The controversial SAND

I have to admit, I have a hard time understanding the sand vs. safer substrate argument.

As a pet owner, my most important responsibility is to keep my animal safe from dangers that can affect their health.

Considering the evidence of leo's becoming impacted from sand, I wouldn't dream of using it. I care too much for my Leo and its not worth the risk.

I won't use carpet because of the slight risk that a toe could get caught and cause harm. Carpet can also get worn out, lose it shape from repeated washing, and must be replaced from time to time. It can also harbor bacteria if not kept clean. I think it can be a good choice, much better than sand, but is not as easy to maintain as tile.

Paper towel is a perfect substrate with only one exception. If you want to achieve a natural look, it's not what you are looking for. However, it is disposable, easy to work with, and safe.

For me, tile is the perfect substrate. Most people recommend slate tile, because it conducts heat well. It can also absorb urate, so most people recommend sealing it before using it. I use porcelain tile. It comes in many colors and finishes, and is dense and glazed already making it maintenance free. I have also found that porcelain tile conducts heat very well, so I don't feel like I need to make a change to slate to get better heat conduction. It's easy to clean, lasts forever, and is cheap. I bought 10 6x6 tiles for my 20 gallon long enclosure for $8.00 at Home Depot. It covers the entire floor and I didn't have to make any cuts. My Leo loves laying on it in the warm spot, it looks good, I'll never have to buy more, and it is easily removed and cleaned. Best of all, I don't have to worry about the off chance that it will cause a problem with my Leo. Completely safe.

Just my two cents. I realize that we all have our opinion on the matter and that there has been a ton of controversy. I'm not willing to engage in this stuff. Do what you want. It's your Leo. Considering the available options for substrate, I simply feel that tile is the safest and most practical.

tonyperkins203 said:

I have to admit, I have a hard time understanding the sand vs. safer substrate argument.

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I'm curious: I've never heard of a gecko becoming impacted when kept on natural sand, only calcium sand. Have you?

~Maggot

I've read many cases of sand impaction, and unfortunately it is not always specified as to what type of sand is the cause. I'm quite certain that the majority was caused by calci-sand. I am just not willing to risk it. It seems like an unnecessary risk when there are other substrates available to use.

tonyperkins203 said:

I've read many cases of sand impaction, and unfortunately it is not always specified as to what type of sand is the cause. I'm quite certain that the majority was caused by calci-sand. I am just not willing to risk it. It seems like an unnecessary risk when there are other substrates available to use.

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I don't use sand either. I'm just curious if it's ever happened with natural sand, especially if the leo is provided with proper husbandry.

~Maggot

I recently purchased 2 leopard geckos in a sand tank with some supplies. I decided to go ahead and get rid of it (the sand)to be on the safe side. I cannot afford a vet bill. I went to Home Depot and bought glass mosaic, silicon and play sand. I plan too mold the sand and silicon into a filler for the gaps. They also had heat lamps for 7 bucks. I also use UTHs. So far I'm having very good luck with my temps. I have 92 on the hot and 70 on the cold. I live in a northern climate and keep my heat low, esp when I am at work. I'm new to this but my twins wanted pets and while the geckos are for them the tank and aesthetics are for me!

I kept a leo on natural sand for almost 3 years and never had an issue, I've also kept leos on carpet and have never had them get their teeth or nails stuck because I always flipped it over to the smooth side. The only thing about sand is the cleaning, sifting it everyday and then replacing it every 2-3 months, bad husbandry has a lot to do with it.

I just don't like the chance of impaction whatsoever so I choose not to use it. I do however have it underneath my slate tiles to help with heating.

I used to have a slightly different opinion as I thought sand was really no big deal. I since have changed to all slate but did use sand to level my slate. Having the slate has completely changed my mind. It's so easy to clean up and both my geckos seem to love the heat the slate gives off. My temps are much easier to control and i can actually get the warm side in mid to upper 90's now. The cost of slate is much cheaper than the sand. I no longer have to worry about where I'm feeding them in the Viv. I do use sand in a literbox I made for both tanks and they like going to the bathroom in it and digging on occasion. My point is though, there are many downsides to sand, and even if there weren't, it's still a lot more expensive than slate. To me, there is no real good reason to use it. Some say it helps with bone and muscle development, but Leo's don't really come in contact with loose substrates in the wild. Most of it is highly compacted and they like hiding in cracks and crevices. I'm not putting anyone down for using it as it is your right to do so. I'm just saying from my experiences there is no reason I can come up with to use it as your substrate. That said, I hope anyone that reads this will take in consideration the real threats of sand and why people have such strong opinions against it.

I agree with some of the points you made Kyle. However, I have been to Iraq and Afghanistan and can assure you they do come into contact with loose substrate very frequently. I think a reusable substrate is certainly more economical and prefer shelf liner myself...but economical isn't always the best way to determine whats best for the animals. Also working with an exotic vet, we seldom see any impaction on leos housed on sand or any other particulate substrate. We actually have had more impaction cases from feeders than sand (crickets and superworms both). Just food for thought.

I see your point, I have never been over there, but I have been told by a couple people that it is more packed earth in the region in which you find them. I'm sure they come in contact with loose substrate in there natural habitat though. I was just trying to point out that not using sand doesn't have detrimental effects on health bone and muscle growth. I'm no vet and I haven't dealt with compaction issues. There is a risk in anything you do with your pets. For me personally I just feel there are more reasons not to use it then to use it. I always like having people respond who have knowledge, so thanks for the comments. I just was a novice gecko owner when I first started and didn't have the good info I have now. I just want people who are new owners and or looking to get a Leo's to have good info as I felt I was given bad info when I first got my female. I was actually sold calcium sand which pet store clerk swore by. I now know that it was very bad info as calcium sand is like the worst thing you can get. In any event, I wish you all well and a happy new year.

Enigmatic_Reptiles said:

I agree with some of the points you made Kyle. However, I have been to Iraq and Afghanistan and can assure you they do come into contact with loose substrate very frequently. I think a reusable substrate is certainly more economical and prefer shelf liner myself...but economical isn't always the best way to determine whats best for the animals. Also working with an exotic vet, we seldom see any impaction on leos housed on sand or any other particulate substrate. We actually have had more impaction cases from feeders than sand (crickets and superworms both). Just food for thought.

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Sorry this is a few weeks old, but I didn't see it til now, and I have a question, since you work with an exotic vet. From what I've been told, a healthy gecko with proper temperatures, proper supplementation, and properly hydrated will be able to pass without issue any non-calcium sand it might ingest (not that it would be much). Is this what you have found to be true?

~Maggot

I am a new AFT owner, and I as well was told by store employees (at varying stores) that vita-sand (calcium sand) was the best sand choice to use, I have 2/3rds of it covering my tank, with the other 1/3rd being eco-earth. If it is the worst, as it seems to be from reading posts in this thread, what other sand is recommended if we wanted to continue to use sand to achieve a natural look, and why? Also, what about the Vita-sand, or calcium sands, makes it the worst choice of sand? The local stores here carry the Zoo Med repti sand, the Zilla desert blend (the crushed walnut shells one), and Exo Terra desert sand, along with house brands (All Living Things, etc).

I had read that play sand from a hardware was not to be used, but it seems that a few people do in-fact use it, why is that? I don't want to jump into the middle of the debate/controversy. I was just curious as to what sand would be best, if sand was to be used. Also should point out that the AFT is not a baby, he is about 5 inches long or so.

Jason Boyd said:

I am a new AFT owner, and I as well was told by store employees (at varying stores) that vita-sand (calcium sand) was the best sand choice to use, I have 2/3rds of it covering my tank, with the other 1/3rd being eco-earth. If it is the worst, as it seems to be from reading posts in this thread, what other sand is recommended if we wanted to continue to use sand to achieve a natural look, and why? Also, what about the Vita-sand, or calcium sands, makes it the worst choice of sand? The local stores here carry the Zoo Med repti sand, the Zilla desert blend (the crushed walnut shells one), and Exo Terra desert sand, along with house brands (All Living Things, etc).

I had read that play sand from a hardware was not to be used, but it seems that a few people do in-fact use it, why is that? I don't want to jump into the middle of the debate/controversy. I was just curious as to what sand would be best, if sand was to be used. Also should point out that the AFT is not a baby, he is about 5 inches long or so.

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Calcium sand is dangerous because it clumps when it gets wet. So when the gecko ingests it, instead of it just passing through normally, it clumps and becomes stuck. Also, they're more likely to ingest it to get the calcium, as opposed to regular sand, which they have no reason to intentionally ingest.

I know people who use washed playsand with success. Though I personally prefer to use a soil/sand mixture, as that is probably the most natural substrate for them.

~Maggot

Calcium and mass processed sand clumps and compacts while natural desert and desert passes through harmlessly

I want to note that this is a personal story and just one instance. It can't exactly prove or disprove the use of sand, but I've found that in any debate/discussion, personal stories are good to tell
The person who caused me to truly fall in love with Leos was my biology teacher in HS, and her Leo Yoshi. Yoshi is a pretty old gecko. My HS was a smallish private school and went from P-12, and I went there from 3rd grade on, so I'd seen him, known of him for a long time. If something drastic had happened to the gecko (ie, died), it was likely I would've heard about it (you should've heard everyone when we thought Rosie the rose-haired tarantula had died!). Alright, moving forward from late elementary. During my senior year, my teacher let me take care of Yoshi for her while she was out of town at two different times. Both times I got a partially used bag of calcium sand (in case it seemed his carrier needed more) and his crickets. I remember specifically it being calcium sand, because I remember thinking that it was unusual. This was when I really fell in love with Leos, as he was very friendly and well-socialized. He LOVED to cuddle underneath the hood of a hoodie. He was active and loved to hunt his crickets. As far as I could tell, apart from a few missing ends of toes, he was a happy, healthy gecko. In his main cage at school, he lived on sand. He lived on sand under my care. I'd bet he lived on sand at her house during the summer as well, if he had a different cage than the one at school. He definitely ingested calcium sand when he ate crickets. I watched him hunt myself. And yet, despite what people say about sand, and especially calcium sand, he is still alive and well. I can check with her on his history and see if he had ever been taken to the vet for impaction, but knowing this teacher, if she felt he was in danger because of what he was living on, she would have immediately changed it, especially being a biology teacher. She has animals other than Yoshi (rabbits, dogs, fish) and they are all very well taken care of. Perhaps this is one of those "lucky" Leos that never got impacted from his calcium sand.
But we must remember… All animals, big or small, warm blooded or cold blooded, have things that could kill them. Are you not going to let your Mastiff or Great Dane play outside, just because they could break a hip and have to be put down? No! You're still going to let it outside to play so it doesn't keep knocking your drink off the coffee table with it's tail! Obviously, there are things you can do to prevent a large dog like that from hurting itself so severely, just like you can prevent a leopard gecko from getting impacted. Putting any animal in captivity has its inherent risks. I myself am a novice herper, so I won't advocate either side in this ongoing debate on sand. But in all honesty, no matter what species, the best thing for your animal is to know it. Know it's normal behavioral markers, so you can know if something is wrong and hopefully catch it before it is too late. THAT is how we will truly be able to prevent deaths from such things that could have been caught and taken care of earlier.

I say if you're gonna take the risk, at LEAST tong feed

Sent via Tapatalk whilst caring for Eublepharis macularis'

Embrace Calamity said:

Sorry this is a few weeks old, but I didn't see it til now, and I have a question, since you work with an exotic vet. From what I've been told, a healthy gecko with proper temperatures, proper supplementation, and properly hydrated will be able to pass without issue any non-calcium sand it might ingest (not that it would be much). Is this what you have found to be true?

~Maggot

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I know this is old, but no one answered so I figured I would. I've always worked at vet clinics and exotic animal rescues for 14-15 years and this is exactly what I've seen. The largest culprit of impaction, whether it's food, substrate, or foreign objects is dehydration. The second is general poor health, usually in combination with dehydration. Animals that are healthy should have no problem passing a mouthful of particulate substrate. But animals that are in poor health or dehydrated have no lubrication, if you will, to move things through.

Another thing to note is that a lot of poor husbandry cases include poor supplementation. So you're talking about animals with imbalances, perhaps even severe MBD, etc. Well, calcium isn't just good for strong bones - it's an element that is involved in an enormous amount of nerve impulses and muscle contractions, so if you don't have enough calcium in the body all your muscles start to not work well, including your GI tract. So it's totally probable that if you have a calcium-deficient gecko that swallows a mouthful of sand it will just sit in the gut, accumulating and mixing with roughage from food and create a blockage. And this is the case that I've seen most often.

So a healthy animal will pass something small and particulate like soil or sand without much ado. In my experience.

Cesar_Da_KIng said:

I see enigmatics point, my only problem is that you said you would only recommend experienced owners do it. Now you cant deny that there are some new owners out there that are gonna let that go completly over their heads and all they're gonna hear is "sand is just a big misunderstanding, so go ahead and use it!" and they wont hear the very important "Grain size and manufactured/natural are two of the biggest culprits in impaction."
With that being said i must say that im not a fan of people posting about sand be okay if done right cause alot of new owners will miss the "if done right" part and i just encourages bad care.

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People who don't bother to research will do other stupid things besides the sand, such as not do the heat right etc so really there is no point dumbing it down as they will do stuff wrong regardless. I think whats important is matching their natural environment. I don't think a Leopard Gecko would ever just be on sand or just be on rock. I think the tank should have sections of different textures for the gecko to explore (all I have is newspaper in ours, I've had her 2 weeks and I'm doing lost of research before we decide how to setup her cage to be attractive to her and attractive to us).

Sand could be contained in a hide, where a gecko doesn't eat etc. Or even in one of those large food bowls that look like rock. Here are images of leopard gecko's in the wild.

Baby leo in the wild:
Pin by brittany shumate on Leopard geckos | Pinterest

I used to use sand but switched to repti carpet for multiple reasons.


1. Sand is a bitch to clean.
2. Impaction risk.
3 Smells like shit it is like having a massive litter box.
4 I think repti carpet looks better then sand.