Hey guys! Yesterday I got my new big terrarium for Sumo. I've used tile as a substrate for all my lizards always, but I'm thinking its not the most practical for this terrarium. I'm afraid it will get very heavy (there is a very slim variety of outdoor tile in this country apparently, they are always super thick and heavy...) and hard to find good sizes and enough to cover the floor. I'm ofcourse not going to use a loose substrate so I'm looking for other safe options. There are reptile carpets here too but they are the loopy kind and since sumo still has trouble walking and seems to get her claws stuck in all kinds of places I don't want that for her. So i've been looking in to shelf liner, although the only kind that seems to be available are polkadot ones lol. better than nothing. are there any of you using shelf liner as substrate? pros/cons? Any other suggestions?
Non-adhesive shelf liner. Go with the "rubbery" feeling stuff (Duck brand is common in the states, no sure about brands near you though). I've been using it for years. Looks great, no chance of snags on toenails or in teeth, cheap, and easy to clean. The only minor flaw I can think of is I do get slight poo stains on it in my bearded dragon's enclosure if I don't spot clean before the poo has dried, but I think for a leopard gecko you will rarely have an issue with this...plus the stuff costs like $2 to replace I can't seem to find my photos of the enclosure with shelf liner to show you what it looks like... but I know I've posted them on the site before. You can often choose a variety of colors/patterns/textures; I prefer the solid brown, rubbery feeling stuff.
Is it the kind that feels amost waxy? I got that here, its not the same as "normal" shelf liner, its actually called wax-cloth and is used as a tablecloth. If thats the case then its super easy to get a hold of
I checked in a translator and its translates to "oil cloth" in english.. sounds shifty but maybe you get the idea?
I think that should be fine - I think it is a cloth impregnated with wax or some similar substance to waterproof it. As long as there are no warnings on it regarding chemical use, etc I would say the wax-cloth is fine.
Oh and another question.. how do you get it to stay in place? I mean, doesnt it get "bubbly"? or does it settle after a while?
It should settle. My experience with the non-adhesive shelf liner is it adheres to the bottom on its own pretty darn well. In fact, during cage cleans to peel it away it actually requires a little force to break the connection with the surface...But I only have experience with the "rubbery" feeling stuff so I'm not sure how well others do.
You could change around the placement of the "furniture" in your tank to the edges more so it helps it lay down flat until it settles...?
Yeah I got some substrate today. I was on my bike and around stores all over town for almost 4 hours looking for something that was water resistant and didnt look like crap. But it turns out you couldn't find both anywhere haha... sheesh what a day... Anyway, I found this wax cloth that I think is the closest to shelf lining (I've been asking in every store, there is no such thing in sweden apparently..) but it looks horrible lol. Its white with small colorful flowers on it. But its light, easy to clean and cheap so it will have to do for the time being. Could I ask you a favor Jeffreh? I've been looking on Ebay for the rubbery kind of non-adhesive shelf liner that you and others use but I'm not sure I'm finding the right stuff since I'm not 100% sure what I'm looking for.. Could you take a look on Ebay to see if you can find any auctions that is the right stuff? Just a quick look!
Here is the photo of some of my beardie's enclosure so you can see how the shelf liner can look in the cage: http://reptileboards.com/threads/are-slate-tiles-fine-as-substrate.65845/#post-519236 Here is an example of the types of liner I buy: http://duckbrand.com/products/shelf-liner/solid-easy-liner/1229?swatch=true http://duckbrand.com/products/shelf-liner/smooth-top-easy-liner http://duckbrand.com/products/shelf-liner/super-grip-easy (this one's machine washable) I think any of those will work, and I tend to favor the brown colored ones so they have a nice "deserty" look to them. As for ebay... Something like this? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Duck-Brand-...712?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27d6f60ff8
