It's either that or tile - leos shouldn't have sand or other loose substrates, too much risk of impaction.
Tile can be really hard to get at a good thickness for the UTH to do its job. Some geckos have troubles getting their claws caught on the carpet, but I haven't had an issue with that since I switched to the Fluker's carpet - it seems to be less fibrous than the Zoo Med one - but Bas didn't have much trouble on Zoo Med, either.
Some people get REALLY creative. As long as the gecko has a spot to hide on both sides of the tank and nothing will topple easily, the world's your oyster, really.
It's all good. Her name is Basol because I was told she was likely male when I got her at the reptile expo (she was a poor quality morph so I got her for $35, score). Later on I still hadn't noticed any preanal pores, and to this day she has no visible pores. So, female.