I've never owned a leopard gecko or bearded dragon but I was planning on getting one sometime in the future. I've done all my research and I've got everything I need to know. The issue is the whole substrate problem. Some people say sand is ok and then others say sand is a NO GO! I've been looking in to it and was think what about using clay loam. It seems good to me its... there less chance of them eating cause its not as loose as sand and the Leopard Geckos would have something to dig in as well.... if any would could help I would be thankful.

if your going to use any loose substrate the you must have a adult on it. babys can not handle it in there stomachs. also if you pour water on it and it clumps together then that is something you should not use. I used screened/washed play sand. however my leo is 2 years old and havent had any issues. I also dont feed him over the sand he comes out and hunts on my bed. i take off all the sheets and throw down a cricket and let the good times roll. if you feed them on loose substrate they will miss a bug evey now and then and ingest the sand or loam. You also have to replace all your loose stuff every couple months. i think the repticarpet is the best as far as cleaning but I like to look of sand alot more. however I rarly see him trying to dig in it.

well Leopard Geckos don't really need to dig because they come from areas with hard packed ground. Your safest bet is to use newspaper or you could try tile or slate if you want something that looks better.

i had seen a few sites that said they sometimes like to dig sooo I dont know like I said im new to them but thank you for your help I like the slate idea I want something that looks natural for them

I never witnessed my digging unless they were going to lay eggs in there hides. You can also use shelf liner.

__________________
MARSHA
A man without a woman is a bachelor, A woman without a man is a genius!.

We have enough youth, how about a fountain of smart!

I am slightly new to geckos as well,( I had a three year old male since about 6 months, that died and today got a new month or two old) and I have tiles on the heated side, and paper towels on the rest of the bottom.

I've had my male gecko for about 8 months, he's about 6yrs old, and as far as I know has always been on sand. He does occasionally dig, both in the sand and in the moist hide. I know he does this because I've seen him.

In addition to the substrates mentioned, you may also be interested in a relatively new clay-based one called Excavator. I think Zoo Med makes it. But its natural looking, and simulates hard-packed terrestrial substrate. Plus you can form burrows and stuff with it. I've never used it, but it seems like a cool product and a lot of people like it....except for the price, lol. I'm not sure if it's soft enough to allow digging, but I think that was one of the points of the substrate if I remember correctly. It might depend on the digging capabilities of the species kept though.

__________________
+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

the excavator is nice to look at but anything that clumps together and hardens like cement I wouldnt reccomend for any lizard even a adult. a adult can be on washed play sand and if it ingested some on a daily or weekly basis it would not bond once it enters the stomach and gets wet and would pass thru. i would hate to see them ingest that stuff and it bonds in there stomach over time into a rock. try to pass that
this is not scientific proof and have nothing to back this up but sounds like common sense to me.

I have my adult on washed play sand and I dont feed him in the tank so if he does eat any sand its because he licked it and I dont recall him ever licking his sand. I did see him dig in it a couple days ago but just in one corner of one of his hides so far.

Of course if you use the repticarpet, tiles, newspaper, papertowels then you dont ever have to worry about impaction. If you do use loose substrate just monitor your herps and wouldnt recommend feeding them on loose substrate.

I think the Excavator is hardened before you put the animal back in. Do a search here. I know several people here have used it and made tunnels etc as Matt mentioned.

Heres one link I found...might have some info.

Excavator Clay substrate

__________________
MARSHA
A man without a woman is a bachelor, A woman without a man is a genius!.

We have enough youth, how about a fountain of smart!