101 replies to this topic

[Antcatcherpro3]

I have a 1 year old high yellow color and reverse tripe pattern morph leopard gecko. She is a young female. Leopard geckos are really cute! She is going through a food shortage right now though. I am all out of crickets, and was going to get some from the pet store tommorow and also get a backup food supplies in case she runs out of crickets again. I was thinking that mealworms might be a good backup food. She sheds her skin every 2 to 3 weeks.

[Antcatcherpro3]

Album: Leopard gecko pics

6 images

0 comments

Idk why there are no pics in that album.

I am trying to switch albums to upload pics of my leopard gecko, but it's not letting me.

Btw her name is coconut if I didn't say that already.

[Antcatcherpro3]

I just didn't press upload 

I fed her the mealworms (which I got today) so she I could take better pics of her.

[Kaelwizard]

It's cool that she has that yellow stripe running down her back. I've never seen that before.

[Amazant]

When you feed her do you put the crickets or mealworms in some kind of feeder dish or do you take her out and feed her because with sand you should always be careful because there is a chance they could swallow the sand and it could become an impaction preventing the gecko from digesting.

[Antcatcherpro3]

I put them in a dish, but if a little sand gets in there, she doesn't really mind. And she always seems to be ok with it. But I wouldn't think that it would taste good.

Yeah,

 

Kaelwizard, on 15 Mar 2021 - 6:22 PM, said:

It's cool that she has that yellow stripe running down her back. I've never seen that before.

She does have that stripe and it looks really cool. I am pretty sure its call reverse stripe.

[Antcatcherpro3]

Amazant, on 15 Mar 2021 - 6:24 PM, said:

When you feed her do you put the crickets or mealworms in some kind of feeder dish or do you take her out and feed her because with sand you should always be careful because there is a chance they could swallow the sand and it could become an impaction preventing the gecko from digesting.

And no if she does get any sand in her mouth, its only a little bit, like a few grains. Nothing that could harm her.

[antsandmore]

Is that sand? sand is not a great substrate for leopard geckos because they may accidentally ingest it while hunting and it can kill them if it gets in the way of their digestion system. some substitutes are shown in this article, along with why some substrates are not good options. https://www.reptilea...ecko-substrate/

[Kaelwizard]

antsandmore, on 15 Mar 2021 - 7:56 PM, said:

Is that sand? sand is not a great substrate for leopard geckos because they may accidentally ingest it while hunting and it can kill them if it gets in the way of their digestion system. some substitutes are shown in this article, along with why some substrates are not good options. https://www.reptilea...ecko-substrate/

They live on sand in the wild. I don’t think we would have them if they couldn’t survive in their own natural habitat.

Edited by Kaelwizard, March 15 2021 - 12:17 PM.

[TennesseeAnts]

Kaelwizard, on 15 Mar 2021 - 8:16 PM, said:

 

antsandmore, on 15 Mar 2021 - 7:56 PM, said:

Is that sand? sand is not a great substrate for leopard geckos because they may accidentally ingest it while hunting and it can kill them if it gets in the way of their digestion system. some substitutes are shown in this article, along with why some substrates are not good options. https://www.reptilea...ecko-substrate/

They live on sand in the wild. I don’t think we would have them if they couldn’t survive in their own natural habitat.

 

They don't actually live on sand in the wild. They live on the rocky desert plains of Pakistan. Desert doesn't mean sand, it literally just means little rainfall and vegetation.

 

This is what their native habitat basically is:

 

Edited by TennesseeAnts, March 15 2021 - 12:27 PM.

[Kaelwizard]

TennesseeAnts, on 15 Mar 2021 - 8:19 PM, said:

Kaelwizard, on 15 Mar 2021 - 8:16 PM, said:

antsandmore, on 15 Mar 2021 - 7:56 PM, said:

Is that sand? sand is not a great substrate for leopard geckos because they may accidentally ingest it while hunting and it can kill them if it gets in the way of their digestion system. some substitutes are shown in this article, along with why some substrates are not good options. https://www.reptilea...ecko-substrate/

They live on sand in the wild. I don’t think we would have them if they couldn’t survive in their own natural habitat.

They don't actually live on sand in the wild. They live on the rocky desert plains of Pakistan. Desert doesn't mean sand, it literally just means little rainfall and vegetation.

There is literally sand/dirt in between the rocks. Besides, they have a tendency to lick a lot of things they shouldn’t. I know people who keep their geckos on sand with no issues at all.

[Swirlysnowflake]

Kaelwizard, on 15 Mar 2021 - 8:16 PM, said:

 

antsandmore, on 15 Mar 2021 - 7:56 PM, said:

Is that sand? sand is not a great substrate for leopard geckos because they may accidentally ingest it while hunting and it can kill them if it gets in the way of their digestion system. some substitutes are shown in this article, along with why some substrates are not good options. https://www.reptilea...ecko-substrate/

They live on sand in the wild. I don’t think we would have them if they couldn’t survive in their own natural habitat.

They don’t live on sand, and besides, leopard gecko lifespans in the wild are much much much shorter than in captivity. We want to do what’s safest for our pets, and if there is a chance sand could cause problems, I wouldn’t risk it. It doesn’t give much benefit to the gecko.

[TennesseeAnts]

Kaelwizard, on 15 Mar 2021 - 8:24 PM, said:

 

TennesseeAnts, on 15 Mar 2021 - 8:19 PM, said:

 

Kaelwizard, on 15 Mar 2021 - 8:16 PM, said:

 

antsandmore, on 15 Mar 2021 - 7:56 PM, said:

Is that sand? sand is not a great substrate for leopard geckos because they may accidentally ingest it while hunting and it can kill them if it gets in the way of their digestion system. some substitutes are shown in this article, along with why some substrates are not good options. https://www.reptilea...ecko-substrate/

They live on sand in the wild. I don’t think we would have them if they couldn’t survive in their own natural habitat.

They don't actually live on sand in the wild. They live on the rocky desert plains of Pakistan. Desert doesn't mean sand, it literally just means little rainfall and vegetation.

There is literally sand/dirt in between the rocks. Besides, they have a tendency to lick a lot of things they shouldn’t. I know people who keep their geckos on sand with no issues at all.

 

That's not actually sand, that's a clay/dirt/large-particle-gravel mixture. 

[Swirlysnowflake]

Kaelwizard, on 15 Mar 2021 - 8:24 PM, said:

 

TennesseeAnts, on 15 Mar 2021 - 8:19 PM, said:

 

Kaelwizard, on 15 Mar 2021 - 8:16 PM, said:

 

antsandmore, on 15 Mar 2021 - 7:56 PM, said:

Is that sand? sand is not a great substrate for leopard geckos because they may accidentally ingest it while hunting and it can kill them if it gets in the way of their digestion system. some substitutes are shown in this article, along with why some substrates are not good options. https://www.reptilea...ecko-substrate/

They live on sand in the wild. I don’t think we would have them if they couldn’t survive in their own natural habitat.

They don't actually live on sand in the wild. They live on the rocky desert plains of Pakistan. Desert doesn't mean sand, it literally just means little rainfall and vegetation.

There is literally sand/dirt in between the rocks. Besides, they have a tendency to lick a lot of things they shouldn’t. I know people who keep their geckos on sand with no issues at all.

 

That tendency is actually exactly why sand isn’t a good substrate. Geckos can easily become impacted if they ingest sand, as it’s really hard to digest.

 

 

To the owner of the geck, I would highly suggest switching to kitchen roll/paper stuff, or ceramic tiles. Even eco earth/safe, baked top soil is better than sand, as it is easier to digest.

[Kaelwizard]

Swirlysnowflake, on 15 Mar 2021 - 8:27 PM, said:

 

Kaelwizard, on 15 Mar 2021 - 8:16 PM, said:

 

antsandmore, on 15 Mar 2021 - 7:56 PM, said:

Is that sand? sand is not a great substrate for leopard geckos because they may accidentally ingest it while hunting and it can kill them if it gets in the way of their digestion system. some substitutes are shown in this article, along with why some substrates are not good options. https://www.reptilea...ecko-substrate/

They live on sand in the wild. I don’t think we would have them if they couldn’t survive in their own natural habitat.

They don’t live on sand, and besides, leopard gecko lifespans in the wild are much much much shorter than in captivity. We want to do what’s safest for our pets, and if there is a chance sand could cause problems, I wouldn’t risk it. It doesn’t give much benefit to the gecko.

I take back the claim about them living on sand, as they live on limestone. I’m thinking of beardie stuff I heard. Sorry I got confused, I have bearded dragons in my head after replying about mine on a different thread so I’m mixing up the things I heard. I personally use tile for my Leo.

Edited by Kaelwizard, March 16 2021 - 5:30 AM.

[Swirlysnowflake]

Antcatcherpro3, on 15 Mar 2021 - 6:36 PM, said:

 

Amazant, on 15 Mar 2021 - 6:24 PM, said:

When you feed her do you put the crickets or mealworms in some kind of feeder dish or do you take her out and feed her because with sand you should always be careful because there is a chance they could swallow the sand and it could become an impaction preventing the gecko from digesting.

And no if she does get any sand in her mouth, its only a little bit, like a few grains. Nothing that could harm her.

 

Actually, leo’s like to lick everything around them. Imo it is safer to use non-loose substrate 

[antsandmore]

the best substrate option is actually not using any at all, and instead using a carpet or paper towel for them. easy to clean, no impaction, great. you need to change the substrate quickly before your gecko gets sick.

[Spazmops]

antsandmore, on 15 Mar 2021 - 8:57 PM, said:

the best substrate option is actually not using any at all, and instead using a carpet or paper towel for them. easy to clean, no impaction, great. you need to change the substrate quickly before your gecko gets sick.

Not to be 'that guy', but reptile carpet and paper towel is still substrate  Regardless, you're definitely correct. My favorite is Duck brand smooth top non-adhesive cabinet liner, as it doesn't harbor as much bacteria as reptile carpet and their nails can't get caught on it. It's also safe to put in the washing machine. Here's what I use.

[Antcatcherpro3]

Uhh... I might switch to rocks with sand in them, but so far, coconut has no issues with living in sand, so I won't do it immdeiatley.

Like a rocky ground, with sand in between them.

or i might place some big flat rocks on the ground, but either way, the sand is staying.

[Spazmops]

Quick question- Have you seen what happens when leopard geckos get impacted from sand? It's not pretty.

Edited by Spazmops, March 15 2021 - 1:35 PM.