Impaction

[Monza geckos]

Hello i was just thinking of why people don't use sand and dirt and coco husk or substrate in general because of the belief that their animal may eat it and not be able to pass it but these animals are from environments made of sand and dirt so they would be extinct surely if they got impaction all the time and although it's very unlikely it can sometimes very rarely happen but that's just down to feeding as most the time animals keep their mouths shut please respond with your opinions and give me your point of view on the problem. personally I've kept my leopard gecko Ember on sand since she was 3 months old and although she has ate a little bit of it at times i provide her with calcium UV multi vit and as varied of a diet as i can give her and she manages to pass it fine

[poison]

In captivity a lot of times animals are not in their prime health and if they ingest to much substrate then they can get impacted. There are aslo several substrates that animals in the wild will never come across like calci sand, aspen and loose moss. These can definetelly be bad for frogs/reptiles. If your reptile is healthy and hydrated then they will pass the natural sand with no prolems.

With that being said. Sand alone for a leo is a crappy substrate and does nothing for them. These guys are not from the desert like a lot of people seem to think. Honestly it does nothing. It does not make them feel more comfortable or make them feel like they are in the wild. They do not step on loose sand in the wild. I'd suggest you mix the sand with soil. I'n the wild they are able to creat burrows which also helps with moister. I'n captivity we ue humid hides which is a mimic of their natural burrows.

[Monza geckos]

hmm I see what track your going down and i know exactly what you mean people see them in pet stores on sand and think that they must be in desert areas surrounded by sand but they are on the out skirts where its hot but not so sandy but if people are so worried about impaction it means that surely they don't have total faith in the care they're providing because im with you on the side of this argument that they should be fine as long as they are kept well with everything in the right amounts and i use naturalistic sand myself just for aesthetics but i know what you mean by the calci sand my local exotics has a new owner who now only stocks that crappy red calci sand and the blue and green gravel that's more pebbles than thick sand i was so annoyed when i found it out as i now have to order it of the internet

[Truffs1178]

Get Lucky Reptile Desert Substrate. It's not actually sand and not very deserty either. It's like sand and soil mixed. With rocks and rough pebbles mixed in.

Edit:Actually Darren has started doing the stock ordering again Ben so there is normal sand again.

[Truffs1178]

In captivity a lot of times animals are not in their prime health and if they ingest to much substrate then they can get impacted. There are aslo several substrates that animals in the wild will never come across like calci sand, aspen and loose moss. These can definetelly be bad for frogs/reptiles. If your reptile is healthy and hydrated then they will pass the natural sand with no prolems.

With that being said. Sand alone for a leo is a crappy substrate and does nothing for them. These guys are not from the desert like a lot of people seem to think. Honestly it does nothing. It does not make them feel more comfortable or make them feel like they are in the wild. They do not step on loose sand in the wild. I'd suggest you mix the sand with soil. I'n the wild they are able to creat burrows which also helps with moister. I'n captivity we ue humid hides which is a mimic of their natural burrows.

Yes i completely agree but Leos actually range from grasslands, scrub and deserts from around northwest India, Pakistan, Afghanistan etc but you are right about sand being no good because the deserts they come from are rocky and it isn't pure, fine grain sand like many people suspect. Remember desert has a broad definition. Antarctica is actually classed as a dessert, so the barren, rocky and sandy regions of these countries are deserts as well.

[poison]

Yes i completely agree but Leos actually range from grasslands, scrub and deserts from around northwest India, Pakistan, Afghanistan etc but you are right about sand being no good because the deserts they come from are rocky and it isn't pure, fine grain sand like many people suspect. Remember desert has a broad definition. Antarctica is actually classed as a dessert, so the barren, rocky and sandy regions of these countries are deserts as well.

Ah yeah sorry, my definition of "desert" was a little off.

I 100% agree with you.

[Hypnotic]

I don't blame most people, especially not people with leopard geckos. Fact is, they have been misinformed by stores. I haven't seen a single store yet offering leopard geckos on anything but sand, untill now, I had no clue either. We all know why this happends, stores either don't want to give a full explanation because people will be scared off by the total price of the pet, terrarium and all the accessories needed or they don't know themselves.
When I bought my cranwelli, I was told to keep it at 26° (78) daytime and 18° (64ish) during nighttime, so I got home, released my girl into her terrarium, googled a caresheet because I know they are full of it and cranked up the heat to the right numbers. My girl was also a baby, I was informed to feed her twice a week, but after reading the caresheet, fed her daily

People just don't know better and trust the stores blindly, I was fired from a petshop for speaking my mind about the situations some pets were kept in. Since I've worked at a petshop, I've never bought an animal there again.

[Truffs1178]

Ah yeah sorry, my definition of "desert" was a little off.

I 100% agree with you.

No need to appologise, were all here to help each other and you have certainly helped me setup my new roach colonies. The lobsters are breeding already.

[deranged chipmunk]

The main reason is that in a closed environment, drainage is important. Garden soil, or topsoil would compact over time and lose it's draining properties, even mixed with sand. Personally, I use a soiless mix designed for hydroponics growing. My plants love it and it drains very well, yet retains moisture in places where I want it to.