Sand debate

[loye_86]

I'm trying to help someone out who just got a leo...pushing the 'no sand' but someone else is pushing 'use calci sand...it's better than play sand'. Aren't they both just as bad? I had thought that I read that calci sand has just as much of a chance of compacting a gecko as play sand.

 

[Ccrashca069]

Calci sand is worste then playsand. I don't use either of them. I had a leopard gecko get impacted with sand before.

 

[loye_86]

That's what I thought...I'm trying to get it through to this person...but am not having much luck...any suggestions

 

[loye_86]

Just went and checked again...they are saying to use calci sand or ground walnut shells...they work on a 'reptile farm' and say they use calci sand...but I know that's not a good thing!

 

[Ccrashca069]

a hammer and pound it into them lmao.... Just kidding of course

In my tank set-ups I us the Tan Zilla Terrium carpet. It looks really nice and easy to clean. In my tubs I use paper towel.

 

[ReptileMan27]

Theres not much you can do but warn them. Its not worth fighting over,trust me. It more angers me because you would think if these people really loved and cared for there leo, they wouldnt risk its life over something as dumb as a substrate.

 

[loye_86]

a hammer and pound it into them lmao.... Just kidding of course

crossed my mind! lol

Theres not much you can do but warn them. Its not worth fighting over,trust me. It more angers me because you would think if these people really loved and cared for there leo, they wouldnt risk its life over something as dumb as a substrate.

Thay are on another forum I'm part of that is non-reptile, so to avoid issues with the third party i sent her a pm and a link to this forum! I agree, I can't beleive ppl care more about how the set up looks than the welfare of the animal!

 

[Halley]

Yeah, I guess the way I would tell somebody is… Is well sand looks nice, however so does reptile carpet. And with reptile carpet you will not have you gecko get impacted. Is the beauty of the set-up really worth your gecko’s life, especially when it doesn’t look to much better than the safer alternative?

You might have to word that different. You might even go out and buy a 10-gal tank, and put both of the products in it side by side, so they can see; it doesn’t look bad at all. But personally I would just leave it at that, and not get in an argument over it. I know I’m a little thick headed, and when somebody tells me I’m wrong over and over, even after I know I’m wrong. I might still do it. If I’m told once, and they don’t bring it up. Then I might think it over, and make the better decision. Which in this case would be to use something besides sand?

 

[Rejoice in the Lord]

Have you tried explaining to them that calci sand is designed to clump up when it is wet so that waste can be easily removed from the tank (I believe I read that on the bag at the store)

Calci sand is also designed to have calcium in it so that calcium deficient reptiles will eat it!

? ? ? what were they thinking ? ? ?

So the calcium sand (designed to clump when wet, and designed to entice the leo to eat it) is eaten in large amounts by a calcium deficient leo (or maybe just one with terrible aim) and goes down into it's stomach ,which is wet, where it clumps, and forms a complete blockage (also known as an impaction).

Maybe if she reads the bag, and you help her put 2 + 2 together and she'll understand what you're saying, and make the best decision for her leo.


If you like, I can list at least six more reasons to avoid sand and other particulate substrates.