[leopardgeckos4me]

ok so i have been paying my leopard geckos off for 4 weeks and im finally getting them!!!! for crhistmas but i got my setup today .......my breeder knows apsolutly everything and i asked him wat substrate shuld i use so he sed sand is most natural.......is this ok to use it isnt calci-sand

 

[leopardgeckos4me]

plz adivice

 

[Graz]

yeah sand is natural but most people tend not to use it because of impaction .

i got my leo today and im justing lino tiles

seems fine , just fed her/her a cricket so cool to watch

anyway u can use many substrates

sand ( upto you can cause impaction ) , paper towels , tiles , coconut fibre , reptile grass . etc

 

[Duck]

i use sand for my leopard gecko and i find she does good on it but i dont use the calci sand as i found it very exspence and was told that ordinary childrens play sand is just as good, i have been using that for over a year and she seems to be very happy with it.

good luck with your gecko

 

[markhill]

leos will seek out sources of calcium, for that reason most will avoid calci-sand because they eat it, I use playsand for my bearded dragon with no problems, to completley eliminate the possibility of impaction then you can use floor tiles/lino/ reptile carpet or slate, calci-sand gets very expensive aswell.

 

[Spikebrit]

The best stuff i found was the specialised reptile sand, and it come in cool colours.

Apparently play sand can be harmful to leo's as it contains more of a certain chemical, which isnt harmful to children but is to repitles. I've started to hear this from a few people and have got picked up on it before.

You can also so various other substrates such as lilo, tile, slates, etc.

Spike

 

[K.J.Geckos]

:banghead: well said spike.PLAY SAND IS HARMFULL TO LEOPARD GECKOS!!! it even states it in The Leopard Gecko Manual.It contains to much silica or sumit like that for them to digest if they eat it.

markhill wrote:

leos will seek out sources of calcium, for that reason most will avoid calci-sand because they eat it,

your quite right there mark.leos aint the brightest of animals and they are only doing what nature tells them so they will eat calci sand as it contains calcium which they are looking for.For some cases they do get gut impactation and it is fatel to any animal.You can get specialised reptile sand that contains no chemicals and most of all it is not calcium based.The sand is so fine if eaten it will pass through your leos intestine causing no harm to it.There is always the chance of impatation in all substrates used if they do eat it but you minimize the risk by using correct substrate and reading up-like you are doing.you can use other things like tiles,slate,lino even,paper towel,newspaper or marble.what ever takes your fancy but please dont use play sand.it might be ok for larger reptile-personly i dont no as i only keep leos.happy hunting!

also before i forget...always leave a small amount of calcium in a dish in your leos viv.this should ensure your leo can get all the additional it needs to its diet other then just dusting its food every other day.

 

[CBR1100XX]

I am using auboise at the min but they will be going onto PLAY SAND shortly, reagardless of what the leopard gecko manual says.

 

[purejurrasic]

In my experiance, not withstanding any documentation, ALL sand can be an impactation risk for such small animals. Calci sand is worse, as the leo will activly eat it to get the calcium, but all other sand is non digestable.

Of course, some may travel through the gut and get passed out, but some wont.

HOWEVER, The risk is not in the using of sand, but the chances of a leo eating it.

If you sit and watch a leopard eat, it is pretty good at filtering out bits of 'non-food' as they do in the wild, bits of chip or aspen that do get collected along with the crix are either left to fall out the side of the mouth, or are 'spat out'.

However, young geckos are so ravenous for food and move so fast, they often dont relise what it is they have collected, just like a human child !

For this reason, I would recomend that sand 'can' be used for leos over 6 months, but NOT for those under 6 months.

I wont go into which is best in this thread, but will say I use play sand when i use sand at all., and its normally only in the area the leo uses for its loo.

 

[leopardgeckos4me]

as i sed it isnt calci sand it is a very fine sand...its white and is called extro terro sand. Anyway leopard geckos only hunt for calcium if they dont have enough calcium :lol: :roll: :evil: :wink: 8) :arrow: :idea: :?: :!:

 

[CBR1100XX]

In my experiance, not withstanding any documentation, ALL sand can be an impactation risk for such small animals. Calci sand is worse, as the leo will activly eat it to get the calcium, but all other sand is non digestable.

Of course, some may travel through the gut and get passed out, but some wont.

HOWEVER, The risk is not in the using of sand, but the chances of a leo eating it.

If you sit and watch a leopard eat, it is pretty good at filtering out bits of 'non-food' as they do in the wild, bits of chip or aspen that do get collected along with the crix are either left to fall out the side of the mouth, or are 'spat out'.

However, young geckos are so ravenous for food and move so fast, they often dont relise what it is they have collected, just like a human child !

For this reason, I would recomend that sand 'can' be used for leos over 6 months, but NOT for those under 6 months.

I wont go into which is best in this thread, but will say I use play sand when i use sand at all., and its normally only in the area the leo uses for its loo.

couldnt have put it better :wink:

 

[purejurrasic]

as i sed it isnt calci sand it is a very fine sand...its white and is called extro terro sand. Anyway leopard geckos only hunt for calcium if they dont have enough calcium :lol: :roll: :evil: :wink: 8) :arrow: :idea: :?: :!:

i know what you said. And i know what i replied with.

I have kept leos for a good may years, have loads of happy new owners and lots of experiance.

I was simply telling you my thoughts, the way i do things, its advice only, up to you if you take it or not.

as for hunting out calcium, do you know how much they need, when the need most. if so, then you dont need me , or any one to reply .

only trying to help, the many icons only distract from the subject

 

[leopardgeckos4me]

thx for the help bt i think theyll be ok on sand...anyway how do u notice impaction and how do u treat it ??? :roll:

 

[markhill]

thx for the help bt i think theyll be ok on sand...anyway how do u notice impaction and how do u treat it ??? :roll:

they usually stop eating and wont go to the toilet because they are blocked up, vet treatment is required.

 

[BELIAL]

people really shouldn't ask should they!!? everyone has so many different opinions! always sparks a good ole debate...i mean i use calci sand and have done for the last 8 years with no prob...but have also heard of problems with it. think it comes down to your husbandry and how much attention you show your rep...in the wild leopards sometimes eat sand and lick rocks to help their calcium levels as they cannot get it all from their prey. do they get gut impactions?..my oldest female occasionally licks rocks! (think she is a bit odd like that!) bless her! :lol:

 

[Emz118]

I have used calci sand and playsand with no problems at all!!!

 

[purejurrasic]

Gees, maybe people shouldnt answer !

The question was 'is sand ok'

I gave my reply, and the reasons for that reply.

The only time I said it should not be used is for geckos under 6 months, over that i said it can be used.

The original question did not mention the age of the gecko, thats why i put in that small detail

of course leos take on sand in the wild, and lick rocks.... they also die.

Surely its better to try to reduce any risk as much as possible.

I agree many keep them on sand and have no problems, maybe luck, maybe not, i would rather not risk it.

as with everything on here, its only advice, not law

nuff said from me ! 8)

 

[matto2k]

i tired a mix of desert sand and calci-sand mixed as an experiment. after 2 weeks i put my leo back in bark as i noticed the leo wasnt eating any more and had became (or as least what i thought was) impacted. put it back on bark with in a week it was eating again fine and moving around. but thats just what ive seen

 

[repti-14]

calcisand

i use calcisand for my leos. if they eat it, it doesnt cause tooooo much damage. i find that the natural grey sand is more affordable than the fancy colours, and it shows your leos off just as well!!

 

[purejurrasic]

Re: calcisand

i use calcisand for my leos. if they eat it, it doesnt cause tooooo much damage. i find that the natural grey sand is more affordable than the fancy colours, and it shows your leos off just as well!!

Sorry, and i wish i didnt have to post this, as any worry about a pet is not nice at all.

You posted the above, yet 20 mins later you start another thread regarding your leos not eating and loosing weight andy your worry about impactation.

Not saying they have impactation, i am not a vet or even seen them, and I know others have already supplied advice on that thread.

However, i think the above post is misleading to anyone looking for info. I dont quite understand the difference between 'not tooooo much damage' and 'damage'

I am rather hoping you have seen this post, then thought about it, and as a result have relised you may have a problem and are now making changes and getting help for your leos

I wish you all the best with them.