Sand Impaction Poll

[happy gecko]

I was just curious to see the results on how many geckos die from sand impaction.

 

[LeapinLizards]

Not everyone that has a gecko die actually takes them to the vet to have a biopsy done. I would venture to guess it happens more than we know.

I don't think it's the number that counts so much. I think it's the fact that there ARE documented cases of sand impaction, making the question, WHY EVEN TAKE THE CHANCE?

 

[LizMarie]

Not everyone that has a gecko die actually takes them to the vet to have a biopsy done. I would venture to guess it happens more than we know.

I don't think it's the number that counts so much. I think it's the fact that there ARE documented cases of sand impaction, making the question, WHY EVEN TAKE THE CHANCE?

I agree!

I never bothered to take the chance on sand so i can't really answer the poll question. the only way I would use sand in my enclosure was if it was used to decorate a hide and at that point it would be glued on and sealed!

 

[nats]

Its interesting, sand substrate is very popular in Europe and taboo here
in the US.
But you also have to note, they are not using loose sand like the stuff
we get here in bags that has been cleaned and sterilized.
They use a composite, a mixture of sand, clay and moss, so its really
not loose and free flowing. Its harder, more compacted.
They also tend to put like rocks and slabs of slate on top, so the geckos
don't just walk around on the sand/clay stuff all the time.
Although this sounds like a mess, and a general pain in the butt, from a
naturalist perspective, it gives the gecko something close to nature.

I can understand all that, it's fine, and who am I to say my way is the
only way. But wait, come to think of it, my way IS the best!! :main_laugh:

 

[Bennayboi]

Its generally best not to wait til a leopard gecko is dead until you decide whether or not it was ok to use.

 

[shadowx362]

Out of all the geckos (locally) I have "Adopted" they were all skinny and on the first few nights their poop was pure sand. So yes I think its a High risk thing to do. I also have had 5 baby rescues that have died because of sand with their previous owners Not a good thing to use.

 

[kyahbean]

Its generally best not to wait til a leopard gecko is dead until you decide whether or not it was ok to use.

I think I have to say this is a point well made.

 

[happy gecko]

Great thoughts everyone. Just to make sure were on the same page, I'm not saying I keep my geckos on sand, nor am I questioning that sand may be a good substrate. I think everyone knows sand = evil. I was just curious to see the numbers that everyone talks about. Although one intersting thing is why does the poll say that 6 geckos lived a happy life on sand? Was someone tampering with it?

 

[Spooki]

the gecko i now own spent at least 6 years on sand and he's a happy, healthy and fat gecko. i took him off the sand right away though. sand is a pain to clean compared to repti-capet. they also had tiny fish tank rocks in there, ones he could easily eat. i guess they just got lucky he didn't accidentally eat any of that stuff.

 

[Nigel4less]

My Original Pair of Leopards died of Sand Impaction rough 6-7 years ago.

 

[Alusdra]

I adopted two that had been housed on sand. For how long I don't know- but the male had hemipene prolapses that may or may not have been related, and both of them had really smelly, sandy poos for a week+ after I switched them over to paper towel. They had to strain to pass the sandy stuff, too.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

WHY ON EARTH ARE WE HAVING YET ANOTHER SAND DEBATE??????

God, I wish I could have it added to the TOS of this website that discussion about SAND is a violation punishable by life imprisonment in a sand box having to perform necropsies on dead, impacted geckos!

So far the POLL shows over 1/3 of geckos kept on sand died of impaction! What are you waiting for... 99% before you figure out that leopard geckos should not be housed on sand? Then there would be someone that says 1 gecko out of 99 is pretty good odds! IMO, even one gecko that dies of sand impaction is too many... but a third? Get real, folks!

 

[kyahbean]

I'm not sure that it's a debate...I think it's more people just discussing numbers because someone was curious how many people had geckos that died and had geckos that lived.

 

[rhino43grr]

it's not even a debate, this is the kind of flawed statistical analysis that supports any argument.

obviously only including geckos kept on sand is going to reveal some evidence to support the claim that sand is fine to use. some of the voters almost certainly haven't had a gecko die yet, so they can't answer that their sand-kept gecko died of impaction.

i'll guarantee you that if there was a poll of geckos kept on non-loose substrate the number of deaths due to substrate would be less than 1% of the total.

also the whole "happy lives" thing is completely based on opinion in the first place... people who voted their geckos lived happy lives on sand are simply anthropomorphizing their geckos as being happy on sand, and there's every possibility that the geckos may have died of impaction despite having lived "happy lives".

this survey is like saying smoking isn't dangerous because there have been smokers who have lived "happy lives".

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

LOL! Well, it's a 'debate' for sure, now!

 

[kyahbean]

LOL! Well, it's a 'debate' for sure, now!

That it is. :main_laugh:

 

[happy gecko]

Hi all. I wish I could delete this thread, oh well. I do admit, I was thinking about sand at one point, though now I have found an alternative substrate that Marcia has approved of: black slate rocks with a little bit of non-silica playsand as filler. More in-line with natural habitat that they are adapted to and low risk, and it will look absolutley great (IMO at least).

 

[THE WHISPERER]

I have never lost a gecko to sand impaction

 

[THE WHISPERER]

Oh yeah thats probably cause I don't use sand.

 

[THE WHISPERER]

:main_laugh: LOL :main_laugh: