ok here we go...sand or no sand? i've asked this question on all the forums I run into. i was recently given a pair of these from my brother who has had much success with his, three successfull clutches in a year without one fatality. any information about these little guys?

Hello,

Sand is always a controversial subject. I have found that the best way to inform people of sand, and the risks that come with it is to simply let them know the facts and then they can choose for themselves.

The first "fact" when using sand is that you are immediately increasing the chance of an impaction. It doesn't mean your animal will experience one, but it is going to always be a risk.

Your perception of sand being safe since your brother has used it for a year with no ill effects is how most people determine (inaccurately mind you) if something is safe.

Granular substrates have been known to cause impactions. There are two types of impaction that could occur. The first is called an Acute Impaction. An acute impaction is when the animal swallows a large amount of substrate and it blocks the vital organs used to process food. (Stomach, intestinal tract, etc.) The results of this type of impaction will lead to lethargy, lack of appetite, lack of bowel movements, sand in the stool, etc.

The other type of impaction, and often the most deadly form, is the chronic impaction. A chronic impaction is the slow accumulation of sand that binds to the lining of the intestinal tract. Over time, and often years, it will create a blockage. This blockage will also have the same detrimental effects as an acute impaction. The biggest problem with this type of impaction is that when it is discovered, it is most often too late to cure.

Your brother and yourself could use sand for 5 years and have no ill effects from its use. Then out of nowhere your animals could end up becoming ill.

If you were going to be using calcisand, which is just awful stuff, I would be writing a whole different type of post. lol

The long and short of sand is that it will always be an impaction risk. Longevity on sand does not constitute it as "safe". It simply means you haven't experienced any issue "yet".

__________________
.:: Rich ::.

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ok I see now tell me about calci sand...why is it worse? and is it a bad idea to mix substrate...i have all sand now, could I make half the tank bark or coconut husk or something else? thanks for the info btw...much appreciated

pics of the little guys

also this morning I got up to change water and put in day light...one of these little guys was on top of his log whipping his tail around. not really fast or anything but side to side ...what does this mean? mating ritual perhaps?

The easiest way to answer why calcisand is garbage is to have you read this:

http://reptileguides.herpcenter.com/...alci-t143.html

I wrote that up to quickly explain why its garbage.

__________________
.:: Rich ::.

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ok...so how long you give em in that stuff. i bought the exact brand of stuff mentioned in that article...i've been told it's fine...i've been told it's not...i've been told to go f myself. i really where anyone gets any info they can trust. you said that I could go for years without a problem or it could happen tomorrow. i'm going to take my chances...i'm watching them eat and they are nor grabbing sand when they strike. for the most part they never even go on the ground. so now i'm taking odds on how long they will live.

Have you thought of using sphagnum moss? It's not harmful if they ingest it, which is rare because the common response for all my geckos when they get a mouthful of sphagnum is to spit it out. They do this even if they grab their prey item in the same bite. It is also very easy to control the humidity with moss. Being from the Mediterranean, I'd guess 65-75ish humidity.

"The first "fact" when using sand is that you are immediately increasing the chance of an impaction. It doesn't mean your animal will experience one, but it is going to always be a risk."

-The coarser the sand, the greater the risk of impaction. Playsand works well (it has been made so the individual quartz grains are rounded (which decreases the risk of impaction), rather than jagged (greater risk). I realize that the risk of impaction could very well be the same if the animal took in a large amount of fine-grained, rounded sand as opposed to a smaller amount of coarser-grained, jagged sand).

Of course there will always be risks associated with using sand as a substrate. Desert reptiles (which your particular species is not) who naturally live on sandy substrates are more "adept" (for the lack of a better word) to having the occasional bit of swallowed sand with their meals.

"one of these little guys was on top of his log whipping his tail around. not really fast or anything but side to side ...what does this mean? mating ritual perhaps?"

-If both your geckos are male, the chances are the tail wagging is a sign of aggression (you should separate them as soon as possible). If they are male and female, then the tail wagging is most likely a mating signal.

"so now i'm taking odds on how long they will live."

-If you have proper care info, they should do fine.

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Grammostola rosea 0.1.0
Pandinus imperator 2.0.0
Lampropeltis getula nigrita 0.1.0
Uromastyx maliensis 0.1.0
Rhacodactylus ciliatus 2.2.2
Uroplatus henkeli 0.0.1
Eublepharis macularius 1.0.0