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!
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
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
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😂😂
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
I'd say give your Gecko the best you can give. We are talking about the wellbeing of an animal we all love and by purchasing a gecko and bringing it into your home you have the responsability to take good care of him or her. I would say go for eco-earth as it is not expensive and works very well.
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 :)
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 :)
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
@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 :)
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
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
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!!!!!!!!!!!
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.
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!
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.
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)
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..
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
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 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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
hey, i have a question... if i purchase a britta filter to clean the tap water would that be good enough for my leopard gecko? i'm adopting one soon and i want to make sure i'm doing everything correctly
@@nightinggale6470 spring water as in bottled spring water? and do you also know if any water filters work like the Britta I asked about earlier? I just don't want to create plastic waste and stuff. thank you for responding to me! :)
kikicruor yes, as in bottled spring water. I’m not sure about water filters, I’d do more research on it. I’ve heard Brita doesn’t always filter all the bad stuff out. Again, you may be able to just use straight tap water, and leave it out for the chlorine to evaporate
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.
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
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...
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?
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
Quick tip- I have synthetic grass in my yard and Ive noticed that if a small force (Possibly enough caused by a Leopard Gecko tearing is it by accident) were to apply enough force it tears and can be eaten which might not be safe to swallow plastic. Not sure though.
So I have been using black pebble sand. It's not sand, the grains are about 2mm have no idea what it's called or anything. My gecko loves it. And she's been around for about 14 years. When I rescued her they had a 5 gallon bucket of it and have just ran out lol. I'm looking for something new along with a larger tank. Eco earth looks lovely.
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
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 😄😄😄
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
With my leopard geckos I have reptile carpet, I think it's pretty safe but you're right about the teeth and claws. So whenever my leopard geckos eat I cover their cage in paper towels so they can't get hurt, then for the calcium and vitamins I have a tile in their cage so it doesn't get everywhere;)
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.
I have my baby on reptile carpet right now. She was missing half her claws when I got her so I’m not quite as worried about her claws getting caught. I’m hoping to upgrade her to bio active substrate soon. She’s a tong fed brat so I’m not really worried about impaction or feeders escaping.
I will probably get hate for this but I use repti bark in part of my cage and she loves it. Switching her back to carpet and rocks soon though because I like to change things up for her
Carpet catches their teeth and claws and harbours bacteria no matter how much you clean it. Reptisoil, organic top soil, or a bioactive substrate would be great for digging enrichment
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.
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?
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.
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
I've been using carpet and it's actually pretty easy to clean, just a bit time consuming. I wash it first in the sink with warm water and dawn dish soap, gently scrub out debris and rinse. Then I spray it with dilute bleach, let it sit for a bit, and rinse a few more times. Then I take it outside and fling the water out (the way you'd fling dust out of a rug). Once it stops dripping, I drape it over a chair and let it sit for an hour or two under a ceiling fan. After that, it's good to go! Always keep two carpets on hand, the extra to go into the tank while the soiled one gets cleaned. Spot clean daily, wash the entire carpet once a week, and you're golden. You can also put paper towel over the poop spot to make cleanup easier. I would do that for my guy, but he doesn't have a particular poop spot and instead just goes wherever he darn well feels like it XD
Oh sorry nvm I didn't realize that you're the one who replied to my other comment! How about tile? It's permanent, conducts heat well, and insects can't get underneath it
Fiona Shepley haven't tried tile, but then again I also haven't had issues with insects getting underneath the carpet. My guy has special medical needs (adopted him while he was recovering from MBD - some permanent bone deformity as a result), so I have to help him hunt because he doesn't move very fast. I usually just herd the roaches toward his face, or tong-feed.
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 strongly recommend switching to a different substrate. Reptile carpet catches their teeth and claws and harbours bacteria no matter how much it’s cleaned. It’s also completely unnatural and doesn’t offer any digging enrichment whatsoever. I recommend switching to paper towel for now. Reptisoil, organic top soil (without fertilizer or perlite, Scott’s is a good brand), or a bioactive mix are the best options. Half textured tile half soil is good as well.
Eco earth is not a great substrate. It tends to be dusty and hard on their joints and is unnatural. Reptisoil, Scott’s organic top soil, or a bioactive mix are all much better options.
I just got two baby leopards geckos as a present from my mother and it was kinda really a surprise so I was not prepared so here I am almost watching all your videos so i can take care of them, just the bad part is that the person who sell them to my mother told her that they can be fine if there are 2 on the same tank and from what I have seen is not a really great idea, I'm just expecting them to get along but if they don't I'll have to get another tank :c
Please separate them ASAP! Show your mom this. Tons of cases of leopard geckos fighting. imgur.com/a/3mRE7qj There are plenty of cheap options for another enclosure. You can get a large plastic tub for cheap. A secondhand tank on Craigslist. A tank from petco’s $1 per gallon sale.
How can I travel with my leopard gecko on a bus ride? I have to go home for Christmas and need to take my leopard gecko with me on a bus. Could I buy a put carrier like one for a cat and put it in there with a temporary heat pad and then buy a tank and supplies for my parent's home to put him in?
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 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
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
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
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 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
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
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
I thought calcium sand was okay then saw this video and you may of saved my geckos life thank you
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
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 ;)
I'd say give your Gecko the best you can give. We are talking about the wellbeing of an animal we all love and by purchasing a gecko and bringing it into your home you have the responsability to take good care of him or her. I would say go for eco-earth as it is not expensive and works very well.
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 :)
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
@Stephen yeah when i was thinking about all the substrates ive heard never to use, I always remember reading about crushed walnut shells lol
The pet shop once offered me calcium sand, and I said....NO!
Leah Van Rensburg good!!!!
That's great
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.
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
love the video I think it covers pretty much all the substrates
Awesome video! Thanks to you I started using eco earth in my tank again! It looks amazing
@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
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 :)
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
Wait, do you just get eco-earth or the eco earth coconut fiber substrate one...
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
You should use it but would recommend big flat rocks as stepping stones. That's what I use
I've been caring for my brothers gecko so I've been watching your videos since last night :)
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.
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!
That gecko terrarium at 6:07 is way to small for a bearded dragon
Jamie Wylie very true!
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.
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)
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..
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...
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.
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
Ragnar is famous! I'd tell him but he's preoccupied with his dinner. Thanks for using my pic, great vid :)
I use eco earth
your voice is really engaging, love your vids
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 :)
Thank you that was really helpful
PinaColadaFilms no problem :D
Unless it’s obscene who acc dislikes vids like this 😤🥶
This was the most helpful thing I ever seen👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Leo Guilfoyle aw awesome :D thanks!
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 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
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
oh I would have got some other substrate thanks for the tips it was really HELLPFULL
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
hey, i have a question... if i purchase a britta filter to clean the tap water would that be good enough for my leopard gecko? i'm adopting one soon and i want to make sure i'm doing everything correctly
I recommend spring water. Straight tap water can be fine too, depending on the region (it’s safer in some places than others)
@@nightinggale6470 spring water as in bottled spring water? and do you also know if any water filters work like the Britta I asked about earlier? I just don't want to create plastic waste and stuff. thank you for responding to me! :)
kikicruor yes, as in bottled spring water. I’m not sure about water filters, I’d do more research on it. I’ve heard Brita doesn’t always filter all the bad stuff out. Again, you may be able to just use straight tap water, and leave it out for the chlorine to evaporate
@@nightinggale6470 okay, thank you very much! i appreciate it
@Erica not really, i thought about it for my crestie, but fake plants are easier to look after haha
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!
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?
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
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
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.
Can you use Perlite?
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 :/
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?
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?
Your voice is really soothing!
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
Quick tip- I have synthetic grass in my yard and Ive noticed that if a small force (Possibly enough caused by a Leopard Gecko tearing is it by accident) were to apply enough force it tears and can be eaten which might not be safe to swallow plastic. Not sure though.
So I have been using black pebble sand. It's not sand, the grains are about 2mm have no idea what it's called or anything. My gecko loves it. And she's been around for about 14 years. When I rescued her they had a 5 gallon bucket of it and have just ran out lol. I'm looking for something new along with a larger tank. Eco earth looks lovely.
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.
I might have to try that sand mat. it looks cool but I wonder how easy it will be to clean...
i love your video aswell it really helped me a lot!
Thank U for this I thought that having it super dry was bad
Eco earth?
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
Thank you leopard gecko this helped me so much thank you
I think for my new gecko I will be doing paper towels for the quartine period, then eco earth, or making a bio active tank. 👍
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
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
Your channel is so helpful!! X
With my leopard geckos I have reptile carpet, I think it's pretty safe but you're right about the teeth and claws. So whenever my leopard geckos eat I cover their cage in paper towels so they can't get hurt, then for the calcium and vitamins I have a tile in their cage so it doesn't get everywhere;)
Great video, very helpful. I currently have reptile carpet for my new leo, but how does repti-litter work?
What Sotware do you use to edit? Looks very neat! Awesome video by the way :D
Great rundown.
the calcium sand is dolomite, right?
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.
Amen to that coco fibre taking *FOR EVER* to dry XD
Eco earth/coconut fibre tends to be dusty and hard on their joints. It’s also unnatural. The best options are reptisoil or a soil/playsand mix.
I have my baby on reptile carpet right now. She was missing half her claws when I got her so I’m not quite as worried about her claws getting caught. I’m hoping to upgrade her to bio active substrate soon. She’s a tong fed brat so I’m not really worried about impaction or feeders escaping.
When I get brick eco earth, after soaking it I go and squeeze as much water as I can out of the eco earth so it dosen’t take as long to dry
Eco earth can be dusty and cause joint problems. Reptisoil, organic top soil, or a bioactive substrate would be much better.
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 :)
I will probably get hate for this but I use repti bark in part of my cage and she loves it. Switching her back to carpet and rocks soon though because I like to change things up for her
Carpet catches their teeth and claws and harbours bacteria no matter how much you clean it. Reptisoil, organic top soil, or a bioactive substrate would be great for digging enrichment
So, would it be easier to buy set (dryish) Eco earth or a reptile carpet?
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.
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?
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
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
I've been using carpet and it's actually pretty easy to clean, just a bit time consuming. I wash it first in the sink with warm water and dawn dish soap, gently scrub out debris and rinse. Then I spray it with dilute bleach, let it sit for a bit, and rinse a few more times. Then I take it outside and fling the water out (the way you'd fling dust out of a rug). Once it stops dripping, I drape it over a chair and let it sit for an hour or two under a ceiling fan. After that, it's good to go!
Always keep two carpets on hand, the extra to go into the tank while the soiled one gets cleaned. Spot clean daily, wash the entire carpet once a week, and you're golden. You can also put paper towel over the poop spot to make cleanup easier. I would do that for my guy, but he doesn't have a particular poop spot and instead just goes wherever he darn well feels like it XD
I recommend dry Eco earth :)
Oh sorry nvm I didn't realize that you're the one who replied to my other comment! How about tile? It's permanent, conducts heat well, and insects can't get underneath it
Fiona Shepley haven't tried tile, but then again I also haven't had issues with insects getting underneath the carpet. My guy has special medical needs (adopted him while he was recovering from MBD - some permanent bone deformity as a result), so I have to help him hunt because he doesn't move very fast. I usually just herd the roaches toward his face, or tong-feed.
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 use repti carpet and i have never had any issues my lil guy had it when i bought him so i just kept using it!
I strongly recommend switching to a different substrate. Reptile carpet catches their teeth and claws and harbours bacteria no matter how much it’s cleaned. It’s also completely unnatural and doesn’t offer any digging enrichment whatsoever. I recommend switching to paper towel for now. Reptisoil, organic top soil (without fertilizer or perlite, Scott’s is a good brand), or a bioactive mix are the best options. Half textured tile half soil is good as well.
@@nightinggale6470 thx so much i will go try and get that asap
This is very helpful. Will you be doing an undated video on substrate soon?
Does anyone think that cork would also be a good substrate?
I CANNOT UNSEE THAT IMAGE OF THE POOR GECKO THAT WAS DISSECTED TO REMOVE SAND AA
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?
I’m glad that I use eco earth
Eco earth is not a great substrate. It tends to be dusty and hard on their joints and is unnatural. Reptisoil, Scott’s organic top soil, or a bioactive mix are all much better options.
@@nightinggale6470 I now use Arcadia Earth mix arid because I heard people saying that eco earth is bad
@@nightinggale6470 Yeah in my experience it tends to get in the eyes of lizards (anoles in my case)
did u order your leapord geckos or did u go and by them at a shop?
I just got two baby leopards geckos as a present from my mother and it was kinda really a surprise so I was not prepared so here I am almost watching all your videos so i can take care of them, just the bad part is that the person who sell them to my mother told her that they can be fine if there are 2 on the same tank and from what I have seen is not a really great idea, I'm just expecting them to get along but if they don't I'll have to get another tank :c
Please separate them ASAP!
Show your mom this. Tons of cases of leopard geckos fighting.
imgur.com/a/3mRE7qj
There are plenty of cheap options for another enclosure. You can get a large plastic tub for cheap. A secondhand tank on Craigslist. A tank from petco’s $1 per gallon sale.
@@nightinggale6470 thankssssssss so much for the advice I'll do so
How can I travel with my leopard gecko on a bus ride? I have to go home for Christmas and need to take my leopard gecko with me on a bus. Could I buy a put carrier like one for a cat and put it in there with a temporary heat pad and then buy a tank and supplies for my parent's home to put him in?