Caci-sand yay or nay?

[geckogirls]

I have heard MANY people say they use caci sand and it is okay, I have also heard people say NO! My question is, if I feed them in a different container, would it be okay to use this? I know everyone says it is just because when they eat, they ingest it.... do they actually ingest enough to cause impaction, just normal "licking" since I feed them out of the cage??

Thanks guys!

 

[Krow]

I say use no sand, I dont wanna risk it at all. I use coco fiber, they can digest that, but not sand. No to sand for me.

 

[geckogirls]

so coco fiber, would that be like bed-a-beast or those big compressed bricks that you soak in water and they expand?

 

[Krow]

No, get Eco Earth Coco Fiber, its a compressed brick. I bought a pack of 3 & I've had it for a long time, it last a WHILE.

 

[Olimpia]

Yea, I use ecoearth also. I love it But I've always been curious to find out if there is a type of sand that is the safest. Probably a super super fine sand, and even then just probably for adults. Hopefully someone comes by and can tell us.

 

[Krow]

I dont even want to risk it with sand IMO

 

[Pepper]

No sand is really the safest, they say calci sand is easier to digest, but no sand is really easy to digest. Coco fiber isn't that safe either, as it is still a loose substrate, and in all reality, leo's don't naturally live on loose substrate, but more rocky out crop type surroundings. Their feet aren't designed for it.

Best things to use are paper towel, reptile carpet, and tile.

 

[Krow]

I only use the coco fiber in my hides, moist & dry (because she loves to dig in it). My main substrate is linoleum that I got SUPER cheap. & I dont think sand is safe at all, from all the impaction stories I have heard, & leos dying from impaction from sand. Some people have leos on sand with no problems, but I dont even want to risk it.

 

[ajveachster]

There are people that have had trouble with impaction. Typically you don't want to use a particulate substrate. Geckos will lick things in their environment for moisture, not just drink from a water dish, so there is still the possibility for ingestion. To go for a natural look the best thing to use is tile.

 

[Lene]

No Sand don't want to risk it. I use paper towel easy to use and cheap just remove and replace

 

[Krow]

With linoleum, you buy it once, easy wipe up clean & clean completely ever month, I love it. Its extremely cheap, I just went to my local hardware, asked if they had any scraps, & I got 4 yards for only $3!!

 

[Pepper]

Geckos will lick things in their environment for moisture

100 percent agree with this, my leo is always licking the floor if I spill water, and is always licking the paper towel in his moist hide when I mist it.

 

[froggz]

I agree, I wouldn't use sand, or any loose substrate. I use paper towel or tile for my tanks. Its so clean, and suits the way geckos are built. In the wild they walk over very hard packed earth. Their enviroment is also full of rocks. I have a lizard that lives its live in sand, and it has wide feet and wide toes. Its made to live in sand while a gecko has very small feet and thin toes.

I've worked previously in a pet store that used calci sand. Horrible gross stuff to have to clean imo. Whatever color was being used, EVERYTHING was that color. Its full of dust and larger bits that aren't smooth by any means. The dishes became permeated with it, as well as whatever animal was living on it. It didn't wash off easily either. If water is dribbled it becomes a big dust covered blob on the surface of the "sand." When it does finally break it goes right to the bottom of the enclosure instead of absorbing throughout the sand.

When I adopted my bearded dragon she had bright blue feet from the vita-sand she was housed in that didn't come off untill she shed. She's kept on newspaper now.

 

[thestack510]

NAY!

 

[OneFootedAce]

nay

 

[ariana]

no sand why take the risk?
tile is cheap and a one time buy

 

[LeoMartin]

I use tile. I also recommend Repti Carpet.

 

[LizMarie]

The Big Sand debate that never seems to die, lol..

I personally don't use sand for many reasons..
First I find it unsanitary in my eyes. If a gecko poops and you scoop it up there is a possibility that some of it is left behind or you missed one and it'll be around another month before you change the sand.

If you were to feed in the tank a bunch of worms, roaches and crickets will make themselves comfy in the sand.. Ew

What if you ever had might or some type of invader? Mites, Spiders, Ants, etc. It'd be hard to see it in the sand.

Possibility of unnecessary impaction.

It's REALLY expensive for no reason. Close to $8-$10 per 5lb bag. Might seem like a lot but its not.

Even though they "CLAIM" that calcium sand is digestible because its made of calcium that is False and a few years ago I read an actually study that someone had done; Calcium Sand vs. Fine Play Sand. Two geckos that were in good heath were placed in different enclosures that had all the same things.. hides, food, water, vitamins, etc. The "Researcher" concluded that the amount of calcium in the calcium sand was just too much to be digested by one gecko. Instead it mixed in with the stomach juices and stuff and made some type of paste type thing making it harder to pass increasing the chances of impaction. The other leo had traces of sand in its system but no nearly as much as the one that was placed on calcium sand. That is why many people that do recommend sand put their ADULTS that are in good health on only fine play sand.

 

[Olimpia]

I don't think we give them enough credit. Anyone who has ever gone to a desert knows that even if it's mostly rock, there is a considerable amount of rocky sand and dirt worn away from the rocks themselves. It's not sterile, smooth stone. I personally don't think it's necessary to be terrified of them eating a little Ecoearth, they are a little tougher than we think haha.

I am all for paper towels for the babies, but I keep all my adults on ecoearth and I think they really love it. And I'm not going to lie, I love how it looks too. I have my reptiles spread out across our livingroom, so I think that if I had to look at a tank lined with paper towels or newspaper it would just depress me.

But to each his own

 

[Ehatcher]

ive been using paper towel for a substrate for a while. It just looks so natural to me now, almost like its what they would live on in the wild. :main_laugh: