Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I went into my local pet shop today, not expecting to walk out frustrated and appalled. They didnt have superworms in, and the guy said i shouldnt be feeding to leos, to hard of an exoskeleton and they'll eat their way out and kill the leo. I told him it was impossible and that i had been feeding them for 4 months with no problems, and that the breeder i got her from had been raising leos for 10 years and never had a problem with them. It really frustrated me that he was talking to me like i knew nothing, just a 13 year old that didnt have a clue what he was talking about, when i obviously knew alot more than he could ever know. He was saying I shouldnt get animals if i cant care for them!!!! He said reptiles arent for kids and that they are extremely hard to keep care of. I said that i may be a kid but atleast i had made it further than grade 6, lmao. Man, i probably shoudlnt have said that, but I couldnt help but burn this guy, totally ignorant. I ended up getting crickets, and the whole event really got me mad, i feel sorry for any animals in the care of that bonehead. Anyway, just had to vent a little. Later
Mac

I totally agree...
After being told recently that a Beardie could survive happily in a 5.5 gallon tank. Some people just shouldn't work in pet stores..

MS

OH, this all makes me SO sad, but I SO know what you guys are talking about. I WORK in a pet store, and this new girl, probably in her 20s or 30s (I'm 18) tried to convince a customer to get regular, fine graded sand, after i told him that he needed calcium sand, and that we didn't have it, and to go down the street. And whoever told you that a beardie could be HAPPY in 5.5 gal, not to mention LIVE, needs to be SMACKED!

may as well be the same thing. Calci-sand IS NOT, I repeat IS NOT digestable and will cause impactions just as easily as regular play sand.

Uriah and Tina Walker
-----

Calci-Sand is HUGE... I saw your testing you did on the earlier post. You don't mention Vita-Sand at all. I know your Anti-Sand but it's kinda not fair to all the products/companies to blanket such an item (that's just my view).

Now, if I have a gecko die.. I will be the first one to pony up and eat my words...

Cinman

I was only refering to the calci-sand as it was the only product mentioned in the post above. If I can find the documentation again concerning the exact details of the tests performed on the calci-sand I will post them here. Vita-sand is a new product to the market and I have not tried it yet, mainly because it is very expensive and I have not seen any test results from it yet. I do feel, and I'm sure others here do as well, that calci-sand is mis-marketed when the manufacturer claims that it is digestable when it has been proven to not be in a base, neutral, or acidic solution. Again, I will try to find those test results to back this up

Uriah and Tina Walker
-----

Here are two links I was able to dig up. The first is to a forum discussing calcium carbonate substrates and the second to the results of testing performed by Michelle M. Hewitt back in '99. The tests were not performed on the T-Rex Calci-sand, but on products very similar to it. Also, check the back of your calci-sand bag for a warning. I don't have a bag in front of me, but it should be there.
forum link
test results link

Uriah and Tina Walker
-----

i bought white vita-sand for my tank I used it as grout between the tiles I had. After a few days my male leos stools where filled with it. I took him off of it even though he wasnt impacted I didnt want him to get to that point and I just had some in to fill in the cracks.

Alicia
-----
2 male leos: Winky HY & Lenny TangCT & 2 Female Leos: Sunshine Super tang & Serenity Tremper HY Jungle Albino

The guy goes through training and gets to feed lizards so now he thinks he's repti-god. Next time you go in you should hand him a copy of the Leopard Gecko Manual, if they have it, and tell him to actually read it.

Uriah and Tina Walker
-----

The stupid thing is, they DO have it. Its pretty much just the one guy though, the girl there knows alot and has leos. The guys a totally idiot, he recomends a savanah monitor in there all the time, probably cause he wants them to pay the 500 dollars for it, unbelievable. I feel really sorry for the beardies in there, the employees tell people they can go from hatchling to adult with not a single cricket. It probably could be done, but baby beardies need protien and such for growing. Most of the leos are in good health though, cause the girl keeps care of those, but the anoles, frogs, monitor, igs, mali uros are all in bad health. Anyway, ill stop ranting on and on,
Mac

I have had this experience a lot. Sometimes it is better to just ignore those idiots, and do what you know is right. You sound like you have done your research, and if you have any questions, the people hear at the forum seem very willing to help. Good luck!

Yes, I think that we have gone through some kind of frustration in our petstores. When I first started with geckos some years ago, in my local petstore...they would confuse females with males even after the females have laid eggs. It is incredible what they can make up to "satisfy" a customer. Definitely a waste of time.
Tundra Geckos

Thanks, and moonpie, I've definately done my research, I've had herps since I was 6, and read up on leos for about 4 months before i got her since my city only has 2 shows a year. See ya,
Mac