Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok,

i have a few questios...first off is lizard litter desert blend ok for my leo???? second can someone give me some advice n the best way to keep eggs? and also does anyone know a website where i can purchase large quanities of mealworms????? thank you very much...

-thor

Lizard litter is basically ground up walnut shells. I would have to suggest against using it with your leos, because any granular substrate (sands, barks, etc.) can be eaten and cause impaction. I use newspaper, paper towels, or slate tiles for all my leo cages, and it’s been working great.

Here is how I go about collecting and incubating eggs. Gravid females get a humid hide that is ½ full of vermiculite, I spray this daily to keep it moist. Once the eggs have been laid, I put them in a moist perlite incubation container. You can find more detailed info here http://www.albeysreptiles.com/incubate-eggs.htm Both perlite and vermiculite can be found in the garden department of your local home improvement store.

I’ve been buying mealworms for wormman.com for over a year now, and have been pretty satisfied with their service. If wormman doesn’t suit your needs, do a search on google, I’m sure there are lots of mealworm dealers out there. Best of luck!

DaveCable

Thank you very much for your advice....I will change the bedding as soon as i can...i was think about the Calcium based type of sand....hopefully that works...i like to go for a more natural look for my leos.....thanks for everything!!

-thor

He was trying to tell you that anything used as bedding that is "granular" texture can cause impaction. He was advising that you use paper towels or slate in place of loose substrate.

There have been many discussions and disputes here on the forum about substrate. For example, Calci-Sand has been found to be indigestable, so despite it being made of calcium (which leos need a source of) it can cause impaction instead. Basically, to sum up months of discussion on this, not one type of loose substrate is recommend for use with leopard geckos, espcially juveniles.

Now, I do use Lizard Litter for my adults and have yet to have a problem but I may be just playing with fire. The only thing that has caused an impaction here was a piece of moss from the moist hide. I still don't know why the leo ate that! I was just glad to be able to get it out and that the leo survived a hunk of moss going through the digestive track and out the other end. LOL! Well, I've rambled on enough. You'll have to make the decision that feels right to you. Good luck!

ok thank you...... my leopard gecko is a sub-adult female....i use bed a beast bedding for my moist hide...is that a good idea??? i hope i dont have to go through all of that but i would do anything for my leo ......so maybe you could give me some suggestions on bedding for the moist hide if the bed a beast doesnt sound good to you...i am open for all suggestions...i want what is best for my leo.... i hope the lizard litter is ok for now...my leo hasnt shown any signs of eatng it so hopefully that keeps up.........i like the natural look for my leo so hopefully they will make some kind of substrate one day that is ok for leos....thank you for your time....get back to me if you have any suggestions!

-thor

Some people use vermiculite or vermiculite and moss in their hides. Others use paper towels, which would have to be misted more regularly, of course. Vermiculite, or perlite if you prefer, helps retain water so either is suitable for a moist hide or laying hide. I know the Bed-A-Beast is made from coconut shell but I don't know how good it is at staying moist. I've never used the product myself but if it stays moist fairly well, I don't see any real reason why it can't be used as hide substrate. I use vermiculte and moss in my moist hides and layboxes, and just vermiculte as egg bedding in the incubator.

In the wild, leos eat substrate as a way of getting calcium and it's in their nature to to lick everything! LOL! If your leo is of good size already and you haven't had any trouble with the lizard litter yet, just keep an eye on her and her droppings. If you see her eating substrate (or evidence of it), you'll have to take her off of the lizard litter ASAP. It is made from walnut shells, which expand in moisture and therefore can easily become trapped in the digestive track. Also, make sure that a calcium source is always available so she wont be tempted to eat substrate.

I hope I answered your questions...I kind of rambled on a bit! LOL! Sorry.

thank you,

thanks for the advice.....well i have a few more questions...lol...ok...i give my leo a bowl ful of mealworms every week....and a few crickets....i just wanted to make sure this is a wise decision on my part..and what should i give her more of? i also have a question on incubating eggs....do you know how difficult it would be to keep the eggs in a plastic shoe box cotainer w/ the proper bedding and everything? Thank you, sorry if i am asking too many quesion but i think you know your stuff so get back to me when you can! thanks!

-thor

You're not asking too many questions. I'm glad I can be of help.

About mealworms...rather than leaving them in and only replenishing them once a week, you might want to change them out for fresh ones every evening. In other words, pick out so many and put them in the dish. Then, the next night, put whatever is left back into the bedding and pick out new ones again. This way, the mealworms have always freshly eaten, which gives the leos more nutrients and also, the mealworms wont starve to death.

Keeping mealworms available all the time and offering crickets periodically is a good plan. If you want to offer more variety, Silkworms (if you can find them) are good too. Then, once she gets bigger, you can offer superworms and pink mice.

Regarding eggs, I put my eggs in a plastic box, in a bedding of moist vermiculite, then place the entire thing with the lid closed inside the incubator. So, no it's not hard at all.

This thread is getting burried...it will be on page 3 soon! I almost didn't see it this time. LOL! If you have any more questions, start a new thread and I'll watch for your username.