Poor little guy :( - Page 2

NennaMeerkat · 02-14-11, 08:38 PM

Aw Hills I am so sorry

At least you are putting him down instead of letting him suffer. And though you may feel like you let him down look at it as a learning experience for the future. And don't let it make you wary of owning another.

I hope the best for you and am sorry that you are going through this.

Hillsberry · 02-14-11, 08:56 PM

Thank you NennaMeerkat. I always do what's best for the animal even if it means losing one. I just hope he knows I tried my very best to make him as happy and healthy as possible. Thanks again

Sapphyr · 02-14-11, 10:17 PM

Sorry to hear that Hillary. :c He certainly was a cute little guy, and I'm sure he understood and is thankful he's no longer suffering.

On another note, I really hope this doesn't deter you from enjoying one of these little critters. They're really a joy to have.

marvelfreak · 02-15-11, 09:08 AM

I am so sorry Hillary my heart goes out to you.

Will0W783 · 02-15-11, 09:12 AM

Aw, Hillary, I'm so sorry to hear! I'm sure he had a good life with you and knows you did your best....sometimes these things happen. I keep my geckos on calcium sand, and dust the crickets when I feed, but sometimes my fiance feeds them and he never bothers to dust. They really are great lizards to have; don't let this deter you from trying again after you heal from this loss.

Sapphyr · 02-15-11, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Will0W783

I keep my geckos on calcium sand, and dust the crickets when I feed, but sometimes my fiance feeds them and he never bothers to dust.

Not to stray from the subject, but you do know calcium sand can become impacted in their gut, right?

NennaMeerkat · 02-15-11, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sapphyr

Not to stray from the subject, but you do know calcium sand can become impacted in their gut, right?

Coming from several breeders from a reptile expo I went to this past weekend I had asked them about bedding for various lizards, frogs, and snakes. This is what they told me...

Mostly for sand boas and various lizards the breeders had said that impaction is a secondary issue. Healthy animals that aren't compromised in some way (liver problems ect.) can ingest some of the sand and be just fine, passing it without problem. Lizards do ingest some sand while eating but they do not gulp down mouthfuls at a time. The only time impactions happen is when the animal is not healthy in other ways. If you do get an impaction then you have to look at other things as well because it is a symptom.

Leos in the wild do not have carpet, tile, or newspaper in the wild. They eat dirt and whatnot in their normal environment. If it were such a big problem how would the species survive?

Sapphyr · 02-15-11, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NennaMeerkat

Coming from several breeders from a reptile expo I went to this past weekend I had asked them about bedding for various lizards, frogs, and snakes. This is what they told me...

Mostly for sand boas and various lizards the breeders had said that impaction is a secondary issue. Healthy animals that aren't compromised in some way (liver problems ect.) can ingest some of the sand and be just fine, passing it without problem. Lizards do ingest some sand while eating but they do not gulp down mouthfuls at a time. The only time impactions happen is when the animal is not healthy in other ways. If you do get an impaction then you have to look at other things as well because it is a symptom.

Leos in the wild do not have carpet, tile, or newspaper in the wild. They eat dirt and whatnot in their normal environment. If it were such a big problem how would the species survive?

Eh well... I'd personally still not want to take the risk. I'm happy with my repticarpet and lid of calcium. I'd hate to think of losing my little leo.

**Aaron_S** · 02-16-11, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sapphyr

Eh well... I'd personally still not want to take the risk. I'm happy with my repticarpet and lid of calcium. I'd hate to think of losing my little leo.

You do understand that repti carpet harbours terrible amounts of bacteria so you're not doing your lizard any good with it. You should be replacing it with new repti carpet every week if you keep using it.

Hillberry, never listen to anyone who said to allow the crickets to just eat the calcium. I would not listen to their advice again.

totheend · 02-15-11, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NennaMeerkat

Coming from several breeders from a reptile expo I went to this past weekend I had asked them about bedding for various lizards, frogs, and snakes. This is what they told me...

Mostly for sand boas and various lizards the breeders had said that impaction is a secondary issue. Healthy animals that aren't compromised in some way (liver problems ect.) can ingest some of the sand and be just fine, passing it without problem. Lizards do ingest some sand while eating but they do not gulp down mouthfuls at a time. The only time impactions happen is when the animal is not healthy in other ways. If you do get an impaction then you have to look at other things as well because it is a symptom.

Leos in the wild do not have carpet, tile, or newspaper in the wild. They eat dirt and whatnot in their normal environment. If it were such a big problem how would the species survive?

Absolutely, reptiles will eat some dirt. But the problem with calcium sand....is that is has calcium in it! So animals like leos love to eat calcium so therefore they eat the sand. Not just eat a little while hunting, but set out to eat the sand because of the calcium. Regular sand is safer.

Maybe we should stop derailing this thread and start a new one if the discussion is going to continue....

Will0W783 · 02-15-11, 11:40 AM

Really? I was told it was good for them, because they can eat it when they need more calcium. What substrate would you recommend? I am admittedly more of a snake person than a lizard person...my fiance bought the geckos.

totheend · 02-15-11, 12:12 PM

Agreed Calcium sand can cause impaction. I think it is one of the worst products out there. Leos love to eat calcium and having it right in the sand just encourages them to eat the sand.

I use ceramic tiles...they work great. Easy to clean, leos can't get impacted from them, cheap and looks good too.

mld · 02-15-11, 12:34 PM

So sorry that you have to go through this! Poor little guy, at least he will go comfortably and not suffer. Stay strong in knowing that you did the best thing for him.
Will you be having a Necropsy done to find out what the exact cause of this?

On the Calcium Sand thing, it is worse than play sand for impactions because it contains calcium which they will want to eat. Best bet is to just keep a little bottle cap with pure calcium in it.

Lankyrob · 02-15-11, 01:17 PM

Not sure with geckos but i use calcium sand in my lizards vivs, not just sand but as part of the flooring, as if they should ingest some it is meant to be harmless to them. Maybe its because they are bigger lizards than geckos?

Sapphyr · 02-15-11, 01:35 PM

Well I really wanted to use Calcium sand for my leo when I first got him, 'cause calcium is good for them, but many people I talked to, and even reading things, it said that it -can- be ingested and become impacted by your leo, which can be fatal if not treated. I didn't want to take any chances, so I went with repticarpet. Don't know if it's specific to leos, but that's what I know about leos and calcium sand, or sand of any kind for that matter.