A lot of different substrate products for leopard geckos and other reptiles have come and gone. Expert advice on tank substrates has also changed multiple times through the years. Most sterile substrates are out, and loose substrates are now very much in!

This is something the Reptile Hero team and I have learned after years of experience. It also helps to know a lot of expert gecko keepers and breeders who are always willing to share their knowledge and discoveries. So together, we bring you our recommendation list for the best substrates you can get in the market!

The best substrate for leopard geckos is The BioDude Terra Sahara.

If you want to create your unique substrate recipe, then we have two great soil-based substrate mixes for you to try out. One other option is great for building naturalistic structures. Lastly, we also included a good, low-risk substrate for young, new, and recovering geckos!

If you’re interested in finding out not only our recommendation but also how we came up with it, read until the end!

Best Soil Base

Use this as the base for your loose substrate for any gecko tank! It’s great for maintaining optimal humidity levels.

Zoo (Chewy)

Zoo (Amazon)

Best Overall

This is the best rocky and sandy soil substrate blend that’s perfect for leopard geckos and other arid reptiles!

Biodude

Biodude (Amazon)

Best Value

With this cheap all-natural premium soil mix, you can make your very own custom reptile substrate recipe.

Scotts (Amazon)

Our Top 5 Best Substrates for Leopard Gecko Tanks

1. Best Overall from The BioDude
2. Best Soil Base from Zoo Med
3. Best Value from Scotts
4. Best for Structures from Zoo Med
5. Best for Quarantine from Bounty

1. The BioDude Terra Sahara—Best Overall

Mixing and creating your very own substrate recipe can be quite a chore. You will also probably have to do a bunch of trial-and-error to get the perfect blend for your leopard gecko. However, with a premade blend like soil-based substrate mix like the Terra Sahara from The BioDude, you won’t have to trouble yourself with any of that.

The Terra Sahara blend is one of the only good ready-to-use substrates in the market that’s made specifically to meet the environmental needs of leos and other arid reptile species. It’s quite affordable too, which is always a plus in my book!

You can also get the Terra Shara here on The BioDude Shop.

Pros

1. Hassle-Free Soil-Based Substrate

Although The BioDude cannot disclose its ingredients list due to patenting, they did state that their formulation was meant to mimic the rocky grasslands that many arid reptiles—including leopard geckos—naturally live in.

From inspection, it seems that the Terra Sahara blend is composed primarily of fine soil, sand, and clay. It can even be molded into tunnel systems for your geckos to hide in and explore. There are relatively smooth small rocks mixed into it as well giving it more texture and structure.

So if you’re looking for a good loose substrate that you can use straight out of the bag, this is the one you should get. You don’t need to add anything else to it. Just pour it into your leo’s enclosure then mist it thoroughly and let the top dry before introducing your gecko!

2. Holds Humidity Well

For this to work as intended by the manufacturers, you really have to follow their instructions and damped the substrate through.

If my guess is right, this is to allow the more water-absorbent components in the mix like soil to sink into the bottom and less absorbent materials like sand to stay on top. As a result, lower layers stay relatively moist with packets of humid air while the topmost portions stay dry enough.

In doing so, we can mimic a leopard gecko’s natural substrate as closely as possible—with an overall tank humidity fluctuating around 40% above the substrate.

3. Great Heat Retention

Much like the earth we walk on, the Terraa Sahara is great at retaining heat emitted by overhead heaters.

It can stay warm for several hours after all light-emitting heaters are turned off for a realistic day/night cycle. Then it will gradually cool down until it’s time to turn those on again—which is what they would experience in the wild too.

So unless you live in an area where it’s cold all year round, you won’t really have to worry about the additional costs of running a heater 24/7.

4. Affordable Ready-Made Mix

You can’t say this mix is cheap, but it sure is affordable, especially for newbie gecko pet parents and reptile keepers in general.

For only about 50 bucks, you will get a big 36 qt bag. With that, you can have a 3–4-inch deep substrate in a 40-gallon tank—which is thick enough to let your gecko comfortably dig around. You might even get a thicker substrate if you do some hardscaping beforehand.

But if you have a bigger enclosure, say a 120-gallon, you’ll likely need at least three 36 qt bags. You can buy it in bulk here. This will be much more cost-effective than using dozens of their small 6 qt bags.

5. Perfect for Bioactive

If you’re an experienced keeper or breeder who’s ready to take things to the next level, then this blend will serve as a great foundation for your reptile’s bioactive setup!

Just add a drainage layer, biodegradable toppers, live plants, and some springtails and isopods, and you’re all set. You can also check out their Terra Sahara starter kit for building a bioactive substrate here.

Cons

1. Requires Regular Maintenance

If you go for the plain naturalistic loose substrate route with the Terra Sahara, you will need to scoop out your leopard gecko’s poop regularly. Aside from that, you will need to do routine deep cleaning and replace the substrate completely every 3–4 months.

Otherwise, those will build up in the substrate and you might have problems with the enclosure’s smell or even have your gecko eat poop!

2. Costly in the Long Run

Even though this preblended substrate mix is quite affordable, regular maintenance costs do add up. So with the replacement mix, cleaning materials, and so on, you may have to shell out more than a hundred dollars yearly to keep it clean and safe for your pet to use.

The exemption to this, of course, is if you have used the Terra Sahara mix as your bioactive substrate’s soil base.

2. Incompatible With Quarantine Setups

The Terra Sahara blend is far from sterile. Quite the opposite, it was made specifically to sustain not only the reptiles using it as tank flooring but also the plants and microfauna that are essential for bioactivity.

As such, it is not recommended for geckos that are undergoing quarantine or treatment.

2. Zoo Med ReptiSoil—Runner Up

Regardless of the specific environmental needs of your geckos—be it a leopard gecko or a crested gecko—you will need a good base to build upon. With a good foundation, you can add and adjust the ingredients whenever necessary.

So if you want to create your very own substrate recipes and you have several reptiles in your care, you should invest in a couple of bags of Zoo Med’s ReptiSoil.

Pros

• Components: Aside from soil, this substrate mix also contains peat moss, sand, coconut carbon, and pieces of bark and wood—or humus. This makes it a great soil base for leopard geckos. But more sand and clay should be added to make it just right for arid reptiles like leopard geckos.
• Water Absorption: Due to the peat moss and soil, ReptiSoil absorbs a lot of water well for moderate to high humidity. However, keepers must be careful with misting to avoid keeping leopard geckos in tanks that are too humid. Adding more sand (here on Amazon) and clay could also prevent excessive humidity.
• Heat Retention: This mix in particular absorbs and retains heat quite well to allow your leopard gecko to properly thermoregulate.

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Cons

• Maintenance: Similar to the first one, this needs regular cleaning and replacement for your leopard gecko’s well-being. Otherwise, bad bacteria may fester and harm your pet.
• Overall Cost: Because ReptiSoil can only be used as a soil-base and not a lone substrate for leopard geckos, you will need to not only replace this regularly but other substrate components as well, like clay and sand. So despite being more affordable than Terra Sahara upfront, it could easily cost you more in the years to come.

Disclaimer: Many reptile keepers have raised issues regarding the “New & Improved Formula” of Zoo Med’s ReptiSoil. There have been quite a few who have had sharp wood pieces (humus) in their bags. So I would recommend sifting this first before using it for your gecko tank.

You can also get ReptiSoil bags here on Chewy.

3. Scotts Premium Topsoil—Best Value

You don’t need to go to reptile supplies stores just to get a good base for your loose substrate. Good topsoil from your local garden center that’s free of herbicides and pesticides will do just fine for much less than branded “reptile” soils. If that sounds good to you, then try out the Premium Top Soil from Scotts.

Just keep in mind that this should ideally be mixed with other substrate components recommended for geckos like clay, sand, and some gravel.

Pros

• Components: Premium Topsoil is primarily made from soil, sphagnum moss, and humus. That said, this is not a standalone substrate. You still need to add plenty of clay and sand to make it suitable for your leopard gecko’s tank.
• Heat Retention: This leopard gecko substrate base absorbs and releases heat quite well, which is ideal for allowing geckos to either warm up or cool down when they need to.
• Overall Cost: Unlike the first substrate blend, you need to add more clay and soil into this bag of topsoil. But it is much more cost-effective to buy big individual bags of your ingredients to create your substrate recipe—especially with how cheap a single bag of Scotts Premium Topsoil can be.

Pro Tip: It is a lot cheaper to get Scotts Premium Topsoil from regular home improvement stores. You can get two bags for under 5 bucks there whereas big online stores may charge you four times that.

Cons

• Water Absorption: Compared to the top 2 substrates, the Premium Topsoil from Scotts has little to no components that can prevent oversaturation in it. So you will surely have humidity issues unless you make the perfect substrate recipe for your gecko using this.
• Maintenance: Since this is a loose substrate for geckos, you need to perform regular cleaning. You will also have to replace your entire homemade substrate recipe 3–4 times a year, which others do find troublesome.

Disclaimer: The exact components included in your bag of Premium Topsoil will depend on where you live. If for example, you live in California, there is very little native soil in your bag. It would mostly be processed forest products, peat moss, and compost.

You may also find quite a lot of bits and pieces of wood and plant material (e.g., rice hull), as well as rocks.

However, it is still overall safe to use for your reptile tanks. In fact, it is noted in the product’s Material Safety Data Sheet that ingestion of this is considered practically non-toxic and free of potential hazards. So if your gecko is fit and active, it will have no problems safely passing this.

You can also get Scotts Premium Topsoil here on Home Depot.

4. Zoo Med Excavator Clay Burrowing Substrate—Best for Structures

Hardscaping is neither an easy nor a clean task. So if you want to make your substrate easier for your leopard geckos to change up while also providing more rigid but naturalistic structures, get your hands on some good clay-based substrates such as the Excavator Clay from Zoo Med.

Pros

• Water Absorption: Made from fine clay powder, so it absorbs water incredibly well. Once damp enough, you can mold it as you would like to create realistic burrows, caves, and tunnels.
• Heat Retention: Clay has been particularly known to be a great material for retaining heat, so you won’t have to worry about your cute leopard gecko freezing up when you have this paired with an efficient heat source. Just make sure to keep an eye on your tank temperature with a good thermometer.
• Overall Cost: I would say that this is highly cost-effective for long-term gecko keeping because it can be used both for creating your own substrate recipe as well as for creating a hardscape without the use of artificial materials like silicone and expanding foam. Plus, you can reuse it!

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Cons

• Components: For leopard geckos, having clay as part of their substrate is great as it can better hold its shape after being dug through. However, you will still need to mix in a fair amount of soil and sand to properly use this as the tank’s flooring. Otherwise, it will stay compacted after drying.
• Maintenance: It is more difficult to thoroughly clean this especially once it has hardened in the gecko tank after being molded. You will have to thoroughly water it to make it pliable again, remove it from the tank, clean it, then re-mold it again. So you can reuse it, but if it starts smelling funky, you will have to replace all of it.

You can also get the Zoo Med Excavator Clay here on Chewy.

5. Bounty Quick-Size Paper Towels—Best for Quarantine

Although loose substrates are considered the best when it comes to aesthetic appeal and overall enrichment value, there are special cases when they can do more harm than good. This is especially true for geckos that are sick.

For a hospital or quarantine setup, it would be better to have something more sterile such as the Bounty’s Paper Towels.

Pros

• Components: This substrate is only made out of paper, so it’s perfect for quarantine setups for new or sick leopard geckos. However, this is not meant to be a permanent substrate option. So you will have to switch to a better solid or loose substrate after.
• Maintenance: Using paper towels as a substrate comes with the major advantage of being easy to both clean and replace. The only downside to that is that you would have to temporarily take out everything else in the tank for complete sheet replacements.
• Overall Cost: You get a package of 12 rolls for under 40 bucks, so even if you need to frequently replace the sheets, you can do so easily and quickly for a low price. This can last you for a good couple of months.

Cons

• Water Absorption: Yes, paper towels are absorbent but their thinness doesn’t allow for long-term moisture retention. It’s almost impossible to maintain a good humidity level without soaking—and possibly braking—this temporary paper substrate.
• Heat Retention: Another drawback with using only paper substrate is that it neither absorbs nor retains heat well enough even with a good heater. You will have to provide a clean basking tile for them to lay on to ensure proper thermoregulation.

You can also get the Bounty Quick-Size Paper Towels here on Walmart.

Choosing the Perfect Leopard Gecko Substrate (5 Factors)

It is normal for gecko owners to get a bunch of contrasting recommendations for leopard gecko substrates in both local and online shops. To make things more complicated, a lot of husbandry myths are sadly still prevalent in the reptile-keeping community—especially when it comes to tank flooring. So you should make your own decision by inspecting all the options!

As a general rule, the best substrate for leopard gecko tanks should be chosen based on:

1. Components
2. Water Absorption
3. Heat Retention
4. Maintenance
5. Overall Cost

Why do these aspects matter when looking for the right leopard gecko substrate? Find out by reading on!

1. Components

Ideally, leopard geckos must be provided with a substrate that is composed mostly of soil, sand, and clay in their permanent enclosures. However, for temporary setups like quarantine tanks, a sterile substrate like a paper towel alone will be sufficient.

Contrary to popular belief, leopard geckos don’t consider vast desert dunes as their home. But I do understand where the misunderstanding comes from.

Since our cute leos are considered “arid” species—meaning, animals that live in dry areas—many reptile keepers and breeders automatically think of the desert. However, this isn’t the case at all. In fact, scientists have observed that these terrestrial geckos avoid the desert in the wild [1].

In reality, leopard geckos live mainly in rocky grasslands that do have some vegetation across Southern Asia (e.g., Pakistan, Nepal). As such, it’s best to give our little scaly babies something similar.

The Natural VS Sterile Substrate Debate

For the most part, I would say that natural substrates are the best choice for our leopard geckos. It allows them to engage in many, if not all, of their natural behaviors for better welfare. They can burrow into it and walk on it without any problems.

However, it would be difficult to keep a sick or new gecko in an enclosure with natural bedding because it will be more difficult to spot droppings and clean them regularly—among many other things. In such cases, paper towels are recommended.

2. Water Absorption

Leopard geckos should be given a substrate that has good water absorption which allows for the maintenance of optimal humidity levels in the tank, generally between 35% to 65%. Even so, the ideal substrate must also stay relatively dry at the surface.

Unfortunately, keepers and breeders seem to overlook this factor quite often. Disregarding your choice of substrate’s water absorption capability can easily result in various problems.

Pro Tip: Place at least two separate hygrometers (here on Amazon) on either end of a leopard geckos tank to monitor the humidity levels in the enclosure. This will also allow you to keep an eye on the saturation of your substrate.

Problems With Substrate That’s Too Dry

Having tile throughout as the sole substrate throughout your gecko’s tank, for instance, may result in very low humidity levels. This is because it does not much absorb water—if any at all.

Slate alone, in this instance, is a bad substrate for gecko tanks. Indeed, it is very water-resistant. So even if you drench it in water, it will just sit on the surface of the tile until it finally evaporates due to the heat. Doesn’t sound nice, does it?

As a result, your gecko may become dehydrated and have recurring problems with stuck shed.

Learn more about the gecko skin in our article on shedding.

This is a far cry from what even wild leopard geckos experience. In the wild, regardless if they are near human settlements or deep in the grasslands, geckos can find humid areas for refuge.

Problems With Substrate That’s Too Wet

In the past, coco coir—on its own—was considered a great substrate for leopard geckos. As you can guess from the above, it’s because it holds water a lot better!

However, because coco coir absorbs water a little too well, your leopard gecko’s tanks may constantly become too humid. Needless to say, your flooring may also become excessively wet for long periods.

This may sound relatively harmless, but it can be dangerous.

If your leopard gecko is housed in a tank with a substrate that’s constantly wet, it could eventually develop lesions across its skin [2]. Your pet reptile is likely to suffer from respiratory diseases in such an environment as well.

Good Balance for Misting and Substrates

Furthermore, you should keep in mind that you can adjust your misting schedule depending on your gecko’s tank substrate. This will help you control not only the substrate’s water saturation but also the overall humidity.

Find out more in our article on the reasons and dangers of misting geckos.

3. Heat Retention

A good substrate for leopard gecko tanks should not only be able to stand heat well but also retain heat for a long period. This mimics the natural flooring they have in their native habitats and ensures that they can remain warm throughout the day.

Ideally, if you have a substrate that retains a good amount of heat even after all your halogen heaters are off for the night, your gecko can get warm from it even without nighttime heaters.

Discover what your geckos need to stay warm in our article on the perfect heating setup.

Slate and soil-based loose substrate mixes like our top pick (here on Amazon), in particular, can retain the heat they absorb from overhead heating elements like deep heat projectors.

Paper towel, in contrast, does not retain heat that well and that long. So having a basking tile in addition to it is recommended to let leos warm-up effectively even at night.

4. Maintenance

The difficulty in cleaning and frequency of replacement required for a leopard geckos substrate must also be taken into account.

In terms of maintenance, I would say natural tiles are pretty much on top of the list. They are both durable and easy to clean. You won’t even have to move anything when you’re spot cleaning for poop!

Conversely, paper towel sheets need to be replaced entirely once they’re soiled since you can’t just move that part that your lovely leo has pooped on. Unless, of course, you have trained your gecko to poop in a makeshift litter box.

Even then, if you want to go for a substrate that requires little to no maintenance at all, consider going for a bioactive substrate. It is highly similar to regular soil-based loose substrate mixes, but it has additional components that eliminate the need for both spot and deep cleaning.

Check out what you need to make self-maintaining bedding in our article on bioactive substrates.

Otherwise, you would still have to scoop out your gecko’s droppings along with the loose substrate around it regularly.

5. Overall Cost

Besides the upfront cost of buying a substrate for leopard gecko tanks, owners must also consider the long-term costs associated with keeping it clean and safe for the gecko that will be using it.

But to make things clear, the overall cost of your leopard gecko’s tank substrate should never be prioritized over your reptile’s welfare.

A cheap substrate option that’s reusable and super easy to clean is not a good substrate by default. You should also weigh the potential benefits and risks of using such a substrate before buying it. (I will delve more deeply into this later when I discuss bad substrate choices for leos.)

Soil-based substrates, for example, are highly beneficial for your leopard gecko’s enrichment but can be costly in the long run since they need to be replaced once every 3-4 months.

Know more about it in our article on enrichment benefits and risks.

Depending on the specific mix—DIY or premade—you are using and the size of the gecko enclosure, you may need to spend more or less 100 dollars every year on loose substrate alone.

However, by adding a few more ingredients to make it bioactive, you will spend more at the beginning but save more in the long run. This is because you will only need to top off a bioactive substrate a few times in a year rather than replace everything.

2 Types of Gecko Tank Substrates: Solid VS Loose

Generally, two types of tank substrates are used for leopard geckos: solid substrates and loose substrates. Under loose substrates, both naturalistic and bioactive are included. More specifically, solid substrates are used in temporary setups whereas loose substrates are used for permanent enclosures.

Regardless of the type of substrate you need, there are always plenty of options to choose from. But not everything is safe for your cold-bellied leopard gecko.

Solid Gecko Tank Substrates

Below are five safe solid substrates for leopard gecko tanks:

1. Paper towel
2. Butcher block paper
3. Slate slabs
4. Unglazed tile (ceramic, stone, terracotta, or porcelain)
5. Clean newspaper

Personally, though, I don’t recommend newspapers because of the ink. It leaches the ink once it gets wet and it’s hard to spot droppings on it because of all the colored ink. Keepers and breeders with eye problems may find it even more difficult.

Loose Gecko Tank Substrates

Here are ten safe loose substrates for leopard gecko tanks:

1. Soil
2. Clay
3. Sand
4. Gravel
5. Dry leaves
6. Orchid bark
7. Coco coir
8. Moss
9. Fern fiber
10. Mulch

Please, note that loose substrates are never used on their own, regardless of the material of your choice.

A good loose substrate for leopard geckos is generally made up of several of these loose substrate options. Most commonly, loose substrates for pet leopard geckos are made by mixing together soil, clay, sand, and gravel, among other things.

Are There Dangerous Substrate Choices? (15 to Avoid)

Here are previously recommended substrates that have been proven to be dangerous in recent years:

1. Fabric reptile carpet
2. Reptile tank liners
3. Shelf liners
4. Corn cobs
5. Pure sand
6. Calcium sand
7. Vitamin sand
8. Wood chips
9. Crushed walnut/cocoa shells
10. Linoleum
11. Kitty litter
12. Alfalfa bedding
13. Raw cedar/pine shavings
14. Artificial turf
15. Foam mats

These are cheap but high-risk substrates that are now highly discouraged by expert reptile keepers and experienced exotic veterinarians alike [2, 3].

Common dangers of the aforementioned bad substrates include:

• Loss of digits and tail tips
• Ingestion of shredded indigestible substrate
• Skin irritation and lesions
• Parasite and bacteria infestation
• Off-gassing and volatile organic compounds (VOC) fumes
• Respiratory inflammation
• Internal blockage

Now you may be confused why impaction isn’t included above. That’s because impaction and pica—eating inedible materials—is generally caused by starvation or improper husbandry [4, 5]. In such cases, they are likely very stressed and/or bored.

So if you’re gecko is well-fed, regularly examined by the vet, and housed in a good tank setup that has proper lighting, heating, humidity, and numerous hides, impaction should be the least of your worries.

What Do You Think?

If you have looked at other recommendation lists, you will notice that ours is quite different. Many of the still-popular, cheap, old-school substrate choices—besides paper towels—did not make it to our list. There’s a good reason for that, all of which I have mentioned already.

You see, our primary goal here is to give you good and safe recommendations, not just cheap ones!

To repeat, Reptile Hero’s top 5 best substrates for leopard geckos are:

1. Best Overall from The BioDude
2. Best Soil Base from Zoo Med
3. Best Value from Scotts
4. Best for Structures from Zoo Med
5. Best for Quarantine from Bounty

Do you have a substrate favorite that’s not on the list? We’d love to try it out! So give tell us about it here!

Further Questions

Summary of Best Substrates for Leopard Geckos

Leopard gecko keepers and breeders need to assess the following factors when selecting the right substrate for their reptile tanks: 1) components, 2) water absorption, 3) heat retention, 4) maintenance, and 5) overall cost.

After careful analysis, expert reptile owners recommend the Terra Sahara substrate blend from The BioDude for leopard gecko tanks. Moreover, it’s an affordable and ready-to-use substrate for both new and experienced gecko owners.

Sources

[1] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304381063_leopard_gecko_Eublepharis_macularious_from_Pakistan

[2] https://blink.ucsd.edu/_files/sponsor-tab/iacuc/Amphibians-Reptiles-Academic-Institutions.pdf

[3] https://alert.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2018/12/op-guide-reptilecare.pdf

[4] https://companionanimals.commons.gc.cuny.edu/2020/01/01/reptiles-as-companion-animals/

[5] https://vetmed.illinois.edu/mmitch/pdf/forensics.pdf