Leopard Gecko questions

[Luiscifer]

Yeah, he kept her on pink sand :wall: . The good thing about it is that she hasn't been impacted from it.

Hey I have a question. I have been in love with geckos for a while but I just got my first one yestarday. Everything I have read states that sand shouldn't be used do to the impact thing. My brother who has been a breeder for a few years now also states that sand shouldn't be used. Now we know they are from desert area's which obviously contain sand. So what gives? Is there a particular sand that can be used or not? Thanx guys.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Now we know they are from desert area's which obviously contain sand.

They certainly do not. Desert doesn't mean it has to be sand, it just means sparse vegetation and little rainfall. If the internet is correct, a leopard gecko's natural terrain is more like rocky, dry grassland and pebbles and bare soil.

 

[kupo969]

I figured that was the case. I'm going to move her in a couple of days to a 20gal long for the extra space/humid hide. I think I'll get her a bunk buddy (another fem.).

 

[Mushroom Spore]

I think I'll get her a bunk buddy (another fem.).

Just be sure you go for one of similar size, and keep an eye out for ANY signs of bullying or of one gecko losing weight. If you're going to put the new gecko in with the current one right away without quarantine, be extremely sure you're getting a healthy one!

 

[scorpio1]

By the time you see her shedding, it's probably too late for the humid hide to be as useful as it needs to be. Assuming you even see the shed, don't leos shed pretty quickly when all goes well? And I've read they often shed at night. So the shed may be over and done with before you even see it.

Humid hide always.

mushroomspore is right shedding often happens at night, so for that reason alone it would be best to keep the humid hide in the tank at all times, also the shedded skin is often eaten by the gecko to avoid leaving clues for predators and it also offers the tinyest amount of goodness, also about getting a freind for your gecko i would put her in quarantine when you get her, then you can use this time to make sure there new tank is ready then introduce them both into it at the same time, just make sure there is plenty of food and places to hide, chances are they will both use the same hide after they get used to eachother

Luiscifer, Hey I have a question. I have been in love with geckos for a while but I just got my first one yestarday. Everything I have read states that sand shouldn't be used do to the impact thing. My brother who has been a breeder for a few years now also states that sand shouldn't be used. Now we know they are from desert area's which obviously contain sand. So what gives? Is there a particular sand that can be used or not? Thanx guys.

i have bred leos for years and i keep all myn on sand(like a sand dune setup) i use chinchilla sand, as soon as the eggs hatch i transfer the hatchling to rearing tanks with..... yep u guessed it sand (and i have NEVER had an problems with impactation)

 

[kupo969]

I replaced the hot hide with a humid one and she jumped right in. Matter of fact, she spent the whole night in it and is still there. Question about the quarantine, how long?

I know lizards are solitary creatures but a 20L is a little big for a female Leo and I see people keeping them in groups allllllll the time (I know, that doesn't mean it's OK).

 

[Tcollector]

The only sand I have found safe is Viti sand. It can be digested. I have had mine on it for months now and with no problems.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

The only sand I have found safe is Viti sand. It can be digested.

That stuff cannot actually be digested, the only difference between it and regular sand is that it has calcium added to it that ENCOURAGES the animal to eat it if it has a vitamin deficiency. I can't find it via search, but there was an old thread on this very forum full of vets and vet techs who have done autopsies and found animals with their guts full of "digestible" pet sand.

However here's a thread on another forum with links about calcium sand and pets, documenting impactions from these products. There's also a link (to a site that's unfortunately gone now, but quoted) with an experiment conducted to see if calcium carbonate sand could be digested by "a concentration of hydrochloric acid STRONGER than that in the stomach of desert lizards." It couldn't. The person also had a fully grown Uromastyx die of calcium sand impaction. http://www.reptileforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=694

Here's another link from that thread: http://www.anapsid.org/substrates.html

The fact that you have kept one gecko on this product for a few months does not prove it is safe forever and always. Unfortunately, it only proves that you have not had anything go wrong yet (that you know of). Your individual gecko may be fine for the rest of its life, or it may be accumulating a fatal impaction in its guts as we speak and be dead in a month. We honestly don't know, but what we do know is that these products have caused enough deaths that they really cannot be declared safe or digestible, nor can we in good conscience tell others that they can use these products and will absolutely never have a problem.

Some of the fatal impactions can build for years before the owner realizes something is wrong, and by then it's too late.

 

[kupo969]

Unfortunately, it only proves that you have not had anything go wrong yet (that you know of).

This is exactly what happens when people keep pets with wrong substrate. I.E. frogs with moss/bark/stones, T's with abbrasive/sharp substrate, reptiles with sand, etc. They say that they have used it for years and nothing bad has happened. That is only because nothing has happened yet. Why wait/risk for something to happen? Just don't use it. These aren't opinions, they are facts. They ARE bad and WILL kill your pet.

 

[Goatboy]

I've wanting to get into leo's for a while but haven't (don't know why). I've been doing more and more research on them and ran into something I haven't found out.

Is there any difference between males and females other than their sex organs and V-shape mark?

Edit: To clarify, are there any size/marking differences between male/female?

Ive Had a few Leo's and they are Boring During the Day... They are much more active at night. Get a night time UV bulb too.

 

[scorpio1]

i would say ATLEAST a coulpe of weeks for the quarantine, and good luck with them both, i would get her a freind aswell if i was you