Substrate help.

[Silvonas]

Okay... I know people are going to say don't do it or nothing is safe, but... i am still going to read every post and listen to advise. That out of the way...


Sarsis, my leo, was raised on paper towels and when he was given to me I got him some cali-sand when I got the money and cleaned his cage. He loved it. He loved to dig in the sand all the time. Heck he would even cover the little burrow in is cave on the warm side just to re dig it out. Kept him with this kind of sand for over a year, changing it out monthly. Well, I've been doing a lot of reading and now am worried that he will become impacted for the sand, but don't want to stop him from digging like he loves to. I always keep the temps within the range they say to and no matter what i do can not seem to get the humid level below 60% (think might have to do with where i live). Anyway. I am thinking about getting the tile, but what should i do about Sarsis' love of digging?

 

[tb144050]

I am scared to use sand too because of all the bad stories of impaction. If you use any kind of substrate that can accidently (or intentionally) be ingested, be sure it is EASILY digested and passed. I think the major problem with calcium sand is that it is INTENTIONALLY eaten sometimes just because of the calcium content.

And for the humidity: if you are using an analog humidity gauge, they are usually wayyyy off. Get a digital humidity/temp probe and you can get a better reading. My analog gauge (free with a kit I bought) showed 55-70% humidity. I used the digital and the humidity is actually 17-22%. When I bought my next kit, I left the analog gauge in the package.....I would trash it, but the temp gauge might be somewhat accurate on it (combo-gauge).

 

[Silvonas]

THe funny thing is, the few times I would see him get the cali-sand in his mouth he would spite it out. I normally dust every other feed I do of crickets for him. he eats about 3 to 4 large crickets about every 2 to 3 days; depending on activity. So calcium is not too much of a problem. I gut load the crickets with fortified food and thirst quencher as well. I use to dust all of his food, but I noticed there were times he would drag the crickets to his water as if to wash off the dust before he ate them. I swear he knows more what needs to be done then I ever will.

Yea... figured the humidity gauge might be off.

I've read about doing half tile half sand in the tanks, but not sure how i would do that in a 10 gal tank when he loves digging on the hot side.

 

[tb144050]

If you wanna do both, I am pretty sure the heat from the UTH would pass from the sand through the tile or stones you can use. Just use something to actually check the surface temp on the hotside is still 90F. I think tile is so popular because it conducts heat easily and cleans up easily.

If I was gonna use sand, I would probably use flat-stones (available in your pet store reptile section) to cover 3/4 of the floor and minimize how often he is actually hunting on the sand (and therefore only risks ingesting sand 1/4 of the time, statistically).

Also, review those care sheets about the supplements. If you dust only "once every other feeding" "every 2-3 days"...that's about 1 dusting per 5 or 6 days. Check to make sure you are supplementing enough and supplementing all the necessary stuff. My baby eats 4 large crickets almost daily....Calcium-d3 about 4x/week, calcium+d3 1x/week, calcium+d3+multivitamin_mix 1x/week. This was my basic understanding of the necessary supplements for a juvenile/baby. As they get older and they eat less, correct dusting on their few meals is even more important.

 

[Silvonas]

He is an adult. I tried feeding him daily and would end up having to pull uneaten crickets out. Think i might go with the stones over top the sand for a while. I just don't want to take away his ability to dig since he seems to enjoy it.

 

[Tongue Flicker]

Get that calci sand out. It clumps when wet and builds up or sticks in the leos digestive tract causing impaction. Play sand with some coco fiber, dirt, chemical-free garden soil or excavator clay usually provides and holds a nice burrow, maintains humidity to some degree and hones your leos hunting prowess. If not your thing, then newspapers and paper towels works wonders haha

 

[Silvonas]

I will keep that mix in mind when I get some money next. right now he does not have the calci-sand. he has some stuff my mom got him tht after reading everyone seems to hate with a passion, but he is playing in it and digging away. I keep checking to make sure he poops after eating other wise I have before soaked him in warm water for a bit (head above water) and it has gotten him to go.

 

[Some87]

Play sand is the best if you HAVE to use sand. The best way to make sure he doesn't get impacted is take him out of the cage to eat. They are not stupid and just eat sand alone randomly they normally eat it while catching food and crickets are one of the worst. Btw play sand is about $3 to $5 for a 50 pound bag.

 

[Tongue Flicker]

They are not stupid and just eat sand alone randomly they normally eat it while catching food and crickets are one of the worst.

They are not stupid but i myself witnessed first hand that they do eat sand/gravel/pebbles randomly especially if it was the first time they've encountered or more like TASTED it. Leos love licking new stuff in their tank. Thank goodness my leo didn't get impacted and he passed it out just fine.

Dunno why they do that exactly. Dinosaurs are known gulp in stones to aid in digestion and some agamids and skinks do it to extract natural calcium dust from the ground but as for leos, it will remain a mystery for now