[gecko]new leopard eating sand

[Julie Bergman]

Hi Dana, As a rule of thumb, NEVER put juvie leos on sand. Your guess 
was right, good job! They are just too curious and will gobble it up. 
They will be impacted before you know it. Set him up on thin carpet (Zoo 
Med makes a nice product, or go to Home Depot and cut your own) or the 
blue shop towels. This way you will be taking no chances with impaction. 
I advise folks to wait until their leo reaches adulthood if they must 
try sand (I try to discourage anyway because of the extra work it 
entails), only use extremely fine grade sands like Jurassic Sand or 
Reptisand if you must. The chunkier the substrate the more dangerous it 
is to your leo.

Julie B.

Dana wrote:

> Hi -
> I just bought a juvenile leopard gecko that is a little over 5 
> inches.  I put him in a tank in which I had laid down "Zoo-Med Vita 
> Sand" as a substrate.  He gulped down a bit of the sand right away, so 
> I placed him in a plastic box with paper towels and a dish of 
> calcium.  I am wondering if impaction is a huge problem with a leopard 
> his size and if anyone has had experience with using the "Zoo-Med Vita 
> Sand" with respect to impaction or no impaction.  Any advice?
> - Thanks,
> Dana
>
> ----------------------------
> Dana Chyung
> 600 Hope St.
> apt. #1
> Providence, RI 02906
> nachyung@cox.net
> 401-447-9938
>
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