#Comparing to other leopard geckos

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

rich egret
#

I recently switched my leo back to paper towel because of a health scare (turned out to be nothing) and was wondering if there’s really a negative side effect to them being on paper towel long term? I still have a bunch of plastic and a live plant in there for enrichment and boiled magnolia leaves and driftwood and switch it up occasionally.

I only ask this because I noticed her colors dulled significantly being on topsoil mix but brightened up since being on paper towel. She didn’t burrow if at all with the topsoil so there wasn’t any benefit from that either and ik how much topsoil mix substrate is emphasized here for leos so not sure if I want to put her back on topsoil.

Another question I had is that now that temperatures are dropping again, my leo has brumated in the past because the ambient temperature drops at night. I’ve searched brumation and it supposedly shouldn’t happen but how can I prevent it?

thorny stone
#

I can only answer the last part but personally one of my geckos but sets during the winter I didn’t do anything to encourage it but she never had any problems.

#

I even had good temperatures

#

I love someone where it gets cold and very snowy I feel they just sense it in the air around them.

#

Paper towel can be tough on the joints being it a hard surface as the same will happen if it’s too loose which is why we use topsoil and play sand since it’s important to replicate their natural habitat. It being difficult on the joints over time is the reason to only use it for quarantine.

#

Not all geckos are diggers one of mine gecko doesn’t.

#

Are your sure the dulling of the color wasn’t shed? And do you have any pictures that are clear they are a lot less vibrate than when they were on papertowl?

#

Any other behavior differences between paper towl and loose beside the color loss?

rich egret
#

And no behavior differences just exploring each time I change the enclosure

#

this is her on towel

985EEA4D-4F1A-42AD-B8B3-FBBF38A33683.jpg
#

i didn’t think paper towel would have joint problems since it’s softer, i do like two three layers of it along with a tile for her cold hide

thorny stone
#

It def harder to see since the photo are under different lighting and bring different park of the body

#

These two are the closest to similar other than lighting since hey both lgiht the head but since the lighting is different it makes it very hard

IMG_6291.png IMG_6292.png
#

That’s a very woody topsoil your got there looks almost like wood chips

#

For example this is was mine looks like

3000EC31-07FF-4C73-9CAF-EC4FE072CD7C.jpg
#

Not sure if I see much of a difference in color but there so many different lighting it’s super hard to tell so I could be wrong

#

With my gecko I have a very soft big papertowl I use a couple layers but it’s pretty hardy to feel and papertowls. really don’t replicate their natural environment like the mix does which it’s a big thing when keep animals like geckos since they are reptiles

#

But I guess there really isn’t a one way to do things you could do a test after the health scare is over you can take many photos and see if there any differences the way she acts then switch to loose substrate and do the same compare the photos and research and determine what’s better. Or you could just do half loose and half papertowl.

#

But I’m not sure what kind of topsoil your using but maybe add a bit more sand it looks very woody.

cobalt arch
#

A substrate should in theory have no affect of what your geckos skin condition is. They can go through phases of have a lighter or darker complexion with good husbandry. I have witnessed it multiple times with my own. A loose substrate mix’s purpose is to provide an enriching environment that copy’s their own in the wild.

Though, I will add poor skin condition can occur in bad substrates, but there is other factors involved. If you have also changed your supplementation schedule around recently then that could be a cause in skin condition change. Supplementation is linked closely to healthy scales.

Loose substrate promotes healthy joint and muscle health, as it’s a softer surface and more natural. He might not burrow or dig, but they could also be false. We can’t monitor our animals 24/7 around the clock. I have seen individuals say that my gecko doesn’t dig, but then looked very closely to find small pockets in the soil. Geckos tend to choose what they want to do for enrichment. Some dig, some climb, and some just sleep. But the option should still be there so they can choose what they so please. Paper towels long term is not a natural substrate for them to be in and holds no benefit to the animal.

In regards to brumation some keepers do it and others do not. It can be a dangerous practice if you don’t know what you’re doing. To prevent it then, you need to keep your temperatures stable.

rich egret
#

i added more sand as per the ratio but tbh all the sand stayed on the bottom for the most part

thorny stone