Gecko almost died and managed to save him! Happy ending!

[syds]

So basically I was a fool and had him on sand for too long...

Basically out of the blue he stopped eating everything.. mealies, crickets etc. I suspect he was impacted after about 1 week and a half of no eating.

I start my plan B and start giving him nightly warm baths... first 2 nights no luck... after the 3rd he pooped!!

even after this he still didnt eat anything... so I thought he was gonna die I keep with a bit of olive oil on the nose and nightly warm baths and massaging his belly...

to my surprise this worked and he pooped almost every night a medium sized chunk which after crushing it in the paper towel it was all or most made out of sand!

anyways, making the story short. after about 3-4 sand poops.... he is back to being a hungry monster... Just last night he ate like 10 mealies in one sitting!

anyways, had to share that bit of a story since most people dont really understand the pain of an impacted little guy...

Lesson learned about sand!

 

[KTyne]

Glad your Leo is well after that, that would be super stressful, for both of you!

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Thank god he's okay! Out of curiosity, what kind of sand was it? Natural, reptile, calcium?

~Maggot

 

[syds]

So happy that your gecko is healthy again!

I don't think I'll ever risk sand. Paper towels aren't the most visually appealing substrate, but stories like this are definitely not rare and I wouldn't want to risk my geckos' health.

until I get some repti carpet later in the week I found some magazines with some candid pictures for him to look at night

as for the type of sand, it was one of those fine red exo terra type. I thought they were eat proof .... well apparently not.

 

[cassicat4]

It's so sad how sands are marketed. Most of them claim to be "impaction-proof", "safe", "non-ingestible" etc., but the reality is far different than they'd have us believe. I'm so glad you were able to save your Leo. Thanks for sharing your story - hopefully it will help other future gecko owners when it comes to decisions regarding choice of substrate.

 

[razorgecko1982]

calcium sand is a lot less of a risk, than silicone sand. glad your gecko is alright.

 

[Ozy]

Razor, please stop telling people calcium sand is less of a risk than regular sand. It is actually MORE harmful, because the gecko will eat it on purpose to get the calcium, and despite what the bag says, it's not digestible and doesn't dissolve. Slate tiles FTW!

 

[Kristi23]

I agree on the calcium sand being bad. I won't use any loose substrates with my leopard geckos. I'm really glad that your gecko was able to get healthy again.

 

[SC Geckos]

calcium sand is a lot less of a risk, than silicone sand. glad your gecko is alright.

Do you have any information to support this statement up??
This may be your opinion..... but far from a fact. Your comment should reflect this.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

calcium sand is a lot less of a risk, than silicone sand. glad your gecko is alright.

Fifty bucks says this was calcium sand. There are countless deaths linked to it. Not only are geckos more likely to eat it to get the calcium, but when it gets wet, it clumps together, making it impossible to pass. If you don't believe that, drip some water on it and watch how it clumps right up - regular sand doesn't do that. As I recall, you have been told this before, so I don't understand why you're still perpetuating this blatant and dangerous lie unless it's just to be a troll.

~Maggot

 

[Ozy]

+1 Maggot

 

[r1master]

Calcium sand is horrible for leos. Even though paper towels don't look great I will only use this. Better safe than sorry!

 

[garner63080]

This is an amazing story! Im sure your bond with the little guy is stronger than ever. Personally I put up the money to buy repticarpet. Yes paper towels are cheaper but its such a pain in the butt to get it to fit in a tank.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Lindz0518]

Fifty bucks says this was calcium sand. There are countless deaths linked to it. Not only are geckos more likely to eat it to get the calcium, but when it gets wet, it clumps together, making it impossible to pass. If you don't believe that, drip some water on it and watch how it clumps right up - regular sand doesn't do that. As I recall, you have been told this before, so I don't understand why you're still perpetuating this blatant and dangerous lie unless it's just to be a troll.

~Maggot

The meme in this quote made me laugh out loud!

 

[Embrace Calamity]

The meme in this quote made me laugh out loud!

I feel that way a lot of times. Felt it was appropriate.

~Maggot

 

[katie_]

The meme in this quote made me laugh out loud!

same

 

[Lindz0518]

I feel that way a lot of times. Felt it was appropriate.

~Maggot

I feel like that several times a day.... at least

 

[Reptis]

Glad you got 'em better! I learned the hard way about sand's dangerous effects, lost one to it. Now I only use repti-carpet or slate.