I was recently given a four year old leopard gecko and she was being housed in a 20 gallon tank with sand as the substrate. After reading several forums on this site, I realized it was a miracle that she hadn't become impacted yet and wanted to avoid this at all costs. I removed all the sand and replaced it with paper towels. Will she need a period of time to adapt to this new substrate and also is it going to be hard for her to adjust as she has always been on sand?

Thanks!!

It may take her a few days or so to get used to it but she should be fine

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

Yep I agree with Marsha....it also depends on your leopard gecko....some can handle change better than others.....good luck and enjoy!

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Warmest Regards from Lyn

Most reptiles are pretty adaptable creatures.
Thats how they put up with us!

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Hello,

A few days and she will be fine. One thing she may miss is the ability to dig. You should make sure there is a moist hide in the enclosure so she can dig and also has a place to aid with shedding.

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also, i used to use paper towels, but then she started eating and picking at the towels, so I asked the vet and she said eco earth is a good substrate. its all natural and its ok if she eats it, it'll pass right through her digestive system.

The others got you covered.

I will say this though. Fine sand will pass through a healthy animal too. Not calci sand, but a fine sand. I keep 4 geckos on sand all smaller than Leopard Geckos, and plan on having many more on sand.

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I personally wouldn't use the ecoearth for the whole enclosure, try for something solid like shelf liner, tiles or large flat stones.

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Those who say it can't be done should get out of the way of those who are doing it.

~*~Lacey~*~

My Photos

Yeah if your going to have something diggable I wouldn't go with the whole enclosure...It's not nice to be face and eyes into something dusty all the time. Plus echoearth keeps moisture doesn't it? And leopard geckos should have very low humidity