanks for idea of small patch papertowl. Also mixing substrates im going to try
Definitely get rid of the carpet. Good options include zoo med’s reptisoil, a mix that’s 60% potting soil and 40% playsand (or a soil/sand/clay mix), Arcadia earth mix arid, or Terra Sahara from the bio dude.
Great video, very helpful. I currently have reptile carpet for my new leo, but how does repti-litter work?
i live in the netherlands and i went to this shop called Avonturia and all of the leos (theres like a dozen) have sand as substrate it just makes me mad................... like if u cri evrtiem
ask them why they use it and then say that it can hurt them badly, tell them to get ecoearth instead
Leopard Gecko ja in blue lagoon ook. Wat ik heb gevonden in Coco systemen zijn een soort balletjes gemaakt van 99% calcium. Het dier kan het verteren. Ik heb het altijd gebruikt met mijn baardagamen. Alleen als ze erg zwak zijn kan het dodelijk zijn.1 van mijn baardagamen is er aan doodgegaan omdat hij al weinig at, en stopte met groeien. Hij kreeg een darmverstopping. Die heb ik genezen maar omdat hij zo mager winterslaap in ging en net als mijn andere dan weigert te eten ging hij dood. Toch echt geweldig. Ik gebruik wel zand zoor mijn luipaardgekko's. Ik voer hen met een pincet maar ik ga swichten naar ecoearth. Deze calciballen zijn GEEN CALCISAND
@@dr.hartman5661 dat is goed van je dat je eco earth gaat gebruiken het is zoveel beter
@@dr.hartman5661 zoooo waar elke reptielenzaak in nl die ik heb bezocht raad gewoon zand aan. en als ik vertel over "impaction" hoor ik dat het theorieën zijn van mensen in amerika, WTFF
@Wouter vd M waar heb jij je gekko gekocht? We hebben hier in Groningen wel een kleine reptielenzaak maar die heeft weinig keuze tussen gekko's en ik zou liever naar een fokker gaan maar zou niet weten waar ik deze kan vinden...
I use eco earth
oh I would have got some other substrate thanks for the tips it was really HELLPFULL
Thank you that was really helpful
PinaColadaFilms no problem :D
Calci sand is really something you should probably limit to
things like terrestrial hermit crabs or halloween crabs i think.
I have a hermit crab at home... I wouldn't use calcium sand for him for a lot of reasons: 1: It's expensive. 2: it doesn't retain humidity (they need 60% + humidity) 3: hermit crabs like to soak in water, and when they leave the water and step on the sand it glues itself to their shells/ bodies. 4: it doesn't hold tunnels for molting or digging in general. I'm not sure about Halloween crabs, but it seems pointless. Eco earth is SO much cheaper, and it's not supporting sand.
certain scorpion species too :)
Unless it’s obscene who acc dislikes vids like this 😤🥶
Great rundown.
Your channel is so helpful!! X
looks like the pros of eco earth outweigh the cons. I was never told by any gecko expert that sand was bad for geckos :\
unfortunately it is. Sand is almost like a death trap in my eyes and i will never ever use or recommend it to anyone. although when i first got my bearded dragon i did put him on calci sand but when i searched it up i quickly changed substrates. Now she is on eco earth and much happier.
I dont want to be mean, but why you dont show yourself? I think you look cute :3
Look her instagram..?
She doesn't show herself because this is a channel for her leopard geckos
i love your video aswell it really helped me a lot!
THANK YOU!! Without your channel I could’ve had to deal with a dead gecko! We had sand in her tank and was saw this and we immediately got a heat carpet
Carpet is not a good substrate.
Paper towel, non-adhesive shelf liner, or textured tile are all good solids. It’s best to offer digging enrichment with reptisoil, organic top soil, or a bioactive substrate. You could do full loose, half and half, or full solid with a dig box
Thank you for the video i have had my 3 leopard geckos on calcium sand. They have been perfectly fine so far but I do not want to take the risk. Tonight I am going to the store to buy crickets and I am going to buy a few bags of eco earth to pit in the tank. I have my brown anoles on eco earth but the rest that I have is not enough to fill the bottom of a 20 gallon and a 10 gallon. Again thank you for the information you are an awesome youtuber and I subscribed.
Thank you leopard gecko this helped me so much thank you
Came to this video in somewhat of a panic. I've been using eco earth for a few months and just tonight started noticing a lot of it in my gecko's poop. So so glad to hear that this is pretty normal and won't lead to impaction problems. Thank you so much for helping me on my journey to get my first reptile and with any concerns I've had after getting her.
Eco earth can be dusty and cause joint problems. I’d switch to reptisoil or organic top soil.
@@fionashepley478 Good to know I've been thinking about switching to a different substrate and will look into those
Your voice is really soothing!
Have you tried using Akadama soil? I see some people on fb that are using it, looks good and it should be safe, as it’s said to be non-toxic and well ventilated. It also prevents bacteria growth.
Thanks. You have no idea how much I have learned from your videos. Basically my gecko is alive and happy thanks to you 😁
Hello, I recently found your channel and its helped me a lot with my new baby gecko, thank you for the amazing info. Question though, I bought peat moss for my gecko's moist box, is it safe and can I use it for a substrate.
a trick to drying your eco earth is to put it in a shallow but big cake pan. I use a disposable tin one and I put it in about an inch thick and it's half dry after a couple hours. then I mix it and over night it's pretty much ready.
This is very helpful. Will you be doing an undated video on substrate soon?
I want to go bio active for my leos and the substrate is bioactive herps AridMix which is mainly Eco earth with a bit of sand.
This was very useful :) I think I'm going to switch my geckos to Eco Earth. They have had some problems with hydration on SaniChips. Thank you! Your awesome!!! :D
Do more research dude.
great video (as always) very imformative and i agree with every thing also iv never heard of sand carpet pretty weird ??
Jeorge Prout thank you :D yeah its a new thing exo terra bought out lol
i use tile and i love it!
This was the most helpful thing I ever seen👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Leo Guilfoyle aw awesome :D thanks!
What Sotware do you use to edit? Looks very neat! Awesome video by the way :D
when I bought my leopard gecko from a small pet shop I also got an exo Terra starter kit for leopard geckos and it came with the rocky mat for the bottom. it looks alright and has a nice texture for shedding but it was such a pain to clean, the poop would get stuck in between the rocks and I would have to take the whole mat out to clean it
I might have to try that sand mat. it looks cool but I wonder how easy it will be to clean...
I use slate and eco earth too and I think the eco earth smells nice, it gets rid of any other bad smells in the tank but the crickets still stink
great video, this really helped, if it werent for you i wouldn't be getting a Gecko, i am pretty much going to copy your layout with only a few personal touches (artificial plants, custom water dish etc, you are the best youtuber ever when it comes to this, thankyou, once again you are the best 😄😄😄
Ben Nash thank you :D yeah im hoping to do a video once i get some lino, and show how i am setting up minnies tanks :D
Lepord gecko please keep making more videos you inspire me so Mutch in school I can't thank you enaugh
Dominic Seese aw awesome! :D thats great to hear, thanks!
Any opinions on mixing the calc and vitamin powders instead of using them at different intervals? Like 1 part vitamin powder for 3 parts calcium powder?
When i got my 2 geckos they lived in a really bad condision . They weren’t fed , the had gravel as the floor , they never got calcium . But now the live with me and there Happy and healthy
Glad to see this video (even tho I'm only 5 years late lol). I've been looking into substrates to use and I wanted something natural looking but not dangerous, and I was about to get some TerraSahara from TheBioDude, which looks really good but is pretty expensive, but then I saw some coconut fiber substrate at the local pet store and it looked pretty similar but far cheaper. I think this basically answers that question. One other question, though: can I plant things like succulents and other middle eastern plants in coconut fiber?
Coconut fibre doesn’t support plants and is not a good substrate for leopard geckos since it tends to be dusty and hard on their joints. Terra Sahara is good but overpriced. Reptisoil is another good option. The cheapest option would be organic top soil (without fertilizer or perlite, Scott’s is a good brand), or a mix that’s 60% organic top soil and 40% children’s playsand. You can go bioactive with that mix. All of these support plants (although I’ve heard potting soil is better for plants than top soil, you just need to make sure it doesn’t contain fertilizer).
@@nightinggale6470 ok interesting, thanks for the info. Especially about the supporting plants cuz I didnt know that about coconut fiber and I was hoping to use some succulents
Hi im hailey i have been watching ur channel for awhile i want to use coconut fiber for my leopard gecko i been trying to found out everything about leopard geckos before getting one thank u some much u really have helped me with my research
Coconut fibre can be dusty and cause joint problems. New reptiles should be quarantined on paper towel for the first six weeks to monitor their health. Other good solids include textured tile and non-adhesive shelf liner. It’s best to offer digging enrichment over six months with reptisoil, organic top soil (without fertilizer or perlite, Scott’s is a good brand), or a bioactive mix. Half tile half soil is good as well.
Thank u
great vid thx 4 the help :)
I CANNOT UNSEE THAT IMAGE OF THE POOR GECKO THAT WAS DISSECTED TO REMOVE SAND AA
I was in a pet shop yesterday, and I asked an employee why they sold sand as their only reptile substrate. We then got into a long conversation that ended with her telling me to never use sand, and that they sold it to get returning customers. Absolutely wonderful...
1000Masterassassin haha exactly, its so annoying, i mean i know they need to run a business but jeez, animal health should come first :/
Thank U for this I thought that having it super dry was bad
Eco earth?
Can I use potting soil (a thin layer so heat from heat mat gets to gecko) and I hand feed my geckos so I don't worry about impaction. Cause my mom wants to grow small plants and put a water fall in it. Plus I have a male and female (I got them when they were babies and I could not tell yet) so when they mate I don't have to put in a bin of soil in the tank so she could lay eggs.
I am wondering is lizard litter okay or safe for leopard gekos I have a repti carpet and am about to replace it and if lizard litter is safe I am considering to switch to lizard litter
so i am using eco Earth for my tank and the top layer has dried, but underneath its still damp. due to this the temp on the cool side is about 68 Degrees Fahrenheit to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Where its recommended to be around 74 to 78. is this ok?
Thank you, I inherited a 2 to 3 year old Leo and the person I got him from had always used wood chips but I've never been happy with it because it looks uncomfortable for my Leo. I was thinking of moving to lino but after seeing this I'm going to see if I can get some eco soil at either of my local pet shops today and if not I'll order from amazon. how deep should eco soil be over the heat mat?
CoLFC I leave the glass exposed over the heat mat :)
@Erica not really, i thought about it for my crestie, but fake plants are easier to look after haha
Do you know what kind of leo that was you showed in the picture when talking about driftwood?
I'm so glad I use ecoearth. I was worried about my geckos ingesting it but now I feel much better lol.
My leopard geckos have been having sand mats since day one and I've never seen a problem. I do however, do half and half because in the hides I put Eco Earth and in hunting areas I have sand mats and they love it.
Just wondering, are they housed together?
This video will hopefully be very helpful to new or upcoming owners. Good job! :-)
ThatOneGeckoGuy thank you :D
Hi Hun, great videos. Can I line with Lino then add Eco earth on top? I imagine wit would be thinner than slate so could put the heat mat underneath?
That could be good. Eco earth can be dusty though. Reptisoil, organic top soil, or a bioactive substrate would be better. And a ceramic heat emitter or deep heat projector would be beneficial.
Will large Repti Bark be OK to use in a month to change up look & feel of my Gecko area of living?
Hi i live in Portugal and id like to know where i can get the eco earth in here. I thought in portuguese it was exo terra but apparentely that is a different thing. I really want the eco earth you have. Do you have any links?
Just wondering how lino can be secured/attached to the floor of the vivarium without the use of glue (due to fumes)..? One bedding that wasn't mentioned is Sani Chips by T Rex. Although regular wood chips are dangerous, these are tiny weeny little chips of Aspen that are commonly used in the US. LLL Reptile uses them a lot and have said that they are easily pooped out. Thoughts on this as an alternative to Eco Earth?
I love your videos! What brand do you recommend buying from? I’m planning to get a new tank for my leo.
Do you mean what brand for the tank?
Question about heating: can you use just a heating lamp for a leopard gecko? And if they aren't super hot, can you use heat rocks?
Ragnar is famous! I'd tell him but he's preoccupied with his dinner. Thanks for using my pic, great vid :)
I use astro turf (basically fake grass) and it's really helpful when shedding.
I'd just use dry eco earth or textured tile
Hello! love your videos! Just recently got a leopard gecko and am wondering if the terrarium moss i use is good for them. He doesnt seem to be ingesting any when he does eat but i wanna hear ur opinion.
Kitty Krier it’s best in the humid hide instead of the whole substrate. I recommend dry eco earth for the substrate if they’re an adult :)
So, would it be easier to buy set (dryish) Eco earth or a reptile carpet?
I have a desert banded gecko, should I also use Eco earth and avoid sand?
Could i use something Auboise or Corn Cob bedding? I have got a 1yr old female leo gecko who is recovering from a nasty pinworm infection. She doesnt like the soil type beddings. Would the auboise or corn beddings be ok with heat mat or ceramic heating?
That wouldn’t be a good substrate. Look into paper towel, textured tile, non-adhesive shelf liner, and/or excavator clay. I’d offer a dig box with soil just to give her the option.
you help me a lot
I used to have wood chips for my gecko lusii, but I changed it out and now I have eco earth but i have a wood chip path made
Eco earth is a great substrate! I'd take any remaining chips out, though, there's still a risk :)
We started with artificial grass but noticed Pascal was walking weirdly so go some eco earth arid and now he walks fine. So assume the fake grass is uncomfortable for them
Hi💕 at first I was having my Leo in a sand terrarium and not longer after I do my resurch and knew that it is really bad 🥺 and I use it because the pet store tell me that it was safe 😤😥 but my Leo was fine!!😌 after this I decide to get some (coco husk, exo terra) it’s almost the same as you and I was proud because I want the best for my pet!! ❤️
I recommend switching to reptisoil, organic top soil (without fertilizer or perlite, Scott’s is a good brand), or a bioactive mix :)
Fiona Shepley tanks but do you think that what I use is fine 😬
Mes rongeurs Et moi it’s not the best option.