The Perfect Desert Substrate Mix

[shinobi]

Hey,

Names kay and i am from South Africa. Anyone have some good recipes for desert substrates, specifically for my leopard geckos?

[Rainfrog]

I found a great sand by T-rex that was very natural but cant remember the name and have not seen it in the store again. it was greyish and good quality. my Leopards like to dig in it. the one big drawback is its really dusty, i mean really dust.

I have been thinking of experimenting with a cocofiber sand mix but not sure when I will get to it.

[shinobi]

Hey thanks for the reply. I have seen the sand in one of our local pet stores but because it is imported it is ridiculously expensive 8as most equipment is here in SA! it sucks ) and my other concern is whether or not it has the nuritional requirments for desert plants as well as providing adequete drainage.
I have been experimenting, and managed to get hold of finely sieved plaster sand used for building, in which i mixed very small parts of shredded cocunut husk (to hold some moisture) and very little plant fertiliser.
But i am still prehensive to place my leopards on it.
What do you think? and any suggestions on small grasses that i could use in the tank?

Thanks
k

[iriechris]

hey, i used a mixture 50/50 of cannabis bedding and forest bedding, all dried out completely, i used it on a 5X4X3 viv for my bosc monitor, really natural desert looking and not too pricey.

Heres the viv its in. (sorry other forum link. . . .)

Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred :: View topic - new sav setup . .

[Ajax]

I would just be cautious using sand substrates. From what I heard, most sand substrates can cause impactions with any lizard. Some products say that it can be digested and is a calcium supplement, but still impactions occur. I never had this happen to me, but to others, I have seen it, so I am not going to just say "sand is bad. period." It is a very strong debate. But I do know that sand makes it harder to retain heat.

With any substrate, I would choose tile, reptile carpet, or paper towels. I know lots of people who use tile. Sand, on the other hand. People have different opinions on. Natural is not always best with captive bred animals because we eliminate the dangers. Just telling you what others have told me.

It is totally to you though..

[tikichick]

I would definitely avoid the edible substrates. Calcium sand gets impacted because most of the species put on sand are desert dwellers, and they don't drink enough to move the sand through their systems. So it clumps up in their intestines and solidifies.

I use washed playsand for my bearded dragon and uromastyx. When they get crickets, I put them in a tank that has just reptile carpet in it. Worms, I'll usually feed out of my hand or with tongs. Greens are in a dish, so there is little risk of them ingesting the sand.

If your leo's are hatchlings - juveniles, use a soft substrate like paper towels, newspaper, or reptile carpet. Once they're adult size, the sand shouldn't injure their skin.

I believe it's zoo-med that came out with a new clay/sand mix called "excavator". You mix water into it and can mold it into shapes, like hills and caves. Since it's more like the compacted earth they would encounter in the wild, it should be an excellent choice. I have yet to use it myself and don't know anyone who's tried it yet.

Hope that helps

[Rainfrog]

I have seen the excavator sand but havent used it. it is a bit pricey. I have a 47 gallon tank for my 2 leopards and use slate tiles inn the middle and a mix of different sands on each side.

[Red Eye]

regular play sand is all you need... Can even work in reef tanks. 3 bucks for 50 pounds