Calci Sand....good or not???

[Hellcat305]

Is Calci sand good for leaopard geckos? I have been told by many people that it is a good substrate to use and yet, many sites claim that it causes impaction and death. Is this an exaggeration? Anyone out there have any opinions? What other substrate would one use instead of Calci Sand?

Thanks in advance!

[J.D.J]

Re:Calci Sand....good or not???

Hello Jen,

Yes, Calci-Sand or Repti-Sand is fine for adult or sub adult leopard geckos because it is a dissolvable sand. Ultra fine Repti-Sand is fine enough for babies to digest if any is accidentally swallowed.

Regular play sand (containing small stones and other items) is usually not recommended because it does cause impaction and can cause death.

Jeff J.

[stormyva]

Re:Calci Sand....good or not???

Ahhh the wonderful substrate debate

I have heard that calci-sand can cause impactionand that it has sharp edges, but I have not had any problems. I did a lot of research and ended up making the switch to plain play sand a while back. Several people that are long time beardie keepers swear by the play sand and have not had any problems. Please stay away from the crushed walnut shell as it has very sharp edges and can cause both impaction and internal damage.
For younger beardies and leos paper towels or cage carpet is the best as they tend to ingest more loose substrate
than older ones do.

Hope that helped.

[J.D.J]

Re:Calci Sand....good or not???

Yes, I would agree it is quite a debate.

I've had no problems with any kind of Calci-Sand either. I haven't used regular play sand.

And in most articles I've read, including those in Reptiles magazines, most say Calci-Sand and/or Repti-Sand are ok for all adult lizards.


Jeff J.

[Hellcat305]

Re:Calci Sand....good or not???

Yes....I'm quickly learning what a debate this topic really is. :P
Thank you all for your input!