You’re getting a pet crested gecko because they are one of the best (and cutest) reptile pets ever. But before bringing one home, you should have already set up a good living space for them first, with all the things that can make them feel safe and comfy, including their bedding, or substrate, as herpers call it. But what is the best substrate for crested geckos?
You may think that since crested geckos are mostly arboreal, a substrate would not be needed, right?
In reality, the right substrate makes cleaning your crestie’s enclosure easier. In addition, it can easily boost and maintain humidity levels for you, and it provides a healthy and stimulating environment for your crestie when it does occasionally come down to the ground.
Substrate is essentially the material that makes up the floor of your pet’s enclosure. Importantly, you don’t want to just put anything in the bottom of the enclosure; you ideally want to use the best possible material. Picking up a bag of just any old substrate at your local pet shop can easily lead to health problems for your crestie, such as impaction or dehydration.
It takes a little research to figure out what substrate is the healthiest and safest for your crested gecko. The best substrates for crested geckos should hold and maintain fairly high humidity levels, be easy to clean, and be safe and comfortable for your gecko to live and walk on.
TOP PICKS
Our top overall pick is the Zoo Med Eco Earth because it boosts humidity, maintains a natural feel in the enclosure, is not too pricey, and is relatively easy to keep clean.
Our top budget pick is the Zilla Reptile
Terrarium Liner because it is simple to clean, cost effective, and reusable.
Reviews of the Best Substrates for Crested Geckos
1. Zoo Med Eco Earth – Best Overall
Zoo Med Eco Earth comes in a compressed, dehydrated brick. Once it arrives at your door, you simply break off the amount you want and mix it with water according to the packaging instructions or your needs.
The Eco Earth brick will expand to make seven to eight liters of substrate for your crestie’s enclosure. The substrate is made of coconut fibers, which are natural and safe for your crested gecko.
Key Features
- Breaks down waste naturally
- Reduces odors from your gecko’s waste
- Holds humidity well
- Easy to store thanks to its compact design
Zoo Med’s Eco Earth bricks are made of organic, eco-friendly, renewable resources, which means they are safe for you, your crested gecko, and the environment. The substrate is made from coconut husks, which are broken down to form the fiber.
You can use this Eco Earth brick on its own, or you can use it to create a bioactive enclosure for your crested gecko to live in. A bioactive enclosure will include plants and a clean-up crew of tiny organisms like isopods and springtails, all of which can be supported in this substrate.
Pros
- Holds humidity well
- Breaks down waste and odors
- Expands to make 7-8 liters of substrate
Cons
- Some consumers reported the material gives off a plastic smell while soaking
The Zoo Med Eco Earth Brick is a perfect substrate for a crested gecko that has a more natural-looking enclosure. The substrate is safe for you, your crestie, and the environment!
2. Josh’s Frogs ABG Mix Tropical Plant Soil & Terrarium Vivarium Substrate
Josh’s Frogs ABG Mix is a natural substrate you can easily and cheaply include in your crested gecko’s enclosure. It comes in a 4 quart/1 gallon bag and contains an array of natural materials aimed to enhance a bioactive enclosure.
The mixture was designed by the Atlanta Botanical Gardens to cater to a very wide variety of plant life, especially tropical plants. Your crested gecko’s enclosure will be the perfect environment to have this substrate, as the humidity must be fairly high.
Key Features
- Breaks down slowly over time
- Lasts a long time, making it cost-efficient in the long run
- Easy to set up
- All-natural materials
Josh’s Frogs ABG Mix is the perfect combination for supporting a clean-up crew made of springtails, isopods, and super worms. The mixture is excellent at supporting a variety of plant life, which enables you to have a beautifully natural enclosure with a healthy ecosystem.
While it’s especially perfect for bioactive setups, it’s also suitable for more basic enclosure setups, too.
Pros
- Holds humidity well
- Supports diverse plant life
- Breaks down slowly
Cons
- Some users noted this particular substrate is somewhat pricey compared to other options
Josh’s Frogs ABG Soil Mix is an excellent choice of substrate, especially in a bioactive enclosure. It supports diverse plant life, your clean-up crew, and supports an overall healthy environment for your crested gecko to live in.
3. Fluker Labs Repta-Bark All Natural Bedding
Fluker Labs Repta-Bark All Natural Bedding is made up of orchid bark chips and simulates a forest floor. It comes in bags of 4, 8, and 24 dry quarts.
This natural bedding is perfect for high humidity enclosures because it absorbs excess moisture and holds it well. This means it helps sustain the humidity in the enclosure while absorbing any spills or puddles.
Key Features
- Holds moisture well yet prevents humidity from reaching unsafe levels
- Locally sourced and made in the USA
- Natural orchid bark chips are safe for crested geckos
You will need to spot clean the substrate daily, but due to its shape and size, you will only need to pick up a couple of pieces of bark here and there and not waste a lot of the substrate. However, every month, you will need to replace all of the Repta-Bark in the enclosure.
It is important to make sure that none of the pieces of bark are small enough for your crested gecko to accidentally swallow while they are eating or drinking, especially if your crestie is a baby or juvenile. You can easily sift the material between your fingers or through a large colander to remove the very small bits.
Pros
- Absorbs excess moisture
- Relatively cheap
- All-natural material
Cons
- Not reusable
- Can pose a slight risk of impaction for younger geckos
The Fluker Labs Repta-Bark All Natural Bedding is a great substrate for your crested gecko if you want a natural-looking aesthetic but don’t want to go through the trouble of setting up a fully bioactive enclosure.
4. Galapagos Terrarium Sphagnum Moss
Sphagnum moss is a living moss that holds moisture very well. The moss will come dehydrated, and all you need to do is soak it in water according to the instructions to rehydrate it.
While using sphagnum moss over the entire floor of the enclosure is not advisable because it would make cleaning difficult and is unnecessary for an arboreal lizard, it is excellent to have patches of the moss on top of bark or coconut husk or even the perches in the raised part of your crested gecko’ enclosure.
Key Features
- Holds moisture very well
- Maintains high humidity levels well
- Inexpensive and lasts a long time
This product is harvested in an ecologically sustainable manner and does not deplete the natural biodiversity in the areas from which it is sourced. This is a bonus in keeping reptiles responsibly, as you are supporting the life of the one you own while supporting the environment as well.
Sphagnum moss works well with many other substrates, so it is up to you to create the look you want. This also means you can add or subtract as much sphagnum moss as you want to control humidity levels.
Pros
- High water absorbency
- Holds humidity well
- Long-lasting
Cons
- Can stain hides and other tank decor green
Galapagos
5. Zilla Reptile Terrarium Liner – Best Budget
The Zilla Reptile
The product measures 11.75 inches wide by 23.5 inches long. However, you can very easily cut the liner down to suit your needs if your enclosure has different dimensions, and it will not become frayed or torn around the edges.
The green color of this substrate also gives your crestie’s enclosure a natural feel to it that newspaper would not. Finally, it’s very absorbent, which will aid in keeping your enclosure’s humidity level within an acceptable range if there is a big water spillage from a water dish.
Key Features
- Contains an enzyme that reduces odors
- Presents no risk of impaction, as it is solid
- Ideal for baby crested geckos
Like with any substrate, you will need to spot clean your liner daily for messes. However, unlike other substrates, Zilla’s Reptile
Simply throw them in the wash once a week, and you will have a completely clean piece of substrate for your crested gecko’s enclosure. This way, you can be assured that there are no mites, bacteria, parasites, or microbes that could harm your crestie.
After every wash, go over the liner carefully to ensure no threads are poking up, as these can catch on your crested gecko’s toes. It is advisable to buy two liners; this way, while one is in the wash, you can put the other in the enclosure so there is no disruption to your crested gecko’s routine or habitat.
Pros
- Absorbs water well
- Reusable
- No risk of impaction
Cons
- Synthetic
- Not the most natural-looking or environmentally friendly option
This is our top budget pick for crested gecko substrates. The liners are cheap and reusable, which will save you money now and in the future. While the fabric is synthetic and doesn’t look as natural as some of the other substrates on this list, these liners are still very efficient and safe to use.
How to Choose the Best Crested Gecko Substrates
At the end of the day, the ideal type of substrate for your crested gecko will come down to what kind of enclosure you want it to have. These arboreal creatures do not need a fancy or specific type of substrate because they spend their lives in the ‘trees’ in their enclosures.
While there’s no one “perfect” substrate that outshines the rest, here’s a general guide to what you should look for in a substrate for a crested gecko enclosure.
Easy to Clean
Even though your arboreal crested gecko won’t use it much, substrate is still necessary because it performs some functions. Namely, it is there to catch messes. All of the substrates in this article do that very well. Some of them will actively break down the waste while others absorb it until you can wash it.
If convenience is important to you, your substrate should be easy to clean. Both spot cleans and deep cleans will be necessary from time to time.
Maintains Humidity
Secondly, the substrate in your gecko’s enclosure should help promote and maintain high humidity levels. A crested gecko needs a stable humidity of around 60% to 80%.
Substrates can either reduce humidity, such as paper towels, or they can boost and maintain it, such as sphagnum moss and coconut fibers.
Supports a Bioactive Setup (Optional)
Thirdly, a good substrate will support a bioactive enclosure–if a bioactive setup is what you’re aiming for, anyway. A bioactive enclosure needs to have good drainage, support diverse plant life, and house a healthy clean-up crew of springtails and isopods.
Substrates like sphagnum moss and coconut fiber are especially great for bioactive enclosures, as they are all-natural, biodegradable, and perfect for your clean-up crew.
Presents Little to No Impaction Risk
It is important to avoid several things when buying a substrate for your crested gecko. Cresteds are very small, but they will still try to eat large things. This is especially true for curious baby and juvenile geckos. The biggest problem with loose, non-biodegradable substrates is impaction.
While all loose substrates technically present at least some risk of impaction, some are far more dangerous than others due to the material they are composed of.
For example, sand, sandy soil, reptile sand, clay sand, and wood chips/shavings can all be swallowed accidentally while your crested gecko is eating or exploring their enclosure. If these things do not pass through naturally, they will get stuck in the digestive tract and cause an impaction.
Impaction is painful and can be fatal if not resolved quickly, Resolving impaction often requires a vet’s help, and sometimes even surgery is necessary to remove the blockage.
FAQs Substrates for Crested Geckos
Do I need to use different substrates when my crested gecko is a baby compared to when it is an adult?
Your substrate needs to be tailored to the age of your crested gecko. Baby cresteds should not have loose substrate because it is a choking hazard. They should be kept on reptile carpet, newspaper, paper towels, or
Do I have to have a substrate in my crested gecko’s enclosure?
You do not strictly have to use a substrate in the enclosure because crested geckos are arboreal and hardly come down to the floor. However, substrates absorb water, boost humidity, absorb messes, and cut down on odor, which is all beneficial to keeping a crestie.
This long-lived gecko deserves the best enclosure you can provide it with, so a suitable substrate is a worthwhile investment.
Can I use aspen or pine shavings instead of orchid bark in my crested gecko’s enclosure?
Pine and aspen wood have oils in them that are toxic to reptiles. Skin contact with the oils can cause burns and inhaling the fragrance from the wood causes respiratory infections.
However, if you get treated pine and aspen shavings, they typically have had the oils removed from them. In this case, they are fine to use as long as they are large enough not to be a hazard for impaction.
Springing Off…
Crested Geckos are one of the cutest lizards you could own. Their enclosure setup is interesting and should be stimulating. You should think carefully about what substrate is best for your crested gecko. While all of the options listed above are great for crested geckos, some of them are slightly better suited to certain setups.
If you are looking to have a partially bioactive enclosure, then using Zoo Med Eco Earth is the way to go!
If you are looking at keeping your crested gecko in a completely bioactive enclosure, then using the Josh’s Frogs ABG Mix Tropical Plant Soil &
However, if you are looking for a reusable, cost-effective substrate for your crested gecko, then the Zilla Reptile
