Grit

[Yuk]

What are your thoughts on providing grit to aid in digestion of crickets? If you do provide grit, what does it consist of? What is safe grit that has very little risk of impaction? Currently I am using finely crushed chicken egg shells and was considering adding fine play sand, mixed in with the calcium bowl, but I want to be sure that the sand wouldn't cause an issue.

 

[Completeleopard]

Hello,

There shouldn't be any Calcium in the tank.

I would not use any sort of sand or grit to aid in digestion, Leo'a do not require it, if temperatures
are correct everything should be OK with regards to digestion?

 

[pakinjak]

Maybe you should eat some gravel with your next steak, it would make as much sense. There is no reason at all to provide grit for a leopard gecko.

 

[Yuk]

That wasn't very nice. Steak doesn't really compare to cricket back legs and I am pretty sure the human digestive system is hard to compare with a gecko's. I feed mostly crickets, so I think it is a valid concern that they are digested properly. It's not a joke.

@Completeleopard - Thanks for the info about the heat helping with digestion. Is there anything else that helps with digestion, like vitamins or minerals that I could make sure to include in the crickets' diet?

 

[Completeleopard]

Yuk,

Please fill out this questionnaire and I will help you out with husbandry!


Leopard Gecko Questionnaire

General Information
Species of lizard:
Gecko's name:
Morph:
Gender:
Age:
Weight:
Total length:
Length of your reptile when you first acquired it:
Source (pet store, breeder, wild caught):
Captive bred or wild :

Vivarium
Enclosure dimensions (length x width x heighth):
Cage (type, size):
Substrate provided:
Types of hiding places provided:
Is there a humidity hide? location?
Please describe any other furnishings:
List recent changes in the environment, if any:

Lighting
Artificial lighting
Incandescent (“screw-in” bulbs): wattage(s):
Fluorescent (tube bulbs):
Access to ambient daylight from a distant window:

Heating
Do you have a thermometer(s) in the cage?
What type and brand of thermometer (digital with probe, temperature gun, LCD strip, analog (circle), combo digital thermometer/hygrometer, stainless steel aquarim type, other):
What is the ground temperature right on the substrate under the warm dry hide:
What is the air temperature on the warm end about 4 inches up from the ground:
What is the air temperature on the cool end about 4 inches up from the ground:
What device(s) are used to maintain the temperature (Under Tank Heater, heat light, ceramic heat emitter, Flexwatt heat tape, hot rock, other):
Ventilation space for your UTH by elevating the tank above the shelf (some UTHs come with sticky feet for the tank corners):
Are you using a thermostat(s)?
Which hide does she/he spend most of her time?
Is the temperature decreased at night? by how much?

Humidity
Is the humidity measured?
Humidity range:

Diet
Insects and worms, list type:
Regular diet fed to the insects and worms:
Are the insects and worms formally “gutloaded” 1-2 days prior to feeding off to your gecko? If so with?
How often do you feed your gecko?
Please list any supplements (with brand names) used. How are they given and how often?
What calcium brand are you using? with D3, without or both?
Is the calcium in the tank with D3 or without?
Multivitamins (include brand name)?
Please list any recent additions/changes in the diet:

General Health
If your gecko is sick, please describe the signs and how long your gecko has been showing these signs:
Is your gecko’s general activity level normal, decreased, or increased?
Is your gecko’s appetite normal, decreased, or increased?
Have you noticed any of the following?
Weight (loss gain):
Discharge from the eyes or nose:
Increased breathing rate or effort:
Change in the droppings:
Urates
---white or yellowish:
---size of urates as compared to size of feces:
Abnormal skin color or shedding:
Parasites on the skin or in the feces:
Weakness:

Previous problems and/or illnesses:

Other Critters in Same Cage or in Household
List other that are kept in the same cage:
Recent acquisitions (new pets within the past 6 months):
Are any of your other pets ill?

 

[Yuk]

Oh wow, Completeleopard I think I might have given you the wrong idea... My geckos aren't having any digestive problems. I just wanted to know who used grit or whether the crickets provided can cause digestive issues due to the exoskeleton and back legs. I saw quite a few care sheets and an experienced breeder recommend grit, so I was wondering if others use it, and if so, what is in it. Sorry to make you write all that out and thanks for your input about the body heat helping digestion. I am very interested in how they digest their food considering their diet. I'm also curious about how they eat sand if put in a sand enclosure, whether that is by accident while trying to catch prey or whether it is in their behavior to eat particles on the ground for whatever reason. I also wonder if every type of loose substrate would cause digestive issues if swallowed. I don't plan on using loose substrate but I can't imagine every type of thing they could swallow other than crickets or other feeders could cause impaction.

 

[Completeleopard]

Do not worry, I did not type it out!

Leo's digest their food using heat, without heat they will not eat as they know they can't digest their food.

They will swallow most loose substrates by accident when hunting, a little bit of loose substrate wouldn't be a issue, I'd guess they'd always eat some by accident during hunting in the wild, but loose substrate means a higher risk of impaction, a healthy Gecko should be OK with picking up a little bit of loose substrate during hunting, its when they eat a lot it gets bad and leads to problems, which is why calcium sand is so awful.

Do you have a Under Tanl Heater for your Leo ?

Good substrate that is easy to clean and looks good is tile!

 

[Completeleopard]

P.s - Also Leo's lick to investigate things, so if they lick the sand, or any loose substrate they can accidently swallow some.

Leo's also need water to help with digestion.

 

[Yuk]

Yes, I use both tile and an under the tank heater Thanks for the info about how they might eat substate. I had read that other lizards swallow pebbles to aid in digestion and since breeders and some care sheets suggested grit, I was wondering if it was the same sort of thing. This makes more sense now why it is just in a little bowl (rather than used as substrate) so they don't accidentally eat way too much of it. I think tile is the closest I could get to their natural habitat.

 

[Yuk]

With the water, what I currently use is a bowl filled with water that could not go up past their elbows or neck if they were standing in it, but it is large enough that they could fit their whole body in it, since I heard that that is how they utilize it.

 

[Completeleopard]

I would not recommend leaving any grit in a bowl for your Leo, there is no need for it, a leopard gecko will digest their food from the heat you provide.

Just in case:


Recommended temperatures for all leos regardless of size
88-93 F (31-34 C) ground temp at warm end inside the warm dry hide
no greater than 85 F (29.5 C) air temp - 4 inches above ground on the warm end
no greater than 75 F (24.5 C) air temp - 4 inches above ground on the cool end

 

[Completeleopard]

Yes, a bowl of fresh water is needed at all times.

However, a better way to keep Leo's hydrated and allow them to keep their skin moist is to provide a moist hide.

 

[Yuk]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to think it over and do more research on it.

 

[Completeleopard]

Do you have a moist hide?

 

[Yuk]

Yes, I have two.

 

[Completeleopard]

Great news!

Take a look around Gecko's Unlimited, it has tons of good information!

 

[Yuk]

Will do

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Hi Yuk ~

A warm welcome to Geckos Unlimited! Good to hear that you are using tile as a substrate.

I recommend getting Zoo Med's Repti Calcium with vitamin D3 and Zoo Med's plain Reptivite to very lightly dust some crickets at some feedings. There are particular reasons why some of us recommend those particular brands.

Leopard geckos need a source of vitamin D3 in order to metabolize calcium. That is in addition to plain calcium carbonate.

Here's an abbreviated leo care sheet to help your research (thanks to the copy & paste function ;-))!

1. ===> URGENT: No plain calcium, calcium with D3, or multivitamins inside a vivarium EVER <===

2. Best to buy stuff individually rather than getting a 10 gallon set up kit.

3. Quarantine Recommendations
Any new gecko should be quarantined for a minimum of 90 days prior to introducing her/him to the other geckos in the same cage. That gives adequate time to check for parasites, cryptosporidia, and the beginnings of coccidia plus. 3-6 months of quarantine are recommended if your new gecko is imported or wild caught.

The quarantine area should be in a separate room apart from your established geckos. Stringent sanitation methods MUST be followed!

4. Never keep 2 males together.

5. Best to keep leos alone. Even 2 females can fight. Leopard geckos do not need companions/"friends".

6. Advise NO particulate substrates (sand, cocopeat fiber, bark chips, et cetera). Risk of impaction simply not worth it. Best: textured ceramic, porcelain, or slate tiles. Paper towels also work. Add paper towel layers to poop spot to facilitate clean up.

7. A temperature gradient from warm to cool is very necessary for maintaining leo health. That is difficult to do within a 10 gallon enclosure. That's why many of us recommend a 30 inch long x 12 inch wide (deep) x 12 inch tall enclosure minimum. That's 76 cm x 31 cm x 31 cm.

Use a digital thermometer's probe to measure air temps and ground temperatures. Temperature guns are excellent for measuring surface temperatures. A stainless steel aquarium-type thermometer that has been verified can also be used.

Temperatures for all leos regardless of size:
88-93 F (31-34 C) ground temp at warm end inside the warm dry hide
no greater than 85 F (29.5 C) air temp - 4 inches above ground on the warm end
no greater than 75 F (24.5 C) air temp - 4 inches above ground on the cool end

Leave the UTH on 24/7. Can turn off overhead heating at night unless the ambient room temperatures are particularly cool during the night.

8. The UTH + the overhead heating both belong on the warm end of the tank. Your leo will be more active if you provide an UTH for belly heat/digestion as well as an overhead dome. Your leo will benefit from a "warm zone", not just a "warm spot".

9. To better meet the crepuscular needs of leopard geckos, place a low wattage bulb (15 watt standard incandescent bulb) dimmed to half power inside a 5.5 inch diameter fixture in the center of the screen top and right next to the Ceramic Heat Emitting bulb.

Vary the on-time monthly of both the CHE and the photoperiod bulb according to this Pakistan link. For example, 11 hours ON in February is good.

Click: Sunrise Sunset Daylight Hours of Pakistan -- Timebie

10. UVB lighting is recommended for leopard geckos ONLY IF there is adequate space and opportunities for the leopard gecko to dodge some of the rays like in a 4.5 foot x 2 foot x 2 foot vivarium. A 48 inch long vivarium is a suggested minimum for using UVB for leopard geckos. Never use UVB lighting in addition to a powdered vitamin D3 supplement!

11. Strongly recommend a thermostat! A thermostat will control your under tank heater, provide your leopard gecko with stable and comfortable temperatures, save $ on electricity, and lessen the chance of a house fire from accidental overheating.

12. 3 hides required per leo: warm DRY, warm MOIST, cool DRY. Keeping the third hide warm and moist 24/7 is very important! Both warm hides should sit on top of the UTH. The warmth from your UTH will help generate the required humidity. Leopard geckos use their warm moist hides for hydrating even when not shedding.

13. Too much vitamin D3 is as bad as too little vitamin D3. Any multivitamin (Rep-Cal's Herptivite, Exo Terra's multivitamin) which supplies vitamin A in the form of beta carotene is not recommended because research on chameleons has shown that it is not absorbed. A very, very small amount of preformed vitamin A acetate is necessary for eye and skin health. For a detailed explanation please note mod Hilde's posts #22 and #48 immediately following the Basic Guidelines of my Leopard Gecko Care Sheet.

Lightly dust crickets/dubia with Zoo Med's supplements like this:
1. Monday - Repti-Calcium with D3 according to gecko weight on container label
2. Thursday - Repti-Calcium with D3 according to gecko weight on container label
3. PLAIN Reptivite (multivitamin) with A acetate adjusted for your leo's weight: Spread out the lightly dusted Reptivite crickets over the course of a week. Use the Reptivite (multivitamin) very sparingly.

14. Urates should be white, not yellow, and be approximately 1/3 the size of the feces. A healthy feces is dark brown and about the size and shape of 2 tic tacs.

15. Vary the diet: crickets, roaches, grasshoppers, silkworms, hornworms, mealworm pupae, freshly molted mealworms, genuine Phoenix worms, calciworms, and locusts (smallest locusts possible)

16. There are no benefits to feeding waxworms, butterworms, or superworms (pure fat like ice cream). Hornworms and/or silkworms provide excellent variety. They provide nutrition as well as moisture.

17. Click: Care & Breeding of Feeders: crickets, Blaptica dubia, hornworms, & silkworms

18. Click: USDA Foods link Foods List

19. Diet, DIET, D-I-E-T! A huge factor in the husbandry of any gecko is to feed the feeders (crickets, worms, etc) a very healthy diet 24/7. Variety of feeders is important too. Nutritious feeder bodies transfer like nutrients to your geckos. Consider light supplemental dusting of these feeders as just "icing on the cake".

Remember that, like humans, geckos are what they eat.

20. Consider covering three sides of your leopard gecko's enclosure with something like construction paper to provide additional security and privacy.

21. For live links to the products Tony uses go to post #26. Post #36 is a setup checklist.

22. For the whole story click: Leopard Gecko Caresheet (Eublepharis macularius)...demo video & 4 Jan 2013 update

 

[Yuk]

Thank you for the welcome My husbandry deviates from your guidelines a bit, but I appreciate your taking the time to provide all of that information. A leopard gecko breeder told me very specifically to avoid all D3 and just use pure calcium, so I am going to stick with that for now. I'm really cautious to deviate too much from a certain husbandry style.

 

[Completeleopard]

Your Gecko needs D3 to be able to absorb the Calcium you feed him.