Could vermiculite or perlite be used as the substrate for an enclosure?

Either of those could pose an impaction hazard for leopard geckos...I have heard of people using repticarpet and paper towels....good luck...Lyn

Absolutely not. Both would pose a serious impaction problem as well as the possibility of dust from them being inhaled. Both substances carry warning on the packaging to be careful not to inhale the dust and wearing a fliter mask is suggested.

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

I use perlite as a substrate for my substrate! It helps to keep the soil and coco bark I have from retaining too much water. I can make it about twice as long with out cleaning the cage if I put a nice layer of perlite down on top of the organic soil, which is then covered with a compacted layer of coco bark.
Paper towel and newspaper work fantastic too, just no where near as appealing as a natural substrate!
-cf

Aren't they recommended for incubators? Not that I have any eggs, but that's what sparked the idea.

Also, is there any type of sand that can be used? Obviousy not play sand or calci sand, but last time I was at the Home Depot, I thought I saw sand with .2mm grains. Any ideas?

Sand... wouldnt recommend it especially if you are feeding crickets or worms directly on the substrate. I dont house any desert, or sand, dwelling reps though so I don't know what would be best to be used. I do believe some sands are safe, someone will help you out soon enough!
And perlite is used for incubation simply to provide an inorganic medium to safely stow the eggs away. It is easy to keep a constant moisture throughout the perlite.
-cf

Hello,
Perlite and vermiculite are used as mediums for egg incubation due to their water retention. I would never suggest them as a substrate though. A nice "natural" looking substrate would be tan colored cloth. I will post a picture as an example.
In the below picture you will notice that there are plants. Yes,they are alive. They are housed in small plant holders that have been wrapped in the same cloth that is used as the substrate.

__________________
.:: Rich ::.

+ Spread The Info

What size tank is that? That is really nice btw.

Hello,
That particular tank is a 40 gallon breeder. Thanks for the compliment.

__________________
.:: Rich ::.

+ Spread The Info