Is it safe how I have mine housed?

[Lady Hyena]

I was just reading a post on here and even tho they had "brick" over the sand everyone shot it down like it was the plagueD: I house all my leos on tile which under it is sand between the sand and tile i have some paper(not normal paper) to prevent them from even seeing the sand let alone licking it. I have a theremostate hooked up too and theremometers on every level. Ive had them on tile and this method for oever 6 months now and havent had a problem with impaction or anything. All mine are healthy, happy, and fat=w= i was just curious on others oppions. I attached a pic of the cage to show the tile and such. I wont go back to reptile carpet that stuff is to dangerous for its own good(one of mine got there jaws caught on it while huntingD and i'd hate to have to swap out there nice looking home for paper towel or newsprint. Is it safe or not, the substrate way im doing it.
btw it is a custom made cage took us 3 days to make designed so that i could have everyone in there males get a 20-25 long equivilant and females get 35-40 gallon equivilant. I dont like rack systems so we did this. A bit more expensive but my leos are the happest around!

 

[M_surinamensis]

Using particulate substrates is a risk.

Like most risks, it should be calculated- weigh the possibilities of negative consequences and the probability of them occurring against the benefits and make a decision... and managed, altered in all possible manners so as to minimize the dangerous outcomes.

The risks associated with sand, in brief, are pretty much as follows; impaction if the animal consumes sufficient quantities to cause a blockage, damage or irritation of the digestive system if the animal consumes enough or any of the right (wrong) shape (corners and edges can cause microscopic cuts and abrasions), irritation of a few sensitive spots on and in the gecko other than the digestive system (under the eyelids, in the vent, in the mouth but not swallowed, any dust that is fine enough to be inhaled) and the potential for waste matter to be hidden from view when you spot clean the enclosure.

The benefits are; it allows for some natural instinctive behaviors that aren't seen or cannot occur when using paper type substrates primarily digging, it provides a varied surface that is not uniform and rigid that is better for the health and development of the toes, feet and legs and it is more aesthetically pleasing when you, the owner, view the enclosure.

Obviously the chance of those risks are not all even, and the value of the benefits are similarly not even. Looking decent is a benefit but by itself it is not one you would prioritize over a serious and likely danger.

Some of the ways that the risks can be managed; using sand and tile or slate together as you have provides areas of the enclosure where the sand is not present and the gecko can regulate its own contact with each substrate type, wetting the sand and allowing it to dry compacts it into a shape and texture that is closer to what leopard geckos have evolved to encounter in the wild, loose sand poured straight from a bag is not really something found in their natural habitat (they are from a rocky desert, not wind swept saharan dunes), feeding appropriately sized prey items and making sure to present worms and similar items in a bowl with deeper sides so that sand will not be tracked onto the food items can prevent a great deal of the ingestion that commonly leads to impaction (it's mostly due to face-diving over loose sand at prey that is too small in the case of crickets and roaches or too close to the substrate in the case of worms).

Ultimately the decision is yours, you should base it on how comfortable you feel in managing those risks and how important you feel those benefits are. Weigh your options, thinking of your specific animals and enclosures and how much time you can devote to micromanaging those risks and make a considered choice.

Used improperly sand is negligent. Used properly it is not a great evil, though there's a very vocal group of owners who own one gecko and read three caresheets they found online who will gnash and yell and holler about how using it makes you the devil. Educated and experienced keepers may choose to use or not use it based on a risk assessment but I have never run into one that will villify you for your choice, as long as you consider all the angles.

 

[Lady Hyena]

Using particulate substrates is a risk.

Like most risks, it should be calculated- weigh the possibilities of negative consequences and the probability of them occurring against the benefits and make a decision... and managed, altered in all possible manners so as to minimize the dangerous outcomes.

The risks associated with sand, in brief, are pretty much as follows; impaction if the animal consumes sufficient quantities to cause a blockage, damage or irritation of the digestive system if the animal consumes enough or any of the right (wrong) shape (corners and edges can cause microscopic cuts and abrasions), irritation of a few sensitive spots on and in the gecko other than the digestive system (under the eyelids, in the vent, in the mouth but not swallowed, any dust that is fine enough to be inhaled) and the potential for waste matter to be hidden from view when you spot clean the enclosure.

The benefits are; it allows for some natural instinctive behaviors that aren't seen or cannot occur when using paper type substrates primarily digging, it provides a varied surface that is not uniform and rigid that is better for the health and development of the toes, feet and legs and it is more aesthetically pleasing when you, the owner, view the enclosure.

Obviously the chance of those risks are not all even, and the value of the benefits are similarly not even. Looking decent is a benefit but by itself it is not one you would prioritize over a serious and likely danger.

Some of the ways that the risks can be managed; using sand and tile or slate together as you have provides areas of the enclosure where the sand is not present and the gecko can regulate its own contact with each substrate type, wetting the sand and allowing it to dry compacts it into a shape and texture that is closer to what leopard geckos have evolved to encounter in the wild, loose sand poured straight from a bag is not really something found in their natural habitat (they are from a rocky desert, not wind swept saharan dunes), feeding appropriately sized prey items and making sure to present worms and similar items in a bowl with deeper sides so that sand will not be tracked onto the food items can prevent a great deal of the ingestion that commonly leads to impaction (it's mostly due to face-diving over loose sand at prey that is too small in the case of crickets and roaches or too close to the substrate in the case of worms).

Ultimately the decision is yours, you should base it on how comfortable you feel in managing those risks and how important you feel those benefits are. Weigh your options, thinking of your specific animals and enclosures and how much time you can devote to micromanaging those risks and make a considered choice.

Used improperly sand is negligent. Used properly it is not a great evil, though there's a very vocal group of owners who own one gecko and read three caresheets they found online who will gnash and yell and holler about how using it makes you the devil. Educated and experienced keepers may choose to use or not use it based on a risk assessment but I have never run into one that will villify you for your choice, as long as you consider all the angles.

Yeah i know the risks so i take every possible messure to prevent ingestion of any kind to them even hand feeding each and every one of my 16. Some call my crazy for that but^^; really it doesnt come down to me it comes down to if its safe for my lovelys or if its a disaster waiting to happen. I have the paper down and around the walls so they cant really get to it even if they tried too. its not calcuim sand either(or any of that crap) im not 100% on what kinda sand but it is loose and spread the heat nicely from all the UTHs. Originally i wanted to go with Slate tile but it woudnt heat properally even with a theremostat so i swapted it out for some floor tile(scuffed up ofcourse) then the sand to help with heat.

 

[OhioGecko]

Yeah i know the risks so i take every possible messure to prevent ingestion of any kind to them even hand feeding each and every one of my 16. Some call my crazy for that but^^; really it doesnt come down to me it comes down to if its safe for my lovelys or if its a disaster waiting to happen. I have the paper down and around the walls so they cant really get to it even if they tried too. its not calcuim sand either(or any of that crap) im not 100% on what kinda sand but it is loose and spread the heat nicely from all the UTHs. Originally i wanted to go with Slate tile but it woudnt heat properally even with a theremostat so i swapted it out for some floor tile(scuffed up ofcourse) then the sand to help with heat.

If you use slate tile it takes a while for it to reach the right temps, especially if you are using a proportional thermostat. I called Helix when I installed my slate because the temps were erratic. They explained that the Helix measured how long it took to heat up to the correct temp and then it would regulate from that time span. They suggested that I heat the tank before applying the temp probe and that did the trick.

 

[Lady Hyena]

If you use slate tile it takes a while for it to reach the right temps, especially if you are using a proportional thermostat. I called Helix when I installed my slate because the temps were erratic. They explained that the Helix measured how long it took to heat up to the correct temp and then it would regulate from that time span. They suggested that I heat the tank before applying the temp probe and that did the trick.

^^ aww i see! ill test that out with one of the males side and see if it does the trick. I just worry then that it wont heat all 8 sections in use properly^^; Thanks for the info its worth a shot! assuming you use UTH too and not heat tape/cable.