Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK everyone,

I've read a lot of differing opinions about substrates. I've been keeping my leopard geckos on Calci-Sand for years and it seems to work very well. I've never had any problems and all my geckos are fat and healthy.

Here's my question. Is Calci-Sand actually a source of calcium for them? It's calcium-phosphate. I usually don't put calcium in a dish or anything like that. I usually just dust my crickets and I gut-load my crickets with "Cricket Quencher" gel from Fluker that is supplemented with Calcium.

So, now I think I have a gravid female. Is the gutloading and the cricket quencher enough calcium for her? Do I need to add a dish of Calcium? What kind do people use? Is it actually calcium-phosphate? Because.....I have all that Calci-Sand in there.

I'd be very interested to know what you all think about Calci-Sand? Is it B---S---???

Thanks!

Hayseed

1.1 Coastal Carpets
1.3 Corn Snakes
1.0 Ball Python
2.2 Leopard Geckos

I keep mine on Calci-sand as well and they are fine. As for a dish with calcium I do keep one in their home for them. It is ok for them to ingest a little of the sand but not as a supplement. I dust my crickets with both a multi vitamin and calcium powder. I use a calcium powder without D3 in it cause there is D3 in the multi vitamin. Too much D3 is not good for them. GL with your eggs

Calcium sand has to big of particles if injested can cause impaction. In my opinion no problem with sand but just buy washed play sand. Will save you alot of money its only a couple of $ for a 50 pound bag.
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Tom
1.2.0 Leopard Gecko (dot, spot, leo)
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Lots Of Fish

I kept my first gecko on everything from walnut shell to some sand that glows in the dark and i never used calcium once for three years. Dont worry, I feel like an idiot about it now, I didnt know better but my gecko never had a problem and is a tank to this day. Since then I work in a reptile shop and see atleast one or two cases of digestive tract impaction a month with leopard geckos. Its sometimes walnut shell, sometimes silica sand, but most commonly the calci sand. Half the time it is a gecko someone has had for years in the same environment. My guess would be that a gecko needing a lot of calcium due to the onset of breeding would be more likely to become impacted than it was before breeding. I keep mine in a vision rack with a big box of bed a beast and a bowl of calcium. no bedding

Just to echo a few thoughts:

Sand, play or reptile, is never really a good idea. It is pretty and there is LESS chance a gecko will become impacted as they get older, but why go for less when you can get none? A gecko will sometimes accidently or intentionally ingest the sand. Impaction doesn't usually happen overnight, but by the time most people notice it the gecko is usually pretty sick. It is usually a different form of calcium in the sand, depending on the brand. There is also some argument on whether or not finer ground sand is the problem, or if it is the larger pieces. Either way, it has been confirmed over and over again, not matter what the package says, the calcium sand WILL NOT be digested or absorbed by a leo. With luck it will have multicolored poo, or worse you will end up with the vet. A gravid should definitely have had a bowl of calcium BEFORE, during, and after she was gravid. If she has eaten the sand because there is nothing else around, the consequences are very hard to think about.

In that same sense, NO SUBSTRATE is also bad. Floors of glass and plastic are hard for leo's claws to grip and it would be like socks on the kitchen floor every day of your life. There is also the consideration of sanitation.

In reality, papertowels or even unglazed/lead free tile is the only "safe" answer.

(Another option, but somewhat more of a pain to clean is repticarpet, but you're best to get two pieces and get good at sanitation. Since most people aren't, I don't necessarily consider this a "safe" option.)
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
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