My kids and I just saw a short video on PBS Kids about a boy who really wanted a Leopard Gecko. He had to demonstrate to his parents that he was responsible enough, and he saved up his money to buy her. It was a cute story, and my kids were so excited, yelling, "Leopard Gecko, Leopard Gecko!" I guess they must be pretty popular pets to make the big-time (if you consider PBS big-time, lol -- it's all we watch here).

--Amy

Haha, its good to see childrens programs focusing on pets other then puppies and kittens

It's great to hear there is other parents out there that want their kids to learn something from TV other than watching all the crap on it. We mostly watch Discovery and Animal Planet. You are right the Leopard gecko has become a very popular pet. I've heard people call it just a gecko. Not realizing there is about another 1200 species of geckoes out there.

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Mike
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you." - Mother Teresa

Hello,

I saw that episode! (Seriously.) The only thing I didn't agree with was how the kid housed "Petrie" on sand. (A no, no!)

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I didn't see the sand -- I was lucky to see even a corner of the screen. The kids were all over it! I had a pet shop owner try to convince me yesterday that I should have our girls on calci-sand. They're on a repti-carpet, and that's not changing, except perhaps to paper toweling when the carpet we have runs out, but I like the look of the carpet -- can I wash and re-use it?Anyway, the sand advice (he insisted it was the way to go after I expressed concern about impaction) made me doubt the guy's advice on other things.

Though it's at least a small independent store, not a Pet-Profit-Is-Smart-Co. He had lots of interesting animals -- a huge variety for such a small place, and lots of herps. But the big mark against him in my book was that he was selling kittens. Not purebreds, just plain old cute kittens. He keeps them at the front and says they "sell themselves." I wanted to ask him where he got them, but was getting a bit of an irrritated vibe from him already (he thought my kids were annoying, maybe, or perhaps it was all my questions), so I didn't. But I'm not sure if I will go back. I mean, he's maybe 2 miles down the road from the county animal shelter, where they probably have kittens running out their ears. Since I was a kid I have loved pet stores, but knowing more about animals is taking a lot of the fun out of it for me.

/rant )

Hello,

Selling you Calci-sand is a way for him to make money. In his eyes, the bag says it is 100% digestible. That is actually true. Calsi-sand IS 100% digestible. ANY calcium carbonate derivitive like that is. The problem is, just because it IS digestible doesn't mean it is BEING digested! In fact, an animal will only be able to digest roughly 30% of the ingested calcium carbonate before the body reacts to the effects of the calcium carbonate and neutralizes the stomach acid.

Calcium carbonate is what "Tums" and other antacids are made of. The higher the concentration, the faster it works. Once the stomach acids are neutralized, it doesn't matter how "digestible" something is, the body is no longer breaking it down.

Repti-carpet can be washed and reused for a long while. Its handy to purchase 2 for whatever size enclosure you have so you can just swap them out as one gets cleaned. Paper towel works well too during cleanings though.

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I just bought reptile carpet a couple days ago. It says on the back to wash it with mild detergent and let it hang to dry. I put 2 in there because I thought the heat pad might be to hot so then I can just take the top one off and wash it but it turned out to be a bad idea and it didn't get to hot (and the worms were getting between the 2 pieces of carpet). I had the same thing happen to me...tried to sell me sand...I said no and he said I "needed it" and I said I had some at home...the guy sold me 100 worms for 5 bucks...and they died the next day...so I bought 100 the day after...another 5 bucks they wouldnt give me a refund and none of them were moving but they said once they warmed up they would...they were dead...then I went to another store and got some and they've been fine for the past couple days...gr. The breeder I have will be ordering them in for me but I just bought him friday so they haven't came yet!

We have a Wild Bird Store nearby that sells nicer worms than the pet stores. The brand is Sunshine Mealworms out of Silverton, Oregon. I have never ordered from them (Sunshine) online but I see from their website that they offer that option. They also sell crickets, waxworms, superworms and more: http://www.sunshinemealworms.com/

--Amy

This isn't a pet store...The breeder I believe is part owner his friend breeds the worms, cricks, etc and apparently they last A LOT longer then the ones in the pet store. They're really nice people. I just send off a email whenever I need more and they're happy to answer any questions...The place is called Canadian Feeders. http://www.canadianfeeders.com. You can get pretty much any food needs from there from worms to mice.

Sorry maybe you were referring to the pet store that I bought them off of...I like your new gecko by the way! I bought a Gecko on friday and he's sleeping away in the middle of the tank at the moment...6 weeks old and addorable!!!