I recently dispayed my leopard gecko care sheet on another forum. In the care sheet I stated that I was using cracked wallnut shells as a substrate with good results. Another user advised not to use this substrate because of its size and hardness. He admited that he had no experience with the substrate but it looked like it could get impacted easily. I have used cracked wallnut shells with my Leopard Geckos for 3 years now with no ill efects. My question is what do other people think about using craked wallnut shells with leopard geckos?
-Stephen

Yeah I admit. That was me

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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

Hi.
I did'nt know that you were on this forum.
-Stephen

You may not have any ill effect now, but you will. I kept my Bearded Dragons on crusted walnut shell for a bit and they ate it, although I didnt see them do it, I did see the "end" result. You need to get rid of it, it will cause impactions.

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

I will admit to being new to reptiles, but I have done a lot of reading, and based on that, I would not use any particulate substrate with Leopard Geckos. Personally, it's not worth the risk of impaction, and I'd rather not have to worry about it. I use repti-carpet and ceramic tile for my Leopard Geckos.

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Amy

Stephen, I haven't used it but I'm not a big fan of particulate substrates. If the size and shape would look big enough to cause acute impaction, I would ditch it in a heartbeat!

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Wish list: Blue Tongue Skinks and Uruplatus =)

My personal opinion is to not use particulate substrate with any type of reptile unless you feed in a seperate container. Some people do feed in separate containers ( I only do with my snakes) which makes it safer. I wouldnt include iguanas in that they tend to tongue flick anything and everything including substrate....good luck...

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Warmest Regards from Lyn

Another problem with the cracked walnut shells is their shape. Lots of sharp surfaces that could cause cuts if ingested.
I would advise not to use it.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

I used it (in my pre-herpcenter days) and I noticed that my dragon was injesting it and passing it, and I really didn't think it was worth the risk, Walnut shells and calci-sand hvae no buisiness being in a reptile enclosure.

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"If you're not falling, you're not trying." - Sonni Trotter

~*~Lacey~*~

My Photos

Hello,

Crushed Walnut shells are one of the absolute worst items on the market. The only "nice" thing about them is how they look. Here are a few reasons why they are not so nice though:

They Mold - When they get wet, they WILL mold if they don't dry first.
Unnatural - I have yet to comes across any part of the world where animals reside on crushed walnut shells.
Hard - These shells are extremely hard and very difficult to digest. If you think the exoskeleton of a mealie is hard (which can be crushed with your fingers), try crushing one of these things between your fingers!
Sharp - Have you looked at the shape of these things? They are sharp and ragged. There is severe potential for them to "cut" the intestinal tract.
Size - These things are MUCH larger than the sand grains that everyone tells you to avoid. When using sand, which also isn't the most favored substrate, it is best to use the finest grain you can find. These things are massive compared to sand grain and thus are even more likely to cause an impaction.

Read this bit about impaction:

Granular substrates have been known to cause impactions in leopard geckos. There are two types of impaction that could occur. The first is called an Acute Impaction. An acute impaction is when the Leo 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, substrate 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 substrate 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.

Toss the stuff, it is trash.

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