Why Not To Use Sand! WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES

These images were taken by Dennis of Magical Geckos (and therefore belong to him.) in my hometown of Dayton, Ohio. It was turned into a local rescue and he took custody of it in an attempt to save it's life. Unfortunately it didn't survive the surgery to remove the impaction. [emoji22]

As owners of animals, it is our job to provide them with the best care we possibly can. This includes all animals... They aren't just a hamster or lizard or fish. They are our responsibility the moment we decided to take them into our care and that means learning everything we can about them, and providing all of their needs.

Leopard Geckos don't live on sand in nature. They live on hard, packed dirt even slightly rocky in parts. A moist hide should he provided and may contain moss or coco fiber for adults to imitate a burrow, or just moist paper towels (which is the only thing that should be given to babies and juveniles). However, the main substrate should be paper towels, newspapers, reptile carpet, etc that can NOT be ingested.

Sand should NEVER be used the particles make it high risk for ingestion at feeding and other times. The particles will just sit in the stomach, build up and impact his guts and stomach. Causing a slow and painful DEATH! Just because you have been using it for years or know someone who has "without a problem" doesn't mean that you won't have a problem in the future or don't have a problem you don't know about.

It is better to be safe than sorry, or one day you will end up inevitably with a gecko in this situation. If this doesn't break your heart, then I don't know what will. [emoji26]

Amy

Horrible I'll never understand why any one would take the risk using sand. Even if 99 times out of 100 there is no problem it's the one like this that just make me wonder why anyone would ever use it.

I will never understand why people continue to use it, either. I have never used sand and I never will. No matter how many people have had no problems, the risk that something may go wrong is too much of a risk for me. I would hate myself for doing this to my animal. [emoji20]

cowana said:

Sand should NEVER be used the particles make it high risk for ingestion at feeding and other times.

Click to expand...

Plenty of larger breeders even mix sand into the mix of osteoform and vionate.

Sand should not be used BY ITSELF, nor by novice keepers. How you house your animals should reflect your comfort level with the species and your capabilities of replicating their natural environment.

While I think what Geckolabs says is true, I also think sand should generally be discouraged because some beginners will take it as a go ahead.

Neon Aurora agreed. People tend to over estimate their skill level and ability, and think if the pros can do so can I. What GeckoLabs is talking about, and if it is going to be done, it should be a trade secret kept among the pros and the use of sand discouraged openly.

Personally, I still won't use sand even if I become a large scale breeder even as part of a supplement. My Leos (and other helps) are all thriving on multivitamin and calcium supplements. I provide UVB if needed for the species otherwise D3. The chance of impaction just isn't with it, in my humble opinion. Not trying to knock the more experienced Leo breeders/keepers but this is just my views as a lifetime reptile keeper, even though I'm a novice Leo keeper, and Vet Tech.

I agree, never use sand. Sometimes I'll see people on this forum asking "is my set up ok?" and they'll have their leo on sand. But when I tell them the risks of using sand I'm the one who gets attacked. And people say "oh really? Do you have any scientific proof?" Or "you're not a professional, stop acting like you know everything". So I've kind of just stopped trying to warn people about sand..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's why I asked Dennis if I could share his photos. As the old adage goes "a picture is worth a thousand words", so I am hoping it will have more impact than telling people about the dangers of sand until you are blue in the face. You will never change some people's minds, and I'm not here to start "the sand debate". But if this helps to change some minds then it is worth it. I believe it has already helped one new person decide to use paper and I count that as a win! [emoji3]

Before I go any further..... New keepers need to stay far away from any form of loose substrate.

Now, although I agree that Leopard Geckos should not be house on sand, eating mass quantities like these images show is not the sands fault or normal behavior in any form or fashion. It is the end result of poor husbandry and or an ill animal. A healthy animal will not blindly eat loose substrate if given the opportunity. These are not stupid animals. They have been on this planet for a long time. Keep in mind that a Leopard Gecko housed on paper towels that is lacking certain things in there diet will resort to eating those paper towels just as it would any other looses substrate which has the potential to cause an intestinal blockage just like any other loose substrate. The main reason Leopard Geckos should not be kept on loose sand is because it is not a natural substrate for the species, not because of impaction risk.

For those experienced keepers that want a more natural setup for there Leopards I would suggest a packed, rocky, clay/sand mix. A product like Excavator clay mixed with pieces of limestone and a bit of coco fiber works great.

As far as adding a small amount of sand to the geckos supplements (as Dillon mentioned above) it is actually a benefit from what I have experienced over the past few years. My animals seem to process there food much better, meaning everything seems to be ground up more efficiently in the gut. (There were far fewer noticeable bug parts in the feces after adding the sand to the mix). To me it is a very similar process that many birds and even fish display by eating pebbles or grit to help grind/process there food in addition to the trace minerals they receive from it.

Just my long winded two cents on the subject.

I'm glad this is staying civil and it's always good to see different sides.

I agree on not using sand for regular leopard geckos. Not only is it not all sand in the wild, but in the sandy areas, they can move away from it. They have also adapted by being captive bred for so long now.

For someone who just NEEDS to use sand, please don't use calcium sand. Only fine play sand. I still don't encourage that though. Like Brad said above, excavator clay is good because it gets hard and keeps its form. There are some species that need to be kept on sand/dirt like ackies, etc. Just because you see it with some animals, it doesn't make it safe for leos.

I do agree that the average gecko kept correctly will not just sit and eat sand. But they will ingest some with every meal and I know my geckos lick everything. That is why I wouldn't use it. It's also not very sanitary unless you have a full bio active set up. (I hope that's the right word.)

I have never heard about people adding it to supplements and find it very interesting. I don't plan on doing it, but I'd love to hear more about it from people that have been doing it for a long time and what affects they have seen. I don't usually see any bug parts in my geckos poop. I can't remember the last time I did. I assume that lower heat could cause that to happen though along with some parasites/illness.

Matt made a video a while back about adding trace amounts of play sand to the mixture and explained his rationale for doing so. I personally haven't- yet- but simply because I haven't bothered buying it. Let me see if I can dig up the video.


And as far as using mixes:
Yes, absolutely. As was stated many times, sand should NOT be used on its own. They do not hail from fields of sand, but instead packed soil with *some* loose components, but the majority of their habitat is quite well packed, allowing them to dig and burrow if they find it fit. And as Kristi mentioned, they can also choose to avoid certain aspects of their habitat, so when thinking about naturalistic enclosures, one needs to do the best to recapitulate the diversity of micro-environments within the habitat.

Here is Matt's video. Its a few years dated, but to my knowledge, he hasn't changed it.
[video=youtube;-PuC7EMWDYo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PuC7EMWDYo[/video]

I completely agree that sand should never be used and tell all newer keepers the same thing. I also feel that something should be done with the large chain pet stores like +++++. Every time I go in they are housing all their geckos on sand and telling their customers that it's the best for them. On top of housing all their Leos in on tank ranging from hatchlings to adults. These pictures really sadden me and I for one and saving them printing them out and showing them to my local +++++ manager to show the harms off using sand.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

SEwicked said:

I completely agree that sand should never be used and tell all newer keepers the same thing. I also feel that something should be done with the large chain pet stores like +++++. Every time I go in they are housing all their geckos on sand and telling their customers that it's the best for them. On top of housing all their Leos in on tank ranging from hatchlings to adults. These pictures really sadden me and I for one and saving them printing them out and showing them to my local +++++ manager to show the harms off using sand.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Just keep telling them about it. I've seen some local that have changed to reptile carpet. Still not the best since it can be a pain to clean, but better than sand. Unfortunately, they will continue to house too many and sell geckos that are sick and too young. It's all about money for most companies.

geckolabs said:

Here is Matt's video. Its a few years dated, but to my knowledge, he hasn't changed it.
[video=youtube;-PuC7EMWDYo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PuC7EMWDYo[/video]

Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing that. I might have to talk to Matt and find out more from him.