# leopard gecko question?



## da_illest (Apr 3, 2004)

can i keep my leo on peat moss, potting soil, or any of those substrates? if the are dry of course


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## Love to Foxtrot (Apr 4, 2004)

*substrate*

I have kept leopard geckos on uncrushed sphagnum moss before, but I would not recommend keeping them on crushed peat moss for fear of impaction. My favorite substrate by far is newspaper.  

Aubrey


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## da_illest (Apr 4, 2004)

Love to Foxtrot said:
			
		

> I have kept leopard geckos on uncrushed sphagnum moss before, but I would not recommend keeping them on crushed peat moss for fear of impaction. My favorite substrate by far is newspaper.
> 
> Aubrey


i don't like it paper much, it's always shifting around and stuff.. and my peat moss is really fine dirt, it's not in clumps.. i thought maybe it'd be safe since people keep their leo's on sand and sand much finer and loose.. i was thinking of maybe compacting the peat till it's packed fully.. i wanted to see if anyone here has tried it.. i don't wanna try it if no one else has because i won't risk my leo's life..


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## da_illest (Apr 4, 2004)

> A substrate which I like to use is Canadian sphagnum peat moss.  Peat moss makes a good substrate because it is a natural substance which is totally digestible, maintains moisture and naturally absorbs odor. Mix the peat moss with water and rub the two between your hands until the moisture is absorbed by the peat moss. Firmly pack the peat moss in the bottom of the cage and let it dry in the sun or under a heat lamp for a couple of hours until all moisture has evaporated. The peat moss will dry to a hard surface. Normally leopard geckos will defecate in the same area making cleanup easy.


that's the EXACT substrate i have and i got that quote from HERE, i just don't know if i should trust him/her.. Has anyone here tried it?


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## Malkavian (Apr 4, 2004)

Calcium based sand is going to be your best bet i believe...

..I forget the brand but most petstores carry it. From what I'm aware of it's a calcium compound instead of silicon like normal sand, so if the gecko swallows it gets metabolzied instead of causing impaction


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## LPacker79 (Apr 4, 2004)

I'm not sure how true this is, but I've read in several places that calcium sand is a no no. Your herps can eat too much of it and have problems with too much calcium (I've forgotten the scientific term for it).  Also, check out this link. I found it very interesting.


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## Malkavian (Apr 4, 2004)

I'm under the impression (through several articles and some handbooks) that leopard geckos tend to injest substrate on purpose if their food isn't supplemented correctly (ie Ca defeciency) --I'd think if you took care in feeding (either fed in a separate container or fed mealworms on a tray) so as to minimize the chance of injestion of the calci sand, then the lizard is highly unlikely to have as much as a gram of it in their system at once..


Edit: Looking over at my leopard gecko's cage I see that the granules are larger than beach sand, but at least on par with or slightly smaller than playground sand by my estimation.  However I'm not sure of the brand name of the product

Edit again: Just went down the road to the local petsmart.  The sand I use is T-rexx Calci-sand. I did notice however that another brand (Zoomed i think) produces a variety that is MUCH finer and closer in consistency to "Desert" sand, i'll be picking that up instead of the T-rexx brand next time i have to get some


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## Philth (Apr 4, 2004)

> Zoomed i think) produces a variety that is MUCH finer and closer in consistency to "Desert" sand,


  The problem i had with the Zoomed brand, is that its very dusty, and will soon turn everything, including the lizard, the color of the sand that you choose.


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## Malkavian (Apr 4, 2004)

Philth said:
			
		

> The problem i had with the Zoomed brand, is that its very dusty, and will soon turn everything, including the lizard, the color of the sand that you choose.



Would washing the product help alleviate that i wonder? IE, dumping it in the bottom of a bucket (or large bowl) and rinsing with water a few times then baking dry?


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## da_illest (Apr 4, 2004)

thanks.. the thing is i don't have money to buy the sand, it's expensive here, like ten bucks per small bag.. i was hoping of using peat moss but i did a lot of thinking and decided to get repti carpet.. it's washable and can't be inhested.. it's funny watching the gecko slip and slide on the bare glass of the tank when i'm changing the paper towels.. lol


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## OldHag (Apr 5, 2004)

I think the repti carpet is the way to go if you wont  use papertowel or newspaper....My leos eat EVERYTHING they can and I suppliment BIG time!! Infact I incubate the eggs in Vermiculite and have found that thier first poop is vermiculite :O That spooked me a bit cuz vermiculite is a know impaction problem !!  Gunna have to move them to something else during hatching time I guess...


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## webspinner (Apr 5, 2004)

Thinking of getting one are they easy to take care of and are they defensive?


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## petitegreeneyes (Apr 5, 2004)

I have three of them and they started out small and are quite big now. I did buy the expensive calci-sand that was new on the market and said it was for geckos and they haven't had any problems with impactation. If anything, I can't keep up with them on the pooper-scooping. Mine would bite at first but the more we worked with them the friendlier they got. Now we take them out and hold them and they are just big sweethearts with really neat personalities. We love them and think they are one of the neatest pets we have.


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## OldHag (Apr 6, 2004)

webspinner said:
			
		

> Thinking of getting one are they easy to take care of and are they defensive?


Yes they are easy to care for and SOME are defensive MOST arent!  As babies they tend to scream and attack everything they see...then they get to realize that your the "food GOD" and they love you!  I have 9 adults and only 2 have consistently been spaztic.  One nipps and bites all the time but not hard, shes just an angry woman. The other is the spawn of satan and I dont hold him....he doesnt bite but he thrashes and croaks and puts up such a fuss that I just dont bother with him anymore.  The rest are as tame as can be!!


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## mrs scabtree (Apr 10, 2004)

just keep them on newspaper, its cheep easy to clean and it is in ample supply, i know its not the most attractive item of substrate but it works. i also put a largish tub, flattish ice cream or margarine tub with a door cut in it with a bit of moist vermiculite in there, this gives the gecko some were to hide were it is moist, also give some large stones built up into a nice pile (secured together with aquerinm sealent, left for 48 hours before being put in the tank) for them to climb on.
ive never had any problems with vermiculite as a substratrate as i keep my bearded dragons on it all the time.
i work as a veterinary nurse in an exotic veterinary practice in the uk and the main problems we see from small lizards and snakes is gut impactaion from sand/small stones/wood chip/wood shavings, so i would avoid these things at all costs, as has been mentioned vermiculite comes back out the other end, yer its strange but atleast it aint getting stuck.


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