# leopard gecko on pebbles



## greasyfire (Oct 29, 2010)

Hi i need information on hwether it is ok to house leopard geckos on large river pebbles that they are unable to swallow, or would it be better to mix it with other substrate like wood chips.


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## Manoona (Jun 28, 2009)

Not heard of people keeping geckos on large pebbles, I would think as long as it was pretty secure it would be ok, but I would be worried the stones could move and potentially squish them! Everyone will have an opion on it im sure but I would stay away from wood chips, I know some that keep theirs on slate tiles - saying that I keep all of mine on sand which many would disagree with, luckily i've never had any issues with it


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## starfox (Nov 21, 2010)

I wouldn't house on pebbles, even though they might not be small enough to eat, theres still a small chance 
Wood chips arent the best either, they can cause impaction just as pebbles can and they hold humidity which can cause lung problems with your leopard gecko.
Both of them arent too good for cleaning either, i think either paper towels (like kitchen roll) or vinyl tiles are your best bet  
Kitchen roll = cheap, easy to replace and really easy to keep the viv clean. No risk of impaction and no risk of the substrate hurting your leo (sharp wood chips)
Vinyl tile = quite cheap, but lasts for ages. Easy to clean, just wipe. You can also get lovely colours to suit whatever you fancy .. And again, no risk of impaction or harming your leo.

Hope i helped! And good luck


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## quadrapop (Sep 20, 2008)

pebbles wont be eaten think people belive pebbles are smaller but how would your heat get through and if its on a heatmat it would put a lot of un even pressure on the mat and possibly damage it. I dont agree then wood chips hold humidity but they are one of the worst substrates for impacting a leo. How about thin slates if you can keep you temps. You can fill the cracks with a small amount of sand. Still a small risk but its a more favoured natural setup. Lino, newspaper or kitchen roll is best if not worried about it looking natural though


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## Sollytear (Aug 7, 2008)

I like the idea. Put ur heatmat down, glue it/tape it in place. Place a nice tile on it (wilko do them for £1), make a ridge from blutac around it and then place pebbles everywhere apart form the mat.


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## cssh0599 (Feb 15, 2010)

I use thin slate tiles from wickes, with a heat mat under it. I filled small gaps between tiles with a hot glue gun (set like clear plastic). seems to work well.


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## 53bird (Sep 30, 2009)

i would use lino, or slate, woodchip is a big big no no here is what can happen it is a very very bad substrate http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/lizards/427983-leo-help-update.html


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## greasyfire (Oct 29, 2010)

i dont have a heatmat but a heat lamp


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## quadrapop (Sep 20, 2008)

greasyfire said:


> i dont have a heatmat but a heat lamp


Is it stated? Just a note even though you can use a hetlamp leos prefer base heat via a heatmat and thermostat but as long as its controlled around 90f it should be fine. You will be able to use a natural substrate without blocking the heat.


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## Shwa (Dec 26, 2010)

The pebbles would get pretty hot, if you used overhead heat it could get really, really hot. I mean at river beaches where i go to in France the pebbles start burning your skin off :lol2:

Don't know if it would affect the geckos much but it gets really hot. I like the idea though. I love using rock tiles, not the type you get in shops but really rugged ones, like the ones you would see on an old house in the country or France :flrt: easy to clean as well

There's always the possibility of them getting squashed if they are to big, if you can find the perfect sized ones, so to big to fit in the mouth but not so big that they'll get squashed then you'll have yourself a swellsubstrate


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## quadrapop (Sep 20, 2008)

Shwa said:


> The pebbles would get pretty hot, if you used overhead heat it could get really, really hot. I mean at river beaches where i go to in France the pebbles start burning your skin off :lol2:
> 
> Don't know if it would affect the geckos much but it gets really hot. I like the idea though. I love using rock tiles, not the type you get in shops but really rugged ones, like the ones you would see on an old house in the country or France :flrt: easy to clean as well
> 
> There's always the possibility of them getting squashed if they are to big, if you can find the perfect sized ones, so to big to fit in the mouth but not so big that they'll get squashed then you'll have yourself a swellsubstrate


They wont overheat if its stated though. I generally see pebbles as stones between 1 and 2 inches type thing. Some think they are gonna be tiny edible things and others think they are gonna squish them. As long as they are placed securly it will be ok.


How about you measure out the floor space and use card or similar to glue/silicone the pebbles on then use the grout or foam that people use to make viv backgrounds, that would fill in the gaps, keep in non edible and could be removed to clean. As long as you bulb is the right temps it should be fine too.


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