Do you keep your geckos on sand?

Are your leos on sand?

  • Yes, my geckos are on sand

    Votes: 6 9.1%
  • No, my geckos aren't on sand

    Votes: 60 90.9%

  • Total voters
    66

katie

New Member
Messages
36
Location
United States
I recently found out that popular leopard gecko breeder Steve Skyes from Geckos Etc. keeps his geckos on sand. Geckos Etc. Herpetoculture | Care

I thought that all breeders used no substrate or paper towels. I was obviously wrong.

I was wondering if anyone here keeps their Leos on sand. I don't want to start the upsetting debate - I just am curious of how many breeders (if any come forward) and people use sand.

I personally will never use sand. I'd rather not take the risk, not only because I love my leos, but because of their value. That's why I was so shocked with Steve using sand... he's putting very expensive animals on a potentially deadly substrate.

Anyway, I'm getting off topic... this isn't about Steve. So.. begin. Do you keep your geckos on sand?
 

OnlineGeckos

New Member
Messages
1,407
Location
SoCal
That care article was written long ago, I highly doubt Steve Sykes keep his geckos on sand in his racks now. It's possible, but sand inside tubs just don't sound right. Plus impaction problems are bad for business, the guy moves a huge amount of geckos.

Edit: Yup confirmed with Steve, he uses paper towels. The care article was created for hobbyists that may want to setup a terrarium.
 
Last edited:

katie

New Member
Messages
36
Location
United States
That care article was written long ago, I highly doubt Steve Sykes keep his geckos on sand in his racks now. It's possible, but sand inside tubs just don't sound right. Plus impaction problems are bad for business, the guy moves a huge amount of geckos.

Edit: Yup confirmed with Steve, he uses paper towels. The care article was created for hobbyists that may want to setup a terrarium.

Okay thank you. I was very confused because of this photo: http://geckosetc.com/images/cs/delicuphide.JPG
It looks like he's using sand in the tubs. Thanks again for confirming it
 

OnlineGeckos

New Member
Messages
1,407
Location
SoCal
Yeah he mentioned he experimented with it a long time ago, but he uses paper towels in the racks now.

Still an interesting poll though :)
 

LCReptiles

New Member
Messages
158
Location
Blacksburg, Virginia
Sand was all the rage 10 years ago when Calci-sand was introduced and keepers thought "Oh wow and easy way to add calcium supplement". Then geckos started dying and well I'm sure you know the rest. I have used sand as a sort of caulk in between slate tiles but I would never use it as a straight substrate. There are still a few large breeders who use playsand (the grains are smaller) and as long as you are feeding from a dish there shouldn't be any issues. One thing to keep in mind is that some breeders come and go by season. They move on to other species, they simply disappear, or fall off the map. I am not familiar with Mr. Sykes so I won't say one way or another if he is still breeding geckos but I'd try to find information by recent and active breeders like Kelli over at HISS, Travis at Enigmatic Reptiles, Golden Gate, etc.

EDIT: Haha, apparently HTML tags don't work in posts..
 

OnlineGeckos

New Member
Messages
1,407
Location
SoCal
Sand was all the rage 10 years ago when Calci-sand was introduced and keepers thought "Oh wow and easy way to add calcium supplement". Then geckos started dying and well I'm sure you know the rest. I have used sand as a sort of caulk in between slate tiles but I would never use it as a straight substrate. There are still a few large breeders who use playsand (the grains are smaller) and as long as you are feeding from a dish there shouldn't be any issues. One thing to keep in mind is that some breeders come and go by season. They move on to other species, they simply disappear, or fall off the map. I am not familiar with Mr. Sykes so I won't say one way or another if he is still breeding geckos but I'd try to find information by recent and active breeders like Kelli over at HISS, Travis at Enigmatic Reptiles, Golden Gate, etc.

EDIT: Haha, apparently HTML tags don't work in posts..


Steve Sykes is among one of the largest active gecko breeders out there. Marcia @golden gate geckos either has retired or near retiring, haven't seen her around in awhile. Just wanting to put the correct information out there. Unfortunately for some of the larger active breeders out there, they seem too busy to update their articles and guides on their sites. Steve is a good source of information if you talk to him in person however.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

LCReptiles

New Member
Messages
158
Location
Blacksburg, Virginia
Thanks a bunch. It has been 10 years since I was active in the community (oh good ole Kingsnake). So yeah I'm catching up. My post was merely to warn about the here one season gone the next folks... not those of us genuinely interested in the hobby, the genetics and the love of the animals.
 

Busterboy

New Member
Messages
27
Location
Us
Personally, I don't keep my leo on sand... BUT, I do keep my bearded dragon on sand. I find it easier to clean up his poops when using sand lol, But, I feed him somewhere else where there's no sand. So it's all good ! :D
 

tomcatguy74

New Member
Messages
90
Location
Spring Hill, Florida
I use repti-carpet. Seems to work nice. No problems yet. I was thinking if trying the all tile idea. I have only one tile in the back right corner that my girl has learned to go potty on.
2e2utujy.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Poppy243

New Member
Messages
136
Location
Tulsa
Currently my geckos are kept on sand but eventually they won't be, at least not totally. I'm getting a larger terrarium for my two girls and will be creating a DIY canyon w/ caves (similar to the one in the DIY forum). However, I am considering putting sand in the caves, especially on the warm side, for better heat transfer, and also because they are used to it, and I think it'd be good for them to have something familiar. However, even though I use sand, I take precautions. Mealworms in dishes or from tongs (one seems to love the tongs, and is quite a hunter!) or I take them out and feed them in a plastic bin. I also watch to see if they seem unusually lethargic or don't have a good appetite, and take preventative measures against impaction. So far, no problems, but I'd like to get them mostly off the sand anyway.
 

Jeff20

New Member
Messages
4
Location
Iowa
No I use reptile carpet. I've used sand in the past and never had any issues. The carpet is so much cheaper though.
 

Leokaiser

New Member
Messages
18
Location
Lewes Delaware
Paper towels, bare bottom, or butchers paper in my tubs. Any tanks I had back in the day got linoleum, paper towls, or ceramic tiles if theyd fit. Anyone who thinks they are used to sand should do a crash course in geography of their region as well as the actual defenition to dessert/arid climate. They arent aleays rolling dunes of sand. In ike 94 when I first got a Leo I used sand, impaction isnt the only issue. Scratches on eyes, bacteria from urate....there many things bad about it. Calci sand can be even worse after it breaks down and they inhale the dust. If you are in need of asthetics you could make a foam insert out of a sheet of insulation foam, landscape it with spray foam, and coat it with drylock mixed with concrete dye for a natural color. I also years ago smeared aquarium sealant on the bottom and poured sand over it and let it cure and dry then removed all of the loose sand. But I would never use sand as an actual substrate. I grind my teeth away to this day still when I hear people recomend it.
 
Last edited:

SEwicked

New Member
Messages
64
Location
NH
I used slate tiles for a while but recently switched back to paper towels simply for easier cleaning. I hear about people using sand for years without issue but can't bring myself to put my animals at risk even if the risk is small.
 

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