Any ideas

[snakegal12345]

I'm trying to get my dad to change the substrate from sand to paper towel or slate but he thinks my gecko is happy on it. He thinks the pet store is right and its okay to keep it on sand. Got any suggestions on how to convince my dad ive tried all sorts of things and ive been naggin him for a month and 1/2. Please helpand heres a pic of his tank.

[asphyxia]

Play sand has worked fine for me and many others for over 5 years.
It also gets packed down quite a bit,which allows the leos to eat and not digest any harmfull amount IMO. BTW All my leos are in excellent condition.

your turn eyespy...I'll start... Well working at the vets i have filled a dump truck with sand removed from impacted leos ...

All in good fun,
Brian

[Gregg M]

I would be wise to get the leo or leos off of the sand....... Impactions are a death sentance........ Paper towels or slate will be a good substrate....... Leos do not even live on sand in the wild......... Sand impactions are pretty common and almost always kill leos........ It does not happen fast........ It slowly kills a leo pretty much by starvation....... Even though they will eat, they are not absorbing the nutrients from its food........ Get them off before it is too late........ Not only do the leos ingest sand when they eat crickets but they also walk around the tank and lick it up too...... Hope this helps......

[crazyboy]

why dont you just change it?

[maiden_canada]

make a thread and get everyone on the site to say yes to switchning to paper towel..then show your dad

[snakehunter]

HEY DAD CHANGE IT I think your girl may have a valid point, risking your daughters mentality and leo would be a big loss instead of just taking ten minutes to change to paper towels, and besides, ITS CHEAPER

[joer]

Hey Dad Change the sand before its to late. Why not its not like it cost much money for paper towl. Oh yah your girl knows more about leos then you do and the pet store if they tell you sand. Well if not look at the good way death row is getting bigger and your leo is in the line.

[Bartman]

Or how bout you pour out the sand yourself and put in paper towl/slate by yourself..why do you need his consent?

[drewlowe]

I'm in agreeance with the rest. Leos don't come from sandy desert type areas!!! You can use papertowel, newspaper, bed a beast (or similar products), slate, or rocks from a masonry. Sand may not kill overnight but it will catch up to you eventually.

[Sean Day]

LMAO @ Brian!

I have also never had a problem with sand and have used it for years.

Sean

[snakegal12345]

yea ill do it while they take my brother to hockey game !lol! thx

[snakegal12345]

he mite just ground me for a couple week but that would be worth savin my leos life

[Dani33]

Maybe try compressed fibre? Is it because he likes the look of the sand? Coconut fibre is digestible. I am going to be switching to it soon.

[herpnewbie]

I would point out that he'll save a lot of money over time if he gets the slate. Also, it looks nice, is easy to clean, and doesn't smell (not sure about sand). All you do is measure the inside of the tank, go to a Home Depot type place, by a couple textured slate-looking tiles, and they cut them for free. I think it cost me maybe $7? A Leo lives for about 17 yrs, right? I would do the math. Figure out the cost of a bag of sand, the amount of times you can change the tank with one bag, and how often/yr. Then times it by 17yrs. Then say to your dad "Dad, I will save you XXX dollars in the future if you give me $10 today and a ride to Home Depot". Then he'll probably want to know what you're up to, and when he hears all the thought behind it should be impressed enough to change it. :) Good luck!

[Alicewave]

Switch to Slate Dad!

[geckomom]

I was advised to use sand by a pet store "expert", too - I think it contributed to the loss of 4 of my previous geckos.

I agree with those who say use slate or paper towel - having said that, I'm using cage carpet right now, and it's working out well for my geckos so far.

[snakegal12345]

got the slate and now need to disenfect it and my dad finally is gonna help me put it in a couple days

[Dani33]

Congrats, yay dad!!!