Do you have an adult Leopard Gecko?
Is your Leopard gecko sick?
Does your gecko likes to burrow?
Do you prefer a substrate that resembles Leopard's gecko natural habitat?
Paper towels are the best substrate for sick leopard geckos. With paper towels, there are no worries about ingestion or inhalation of a substrate and they are very absorbent, hygienic, and easy to clean (which reduces the chance of illness). It also makes monitoring health (e.g. eating, bowel movements) easy. The downside to paper towels is that your gecko cannot burrow in them and they are not natural to their native habitats.
If your Leopard's gecko likes to burrow you may consider using sand as the substrate. Some owners consider sand unsafe, due to the risk of ingestion and impaction. Healthy adult, properly supplemented geckos are less likely to ingest sand. If you choose sand, only use it with healthy adult geckos. Choose fine-grained, calcium-based sand. You can also choose from a variety of prepackaged reptile beddings. If you choose such a substrate, take the same precautions as with sand as some consist of small particles that could be ingested with feeding.
Shredded paper beddings are available and are typically safe for leopard geckos to burrow in. They don't often ingest paper bedding but if they do, the paper used gets very soft and should pass through your gecko without an issue.
Some owners use slate rocks set into a small amount of sand to anchor them and fill the spaces between the rocks. If you can get smooth flat stones, this seems like a good option for making a naturalistic environment that holds and distributes heat well without much risk of ingesting substrate.
Paper sheets are simple and safe and make it easy to clean your leopard gecko's cage. Both brown butcher paper or unprinted newsprint works great and you can just replace them when they get soiled. Reptile carpets are also a good option. They are easy to clean and carry little risk of ingestion but some carpets can be a bit rough for gecko skin. Keep two pieces on hand to make cleaning easier.
Paper towels are one of the best substrates for juvenile leopard geckos. With paper towels, there are no worries about ingestion or inhalation of a substrate and they are very absorbent, hygienic, and easy to clean (which reduces the chance of illness). The downside to paper towels is that your gecko cannot burrow in them and they are not natural to their native habitats.
https://www.thesprucepets.com/leopard-gecko-substrate-1238760
Sreten null
Hi! I’m Sreten Filipović. I graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Belgrade, with a master's degree in Environmental Protection in Agricultural Systems. I’ve worked as a researcher at Finland's Natural Resources Institute (LUKE) on a project aimed at adapting south-western Finland to drought episodes. I founded a consulting agency in the field of environment and agriculture to help farmers who want to implement the principles of sustainability on their farms. I’m also a founding member of the nonprofit organization Ecogenesis from Belgrade whose main goal is non-formal education on the environment and ecology. In my spare time, I like to write blog posts about sustainability, the environment, animal farming, horticulture, and plant protection. I’ve also published several science-fiction short stories.
You can find me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sreten-filipovi%C4%87-515aa5158/
