Alright. So most llikely i should take out the sand just to ensure my geckos safty?
What could i put in my tank that my gecko would enjoy?
- Thread starter RawrBabee
- Start date
Alright. So most llikely i should take out the sand just to ensure my geckos safty?
OffshoreMetal
New member
Not a bad idea. Personally ive been using sand since i got my leo , a little over a year ago. She's doing fine. People have their opinions , But almost everyone agree that calci sand is bad. Why Calci-sand and no other sand ? Because Calci-Sand has calcium in it. And your leo will taste it and eat it for its calcium. Bad , Can cause impaction. Normal sand doesnt taste good and doesnt give calcium so they avoid eating it.
Alright. So normal sand is a better idea. I will get the calci sand out tomorrow. And just put paper towel down until i get sand.
Rum66runner
New member
just a tip on the sand if your gonna go get play sand from home depot wal mart and so on... I'd suggest screening it you'd be amazed at how many "big" things you'll end up with.
Elizabeth Freer
Well-known member
How old is your leo? Peach was between 2-3 years old. I recommend at least holding off on sand for about a year AFTER you receive her for her sake and in order to gain experience as a gecko keeper ;-).
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Shes about a year old.
Alright. I got a question. If i were to keep the calcium sand in the half of an inch layer in the tank, and just added the sand on top in a thick layer. Would that be okay so i dont waste the calcium sand or do i need to get the calcium sand out completely?
Magnaturals are nice idea, basically they are magnetic ledges and my leo's love climbing on them and I can make sure they are not to high
They also look quite natural.
My gecko might accually love those if i got them. She seems to love climbing. I will look for those.
Thanks.
MauricesExoticPets
New member
I use slate and fine sand to fill any gaps as a substrate for my leopard geckos, but for other reptiles ... you might want to play around with this idea ... or toss the idea around with other leopard gecko owners here.
Buy some of the lowest cost cat unsented crappy cat litter available, its clay.
Mix it with water to make a very thick soupy mixture.
Mix in your calcium sand, then form your substrate in any manner you like.
When it dries it will be as solid as can be, preventing any possibility of ingestion.
You'll likely want to play around with how much water, cat litter, calcium sand you use to get results that look natural.
I like to use more peat moss and only a little sand for reptiles that like it dry and enjoy digging, when done the way I like it holds a burrow perfectly and looks nice. This does not work real well for very humid enclosures though.
Maurice Pudlo
OffshoreMetal
New member
Leopard geckos like to dig in the sand so it wouls just mix it and its still not a good idea to have calcium in the sand. Playsand can be bought extremely cheap for a big bag. I bought a bag for my old tank wich used to house hermit crabs, It cost me 3$ and had enough sand to completely replace the sand in my 5g tank over 5 times.
The idea is to get sand that wont clump alot when wet, So if you leo end up ingesting some ( Can happen , Like if he miss a cricket ) then it would just pass trough.
OffshoreMetal
New member
Mine sometimes eat sand when missing crickets but thats not a problem at all. She's been doing this for over a year now and never had any problem. I have some Fine quartz sand , Doesnt clump alot when when so it just pass trough.
Elizabeth Freer
Well-known member
Quartz sand is composed of rounded granules and is less likely to cause impaction! In my opinion, folks should stay far away from silica sand which is composed of sharp, pointy crystals, far more likely to accumulate in the gecko's gut. Silica sand can include the finest of beach sands. Still a "NO!" in my book. Check your sand out under a microscope if you have any questions.
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I got just a plain bag of playground sand. Im sifting ALL of it at the moment. Just to get put and rocks or anything that shouldnt be in there. Like i said i have calcium sand in there right now. And that has been in there for about 2 or so weeks, and shes eaten some of the sand by missing crickets. As far as i know she isnt eating just becasue of the calcium. She has a calcium bowl and she usually licks that.
Elizabeth Freer
Well-known member
All playground sand is composed of silica crystals. There is a high possibility that the silica will accumulate in your gecko's gut and cause impaction.
OffshoreMetal says that he is using a fine quartz sand.
Once again, calci-sand is unsafe for your leopard gecko because of the possibilities of habitually licking calcium from the sand even though you have a dish of calcium for your gecko.
OffshoreMetal says that he is using a fine quartz sand.
Once again, calci-sand is unsafe for your leopard gecko because of the possibilities of habitually licking calcium from the sand even though you have a dish of calcium for your gecko.
My gecko is shedding right now. And she got some sand on her old skin i knew she was gonna eat. So i tried to get off as much sand as i could get off. Do you ever have a problem with that? Or when your gecko does shed does she end up eating sand too?