Well, I'm not advising anything because I really don't know how safe it is or not firsthand.



All I can say is what I've read about them



My best source I have for them coming from sandy habitats is in "The Leopard Gecko Manual" by Philippe de Vosjoli, Brian Viets, Ron Tremper, and Roger Klingenberg, DVM. On page 10 it says "In the wild, leopard geckos can be found in rocky areas with clay-gravel soil covered by sand." I obviously can't vouch for its accuracy, but I've read that in other books by less reputable authors, and the fact that other books usually recommend non-silica sand as a substrate as long as it's fine grade and there is an available source of calcium carbonate for the leo.



What I'm thinking is that even though E. macularius lives in a wide range of places, it's the place where the majority of imports (our captive breds' previous generations) came from that we should try to mimic in our tanks. I don't know that info well so I'm not recommending anything, just bringing up what I read.



Also, if someone were to use natural sand I don't think it would house the same problem as getting builder's sand from the Home Depot or something. The sand around me would be shell or limestone sand, whereas someone else's would probably just be broken down rock or something.
-----
Got hips like Cinderella / Must be having a good shame / Talking sweet about nothing / Cookie I think you're Tame

[ Show Entire Thread ]