a little scared :(

[crankypunk]

well as you know i got my gecko a 25 galon and the st day he was there he only ate 3 crix and he DID POOP.. yesterday and today he didnt eat and poop and he is hidding :(

is this normal behavior since its a new home ? or he/she should still poop even if he/she didnt eat ???

i did remove the crix i put it not to stress him out he peaks out but goes back in looks like he is scared or somtin :(

im realy concerned plz tell me this is normal :(

** sorry for the bad english spelling lol **

[Tim and Julie B]

Just give it time and be patient. Leave it alone for at least 24 hours, then try feeding. By alone I mean no disturbances at all. Your little one needs to adjust and then you need to handle it frequently inside of its tank. Just pop your hand in, touch it gently and let it climb on your hand. Eventually it will ge used to that and you can handle it by lifting it out of the tank, then eventually you should be able to pick it up and walk around with it. Don't force it though, if it runs around screaming and doesn't come out then do things even more gradually:D

Julie

[PDDM]

Wait Isnt Youe leo on sand???Maybe It got impacted?

[crankypunk]

i doubt he is impacted i believe more its because of the change because im sure even if he would be impacted he would come out and play but he is scared and tryn to hide like a little kid would do...

[PDDM]

Ive heard people say when lizards are impacted they dont movearound too much and they stop eating and they just get thin infront of yourvery eyes until they die,none the less you should get it off sand,besides that my Leo,and my crestie (which i got yesterday)Both warmed up to new enclosure fast and were eating very well quickly but i guess different geckos and different leos have different perssonalities.

[geckomom]

My geckos had outgrown their 29 gal, moved them to a 55 gal a couple weeks ago. They were very active, curious, checking everything out, even during the daylight hours. At night, they were really active and had the same great appetites as usual.

I know almost every post has mentioned this, but the sand....I kept my first gecko on sand, and after reading advice on this and other boards, plus many reptile/gecko husbandry books, I dumped the sand and tried paper towels, but eventually settled for repti-carpet, which is working fine for me and my gex.

My worry was - even if ALL geckos on sand don't get impacted, it's been well-documented that SOME do...and I didn't want to take the chance that mine would be one of the "SOME" statistics.

Would you perhaps consider a change of substrate, based on the information offered?

BTW, sharp-looking gecko, and nice job on the new home!:D

[crankypunk]

i can assure you he aint impacted lol

he finaly came out about 1h00am and pooped i checked the poop this morning and NO SAND ON IT AT ALL i even craked it in half to check the middle ... i guess he is just stressed and i was concered that the new home was 2 big and scared him or that he had lost intrest in crix ...

about the sand ... yes i read a lot like everyone about it... i took a personal desision after i noticed him diging, playing, making traps around his hides for the crix to enter in and he would jump on them ... that showed me he enjoyed it ..
paper towel is a big no no for me because i find he would be so no comfy on that .. and repti carpet well i was about to get that at a point but i said no when i saw that he loves diging i doubt carpet would give him the satisfaction of diging lol ..

turst me if i ever see him literly eating the sand ill dump the sand but i have never seen him do it neither anyone home ever seen him do it ...

i got nuttin against the people that bitch about sand it all comes down to a personal choise but some of these people have a hard head and never shutup about even if we told them before that we WANT to use sand ... ( btw not pointing anyone on this forum lol that an experience i had on some other forum ) ..

[HeatherRose]

Did your leo TELL you he was having so much fun digging in the sand and 'playing' ? Did it TELL you it was definately not impacted?

The digestive systems of some geckos can be so small and fragile in places that its EASY for sand to get stuck and impacted. When your gecko goes to grab a cricket, there is a slight chance he could grab some sand too.

Why take the chance??? Please don't whine if your gecko gets impacted and dies.

The people offering you advice are obviously more experienced than you. Why not take it? You asked a question, and got an answer/suggestion.

If you're concerned enough to rummage through your geckos' crap, you'd think you'd be concerned enough to consider the advice that was given.

[python_diva_06]

guys, get off crankypunk's back if they want there lizard to die from impaction, so be it...there's nothin we can do, and getting mad will not make a diffrence...

[HeatherRose]

Tell you what...next time we hear about someone who's making a mistake in how they house their herp, we just won't say anything.

Some people are smart enough to accept advice from people who know what they're doing, do their research or correct their mistakes...other people are ignorant @$$es. I've never even owned a leopard gecko in my life and I still know that sand is generally a 'bad idea' and kind of frowned upon. I learned that within 5 minutes of signing up on ssnakess.com...

But you're right...unfortunatley for his gecko, its up to him.

[crankypunk]

you know what just forget it.

[ded dex]

If this is what he wants to do with his gecko let him. He obviously thinks it is a good choice for his particular gecko. If his leo becomes impacted it will be his responsibility to help the leo and keep it off of sand. If his leo never has problems it will be one of many who have successfully been kept on sand. SO LEAVE HIM BE!

[Tim and Julie B]

We could easily turn a blind eye to this, but we are mature enough not to. Just to throw in a little something so as to give an explanation to my previous concerns.

I had originally kept all my leos on sand, for over a year, and one day noticed one of my females walking around dazed. She wouldn't eat anything. I seperated her and placed her on paper towel and the next morning checked to see if she had pooped yet. Hmm...no sand in the poop. I gave her a week to see if she was getting better, but still she moped around and would not eat. I finally took her to the vet and it turned out that she was impacted. Not seriously, but enough to bring her down and change her behavior.

I researched impaction, which everyone should do, and learned that it is often un-noticable in many herps. Many vets even miss the symptoms and signs because they are often slight.

Now, I am not saying your gecko is impacted, but you need to be careful. Leos do not live in sandy deserts, but rather dry scrub lands and low laying rock structures. To give them the most natural set-up you should consider their true needs. I know sand looks nice, is cheap, and very easy to clean, but is it worth a potential hazard later on?

We are here to offer friendly advice, which is why most people come here in the first place, so please consider our advice for your leo. What do you have to lose?

[PDDM]

The fact is crankypunk that everyone one is just trying to tell you the very famous quote:
"Better Safe than Sorry."
But i do think some people crossed a line of some sort:(

[crankypunk]

i understand its advice... yes thank you i DO apreciate.
but when every post someone has to mention it its OK GOT THE FKN POINT ya know ...

If the post above you says try not to use sand its not realy good why will you post saying the same thing ?? i got the point after the 1st reply saying it i dont need 10 otehr replys saying the same thing again...

[Matt.B]

Try to drop the attitude. we are only pointing out that it is bad and if you think about it if ten people tell you something is bad the chance is atleast one of them is compatent (not insulting anyone just makin a point).
Matt

[crankypunk]

what attitude ? i never said you guys / girls are incompatent for god sakes where u get this from ?

can a mod close both threads this is turning into stupid stuff now ...

[sketchy4]

Originally posted by Matt.B
Try to drop the attitude. we are only pointing out that it is bad and if you think about it if ten people tell you something is bad the chance is atleast one of them is compatent (not insulting anyone just makin a point).
Matt
umm yeah i didnt notice an attitude either. all i noticed is that he was trying to make a point and i do understand where he's coming from. o>

[HeatherRose]

The repetitive nature of all the aforementioned posts just goes to show how they were trying to prove a point....you continued to REFUSE a suggestion that could possibly be quite valid...with a really lame, ignorant attitude I might add.

If you've got a question, and you don't like the answer, it doesn't mean its not worth a shot.

[daniela]

can a leo get impacted from t-rex forest bedding it says its safe, is this true?

[norcallizardman]

Everyone was agreeing so you would have hopefully of gotten the point. They might have thought that if there were more people agreeing on the decision, then maybe you would think it is a valid point. Did I get this right everyone?


-Weston-

[Tim and Julie B]

norcallizardman- I do believe that the majority of us did make the repetitive posts in affirmation of the ones previous, to of course prove the point. Sometimes it is regarded as slander, most often a person will see repetitiveness as "proof by volume" (ie. if everyone seems to agree, then perhaps it is safest)

daniela-any kind of loose substrate can cause impactions over time, though some are more likely than others. A lot depends on the geckos themselves. Many are poor at aiming for food and will ingest more loose substrate than others. When using any loose substrate it is a good idea not to feed free-roaming insects like crickets. In this case I would suggest using feeders that can be fed from a bowl like mealies and silkies. This prevents the loose substrate from being a hazard while feeding. Be sure to watch your animals closely as most often there are some warning signs to any illness or injury.

Hope this helps:D

Julie

[herpslave]

Hey everyone. He told me he's switching to some wood shaving crap on leo-land.net. Its posted somewhere on there. He said hes changing the sand to that. And not papertowels because they just dont look that good. This proves this is his show animal He only wants it to look good not feel good. I myself have nagged him to death about this and he still does not listen nor give a .... So best thing to do is let him make his mistake. And feel bad about it. All i know is I hope he listens next time he gets a new herp. Or he doesn't get one at all.

[crankypunk]

hi herpslave

Are you talking about me??
Because i never said anything about changing to wood shaving crap on leo-land.net ... all i said on that site was this thread that had same subject as here.. http://www.leo-land.net/PNphpBB2-viewtopic-t-840-sid-85927ee73964f746df6378d10a59fd02.html

If you were not talking about me sorry for thinking that.

[herpslave]

Point is. This person is not going to listen no matter what. Unless his herp dies, or he's threatened in real life to change it. That may not have been you. But nomatter what the point is your being too ignorant and nomatter what anyone sais this person is not going to do a thing we suggest. I believe you said something about papertowels not a good idea because it looks bad. But Sometime today or tonight I will check your messages, hopefully you won't edit them.

[crankypunk]

all i said about paper towel is that it dont look nice and confy at all. Thats my opinion.

[Matt.B]

Why there soft? They look pretty comfy to me. If I had the choice of being on sand that could kill me or prewarmed towels I would choose the towels.

Matt

[Tim and Julie B]

I have to agree that paper towels don't look nice. Most of those who use them are breeders who need a substrate that is fast and inexpensive to clean and replace. The best alternative is tiles, any kind you like:D

I think there's been more than enough berating on this thread, and anyone still wanting to be ill mannered or to post direct insults or threats should refrain from doing so before getting banned. I'm sure that the mod would love to give a few of you a warning. Enough with the childish behavior.

julie

[Matt.B]

What have I done? I was just expressing my opinion on the paper towels.
Matt

[PDDM]

Actually...Matts right,i wouldnt care at all for papertowels,the only thing i hate is when they move out of place and look funky,In my cresties tank the paper towel looks pretty nice actually,maybe thats because its all small space and i got lots of things in there.

[Tim and Julie B]

I never said that you (Matt) said anything, that is why there is a seperation in my post. The first being in reference to paper towels, the second in reference to peoples negative posts. I don't see how you saw it as personal. It was clearly addressed to anyone who read it, and hopefully some will go back to their threads and say "Hmm...I guess I could have worded that different or just not said it at all".

PDDM, if you re-read my post I said I didn't care for the look of paper towels either. It's not about who is right or who is wrong anyways.

This site is structured to give advice when it is asked for and most of us do our very best to keep it mature. Unfortunately there seems to be a thinning line between advice and finger-pointing.

Oh, and I forgot to post this earlier on, but think that many will find it very interesting. Check out www.drgecko.com (http://) (I think that's it) The links never work for me, but the site is worth checking out.

Julie

[PDDM]

Wow through out this whole thing of arguing we never heard how crankypunks gecko is doing...How is He/She doing?

[Charmed]

As far as wanting to use sand because it looks good, we use slate. We went out and found some slate rocks and filled in the gaps between them with non-toxic tile grout. Looks really natural, the rocks are different heights and shapes and the grout is a beige color so it actually looks kinda like sand between the rocks. Just another alternative. We also have friends who use sand and we mentioned the risk of impactation once but we're ceratinly not going to give them a hard time about it.

[crankypunk]

hey PDDM my gecko is doing fine finaly i see him walking around and stuff hes eating everyday but not as much as he use to and he is pooping every night :D so i guess it was all becasue of the changes plus hes about to shed anytime soon again...