# Anything make a good cage mate with leopard geckos?



## Zeph (Dec 13, 2012)

I'm planning on setting up a leopard gecko terrarium, however I am leaning towards a natural substrate (i.e. coco fiber) as opposed to newsprit, paper towels, etc.  I know that this will be more difficult to keep clean, and I'm considering "clean-up crew" isopods which I've used for my tarantulas.

Would leopard geckos gobble these up immediately, or will enough isopods be spared to do their jobs?  Out of curiosity, are there any live critters that can be kept with leopard geckos?

I have a lot more research to do... thanks!


----------



## Niffarious (Dec 14, 2012)

If it moves, they will try to eat it.

Also, a leopard gecko will be producing more waste than a tarantula and you will need to remove waste manually. The good news is, they usually pick a corner. Clean up will not be as difficult as you think.

Add to that that leopard geckos should not be kept as humid as isopods would require. They need a humid hide to aide in shedding, but the rest of the substrate should be dry.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Zeph (Dec 14, 2012)

Thanks for the advice!  I've found some great resources so hopefully I'll have a wonderful setup by the time I decide to order my geckos.


----------



## jdl (Dec 14, 2012)

Crickets and mealworms make great companions for Leos in reasonable numbers.  I am old school in that I feel it is not good to mix species as this causes stress to the animals involved.  In my opinion if you want to keep multiple species, set up multiple tanks, it is safer.  Another thought is to watch the leopard gecko eating on the coco bedding.  Bored leos will sometimes consume their substrate and can impact from eating too much.  

This reminds me of a story I once heard:  There was a display in a zoo where coyotes lived in an enclosure with chickens.  The chickens pecked the ground wandering amongst all the coyotes.  The sign in the cage read: Perfect Harmony.  Curious someone asked a zookeeper if they ever had any problems in the enclosure.  The zookeeper replied, "No, we just have to add a few more chickens every so often."

Good luck and enjoy your leopard gecko


----------



## jarmst4 (Dec 14, 2012)

Leopard geckos are desert dwelling. Isopods have to have it humid and wet all the time. You will not have any problem with coco fiber. I've used it for 20 years and never had anything eat it.


----------



## Kazaam (Dec 30, 2012)

I prefer slate for leos, it gives them some belly heat when the lamp shines on it.


----------

