# Cleaning slate tile in leo enclosure?



## GOMER113 (Jul 13, 2011)

Good day, everyone!

I switched my leopard geckos' substrate from sand to slate tile a few months ago and I find it more difficult to clean than I thought it would be.  I've read on numerous websites that slate is a better choice than sand because geckos can't get impacted by tile and that it's easier to clean, but I disagree with the latter.

With sand, I'd just scoop up any clumps where there were visible traces of waste and throw it out.  With slate, I have to hose it down with a stream sprayer to get it clean because the waste breaks apart when I try to simply pick it up with a napkin.  When I try to wipe away the remains with a wet napkin, it just smears the waste, so it gets the hose again.

Does anyone have any tips, ideas, or anything they can share?

Also, what's the best way to heat the slate?  I tried a UTH below it (but under the glass) and that didn't work.

Thanks!


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## neubii18 (Jul 13, 2011)

Sand is a huge no no!Good thing you switched!I have never personally used tiles,but prefer paper towels.This doesn't answer the question,but have you considered this?It doesn't look as appealing,but I honestly think they like it more than any other substrate.When it gets dirty,you just take it out and replace it.Just an idea.


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## Meecht (Jul 14, 2011)

Is it a single piece of large slate tile, or several smaller pieces?  I've seen a setup where somebody used 3" tile squares to cover the bottom of their gecko's habitat.  For the most part leopard geckos pick a specific spot as their potty so with the mentioned setup I would think it'd be easy to remove just the dirty tile for cleaning.

If the waste is smearing when you try to wipe it up, you could wait until it dries which makes cleanup a lot easier.  Every couple of days I just use my long tweezers to clean up the dried poop from my gecko tanks (I clean the tweezers afterwards).

I, personally, use the green reptile carpet stuff.  Like I said, I spot clean the poop up, switch the carpet out once a month, and wash the old carpet to be used the next month.

As for heating, you could use a heat light.


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## hassman789 (Jul 14, 2011)

I used to use reptile carpet (didn't like it a lot because he would get stuck in it when he caught food). He would always poop in the corner so I would always just put a small paper towel strip in that corner and just replace it when he pooped. It was really easy, he always pooped on it!


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## Alexandra V (Jul 14, 2011)

It's a good thing that you switched off of sand. For heating I second the heat lamp idea. As far as poop smearing goes, you could try a product called Healthy Habitat by a company called Natural Chemistry. I use it for all my reptiles, and I love it. The reason why I love it is because it actually breaks up organic matter, so it might make poop smear cleaning a little easier because it will help break it hp.

It works great on snake urates, even when they're fresh - and heaven knows how much snake urates smear when they're fresh


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## Meecht (Jul 14, 2011)

hassman789 said:


> I used to use reptile carpet (didn't like it a lot because he would get stuck in it when he caught food). He would always poop in the corner so I would always just put a small paper towel strip in that corner and just replace it when he pooped. It was really easy, he always pooped on it!


I've heard some people say that reptile carpet is bad because the gecko can get their nails caught in the fibers or something, but I have never had that issue :? .  

I love watching them hunt.  They go from "whatever" to "hey, what's that?" to "om nom nom" in just a couple seconds.


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## flamesbane (Jul 14, 2011)

Meecht said:


> I've heard some people say that reptile carpet is bad because the gecko can get their nails caught in the fibers or something, but I have never had that issue :? .


The bigger issue is fibers from the carpet getting wrapped around toes/feet and cutting off circulation.


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## pavel (Jul 14, 2011)

Back when I had my lil girl, she had probably one of the "posher" substrates ever used for a leo -- Milano and Natuzzi leather.  Seriously.    At the time I was working sales for a furniture company.  Every so often the leather swatches had to get switched out.  (The old ones would get thrown away.)  So I took a bunch of the old ones home.  Each swatch was about 11 x 13 or something like that.  So I used several to 'carpet' her enclosure.  Worked quite well -- didn't have to worry about gut impaction from sand, or her claws getting caught in carpet fibers, etc.  As has been mentioned, leos tend to defecate in the same area.  With the leather, once the feces had dried, clean up did pretty much just amount to picking up the dried matter with a pair of chopsticks.  For a more thorough cleaning, the leather could be removed for a wipe down with a clean rag or even thrown out and replaced with a new piece.


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## GOMER113 (Jul 14, 2011)

Thanks for all the replies.  I currently use paper towels for my hatchling geckos because I don't really care about how nice the tank looks since it's just a temporary home.  It's working out great so far for them, and I'm sure it would work great for the adults also.  I've also read lots of reports about leos getting their nails stuck in the carpet, but never the circulation problem!  

I'll look into brown paper towels since that'll probably look better than white or floral patterns. :razz:  If they're safe enough for humans to dry their hands, they shouldn't be unsafe for leos to walk live on, right?

Thank you, *Alexandra V* for the Healthy Habitat suggestion!  I would love to give that product a try!

As for heating, I have a ceramic heat emitter I'm using, but I'm also more concerned about belly heat.  I have a friend who built her bearded dragon a custom ramp/basking platform with a slate tile up at the top of it, below the basking light.  I might go that route.


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## Acro (Jul 22, 2011)

Oh the sand issue!  It always comes up.  It all depends on the type of sand and what you feed.  I've kept adult leopard geckos on sand for about 12 years and there has never been a problem.  They live on sand and rocks in the wild so I just try to keep it natural.
Just my few pennies.


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## GOMER113 (Jul 22, 2011)

Some people experience problems with sand, while others do not.  I was going for a natural look and feel, hence my decision to use it.

Personally, when I used Zoo Med Vita Sand, I experienced no issues.  I compared it to other bags of sand in the store when I bought it and I went with it because the grains were very fine, almost like a powder.  When I switched to Exo Terra Desert Sand, which had bigger grains but not the biggest I've seen, that's when my problems began.

I saw one of my geckos lunge for a cricket, grab it, let it go, and then she snapped her head to the right as she spit out a wad of sand.  After finding regurgitated crickets, a log of half-digested mealworms with sand between them, and a poop pellet that was nothing but grains of sand compacted together (sand was originally black, but it was white after it had passed through her), it was time to switch.

I'm currently using brown paper bags, but I'll very likely switch to kitchen shelf liner (the kind without the holes) soon.  It seems like it'll be easier to clean and won't look too bad, depending on the color/pattern.


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## Alexandra V (Jul 22, 2011)

GOMER113 said:


> I'm currently using brown paper bags, but I'll very likely switch to kitchen shelf liner (the kind without the holes) soon.  It seems like it'll be easier to clean and won't look too bad, depending on the color/pattern.


My manager and friend keeps all her geckos and beardies on shelf liner and she loves it for those reasons.


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## catfishrod69 (Jul 22, 2011)

i keep all my terrestrial geckos on paper towel, and a few bare bottom, was going to use slate, but then got an idea.....i went to family dollar, and got the peel and stick tiles...they have different colors and styles...i have yet to get it put in, but just measure the inside, cut them to fit, and peel and stick...would help with the heat mats, and would be a easy clean....they come in a box of 30 tiles, for like $10 ....sounds like the easiest to me....i also thought about getting some tubs of two part epoxy that i use for taxidermy, and making a landscape, with a built in water bowl, and hide, and layers to climb....but that would cost too much and be alot of work....so i think the peel and stick tiles would be the best way to go....


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## GOMER113 (Jul 24, 2011)

I picked up a 20" x 6' roll of kitchen liner yesterday for $6 at Wal-mart.  I measured my tanks and cut the liner to size.  The roll was long enough to cut 2 20-gallon and 2 5.5-gallon sheets.

I have to make some minor trims due to the terrarium glue not letting the liner sit perfectly flat, but I'm much happier with this than the sand and slate.


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## catfishrod69 (Jul 24, 2011)

sounds good...glad it worked....make sure you check the heat, becuase it will be warmer on the hot side now...




GOMER113 said:


> I picked up a 20" x 6' roll of kitchen liner yesterday for $6 at Wal-mart.  I measured my tanks and cut the liner to size.  The roll was long enough to cut 2 20-gallon and 2 5.5-gallon sheets.
> 
> I have to make some minor trims due to the terrarium glue not letting the liner sit perfectly flat, but I'm much happier with this than the sand and slate.


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## jebbewocky (Sep 30, 2011)

I've heard the slate tile can be put in the dishwasher.  Never done it, but I heard it on Geckos Unlimited.


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## Ziltoid (Sep 30, 2011)

GOMER113 said:


> When I try to wipe away the remains with a wet napkin, it just smears the waste, so it gets the hose again.


I lol'ed at this quote of Silence of the Lambs.

Reactions: Like 1


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## lg1726 (Jan 22, 2013)

I know this thread is very old, but I came upon it today, so sure others will too! 

We got our leo gecko just 4 weeks ago and initially had her on carpet, but it did seem to catch her nails and it's not been too warm here, so I was concerned about the drop in temp overnight, despite the UTH thermo, so I got a slate tile which is 1cm smaller all round than the tank and I fill in this gap with sand - I know the debate, please do not lecture me, we have an exotic vet in the family and I checked! Anyway,I noticed she poops overnight and by morning its all dried up and easy to remove with tissue or tweezers. In terms of spot cleaning, I got a couple of those pot scrubber sponges and cut 1 inch square pieces and they are just great for a quick rub with warm water on the scrubbing side, and the remaining bigger piece, the sponge side works great for cleaning the inside of the viv glass! For the sand, I have used a paint brush to keep it tidy and just in the gaps and nor all over the surface of the slate and I have a hand held vacuum to use when I want to remove and replace the sand.

Anyway, just my tuppence worth!


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