Reptile & Amphibian Forums

please can i have more!

i'm not talking to you anymore(this is the not chuffed at all look)

>>i'm not talking to you anymore(this is the not chuffed at all look)
>>

Very cute & happy looking while eating, Jason Eve

....but from the picture, it would seem that the granule size of your substrate is a bit on the large size and the enlongated angular grains could be asking for trouble with an impaction if enough is ingested, especially with younger lizards and their enthusiastic feeding habits LOL. Just a thought.

DC

DC

I do not agree. If the sand is very fine there is a larger risk of impaction. I have held mine at very fine sand and they got some impaction problems. I switched to some rough sand/gravel and have never experienced problems with impaction since. It is like the fine sand will sticks together and give them problems.

This is the same with leopard geckoes, where I had to put one down due to impaction.

This is just my opinion and what I have experienced.

Jesper

fine sand binds up in the guts of almost all the lizards i have kept,i lost a beardie to sand impaction and my bluestar (RIP little one)also suffered a slight impaction but i managed to work it loose.I appreciate the warning though DC but that "gravel" is acctually crushed coral and i use it for my geckos and collareds,both swallow there fair share of the stuff and it always passes straight through.My gecko's lick this stuff alot and sometimes whole stools can be passed that are pure coral the only thing i noticed is that the grain size seems to be smaller,i personally put this down to some of the calcium being digested(bonus).Let me know what you guys think.
see yah later
jason

I'd say the crushed coral is working out fine (no poo intended...I mean pun)

It would be a great calcium supplement as well...let me know when you find a pearl in one of those turds.

John

John you are so silly

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Be well
Tiff =)

....all the Leos, Uros, Lawson's Dragons, Croc Skinks, tortoises and snakes are on a non-mineral substrate. I only have this one batch of 9 collareds, which were all raised on the fine rounded-grain type sand with no *incidents*. The problem I have with the crushed coral is (1)its available calcium and (2) its inconsistant partical size and very angular (sharp-edged) fractured granules. (1) is similar to the problem I have with calci-sand-type products, i.e. the free calcium carbonate can react with the acidic digestive contents and act like a giant "tums", depressing and delaying the digestive process and possibly altering the gut pH to the detriment of the intestinal flora. The regular scheduled (alternated) dusting of the prey items insures the correct amount of mineral calcium is available and is never oversupplied by accidental consumption of random amounts of concentrated reactive granules. (2) is a matter I do not wish to leave to good fortune, as an examination of the jagged-edged smaller particles of crushed coral show they can easily interlock in a manner similar to the broken media found in the usual silica builder's type sand, which has been indicted in most cases of sand impaction I have heard of in several species. The rounded-grained sands of fine screening are used by quite a few people without problems. I haven't as yet had anything I raise become impacted. (crosses fingers)

DC