> What are you using... I think I missed this?
I use paper towels and astroturf in my cages. I find sand is hard to
clean. As Julie mentioned it can harbor bacteria and also parasites, if
your gecko already has them. Since sand is often only sifted instead of
replaced, there is the possibility that geckos can get super infections of
these infectious organisms from the substrate. Paper towels are easily
replaced and throw away. The astroturf can be cleaned and replaced. I often
cut many pieces and replace them with a clean dry one while the soiled one
is being cleaned. These substrates may not be as pretty as sand, but I have
never had an impaction problem in my animals.
>> Why would they eat the substrate if they are becoming
>> ill?
We try to duplicate nature, but are never really able to duplicate it
exactly. If something is amiss with our husbandry, a gecko may eat the
substrate. The most common problem our clinic sees with reptiles, is
metabolic bone disease. An animal with this condition will look for
calcium. In this quest they often eat the sand.
>> <<If they were in their natural enviroment, this would
>> probably benefit them as there is stuff in the natural
>> substrate with nutrients.
In nature geckos probably do not eat their substrate but in tiny amounts
with a prey item. This might be beneficial for trace elements, or maybe as
a roughage. Wild geckos also have access to natural sunlight and wild
insects, that probably eat a better diet then what we feed our insects, so
eating the substrate may not have any benefits whatsoever.
>>Do you think
>> using natural substrate - soil directly from a desert
>> environment - would be better?
Hard to say. I personally feel it is best to duplicate an animals natural
environment as best you can. If you can't do that, then you may just want
to make the environment as safe as you can. You never know, but maybe some
wild geckos do suffer from sand impaction. I have heard people tell me
snakes will not eat anything that is too big for them, but i have a photo
of a rattle snake that died in the wild from eating a jack rabbit that was
too big for it to consume. Natural selection has a way of weeding out the
weak or in this case the not too bright. ;>
>> >As far as calci-sand, I do not recommend it. Too
>> coarse, too many know cases of impaction. >>
I second Julie on this statement. The manufacturers of this product lead
the public to believe that this product is safe, and that the animals
housed on it can digest the calcium from the product. Diatomaceous earth is
the ingredient contained in this product. Reptiles can not digest it, and
our clinic has seen some impacted animals that were kept on this sand.
Catriona
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