sand impaction

[DirtyDuck]

How do you treat sand impaction and how long does it take to be cured, and what are the symptons?

[Alicewave]

If it's far gone enough sometimes it cannot be cured. You have to have a vet look at it to tell. Sometimes they prescribe laxatives. A big sympton is not pooping. If you see sand in the poop that is also cause for alarm. Just because a leo passes some of it doesn't mean they are passing all of it.

[Bartman]

but how can you tell if its in the poo if they let it go in sand...

[Alicewave]

break it apart, you can see if it's inside.

[drewlowe]

Take the leo off the sand and place paper towel or newspaper and monitor thier fecals.

[Bartman]

should you even take an adult off sand? i only feed my leopard worms..meal, silk, and occasianal wax and pinks. I put everything in a bowl anyways so do you think this would pose a threat to impaction?

[eyespy]

Reptiles build up a great deal of sand in their digestive tract merely from tongue-flicking. They don't have to eat off sand in order to become impacted, it just takes longer for it to happen.

Most of the sand-impacted animals I've seen having surgery had chronic impactions, which is a longterm buildup of sand that lines the intestines instead of a clump that forms a blockage. This happens when sand grains accumulate along the intestinal walls over time, as opposed to swallowing a big mouthful that forms a clump and causes an acute impaction, or intestinal blockage. On average it takes 3 years of sand exposure to cause a fatal chronic impaction.

I don't keep any reptiles on sand, ever.

[drewlowe]

I personally don't like sand for leos. The more natural substrate i prefer are slate, bed a beast , and the new one i'm doing is natural slate rocks combined with bed a beast. I just need to go out side and bust these huge rocks up. Hope i don't hit a toe lol. Leos don't really live in sandy areas they live in the more in the cliffs with rocks and such. If not paper towels or newspaper works great.

[Bartman]

do you have any pics of ur substrate drewlowe?

[drewlowe]

ya umm my slate is in my gallery and i will upload a pic of my main colony tank when it was just bed a beast. Right now they are on paper towel. but within the next month they will have an entirly new setup.

[DirtyDuck]

My leo hasn't pooped in a few days because she isn't eating so I cannot check her poop. may be it is somthing else?

[striko_69]

no matter what happens, take em off the sand, i have heard loads of peoples stories with sand impaction and eventually death..... i dont think any leos should be kept on sand, calci sand or anything, as lond as they have a properly supplemented diet, they dont need calci-sand, there are two reasons people use sand, 1- it looks natural, 2- it provides security, but in the end it is usualy because it looks nice, use astro turf, or newspaper, or bark chips.... i am against sand with leos.... as you have noticed, it only brings problems, use newspaper, it is THE BEST substrate, provide lots of hides, and its all good