# Calcium Sand



## wolves-stu (Dec 22, 2007)

Hiya all,

Just collected a large bag of calcium sand off freecycle is there any way to make sure it is clean and safe for use.


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## Juzza12 (Jun 12, 2008)

There's nothing you can do to make it safe. It has caused impaction that has killed reps. I wouldn't use it


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## Jen Jen (Feb 24, 2008)

I use sand:2thumb:​


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

wolves-stu said:


> Hiya all,
> 
> Just collected a large bag of calcium sand off freecycle is there any way to make sure it is clean and safe for use.


bake it then make some fake rocks, add PVA glue to the rocks, stick the sand to it and then another layer of PVA glue.

About all its good for really. It was probably put on Freecycle as they knew it wasn't safe.




Jen Jen said:


> I use sand:2thumb:​


congratulations although a complete waste of you replying. From what i remember you use play sand so why reply?


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## Jen Jen (Feb 24, 2008)

I dont use play sandi wouldnt want your advice about it anyway cos i get advice from Mark who has had 34years of experience with reptiles and he has been in filmBut thank you anyway:2thumb:


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

i wouldn't give it you anyway i'd just laugh at your 'my gecko is ill' thread.

i've been on TV as well but it has zip to do with anything but thanks for mentioning it.


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

Put it in the bin is the only way to make it safe. Though you may be able to use it with the spider but thats a huge maybe.


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## Moosmoo (Jul 21, 2008)

meko i think your thinking of me here... :lol2:


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

lol i thinks you're right.


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## POAGeckos (Jul 11, 2008)

Jen Jen: It really doesnt matter if he has 1 year experience or 34 years experience, from his advice, he doesnt seem to qualified if he tells you to put leos on sand, when he SHOULD know they naturally live on clay and rock, and that sand is a extreme health risk.


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

sounds like the bloke (shop owner) on this thread..

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/lizards/160347-so-confused.html


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## POAGeckos (Jul 11, 2008)

Meko said:


> sounds like the bloke (shop owner) on this thread..
> 
> http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/lizards/160347-so-confused.html


Wow, It sure sounds like him, if it is, he shouldnt be in the business anymore.
I am no expert on beardies, but I thought they werent supposed to be on bark?
And everything else he said? 
I wish some people would just listen to our advice, and not fight against it. I think if I saw 1 person tell me to do something, but then have a whole buntch of others say that it isnt right, I would listen to the buntch of people.
I have a vet, who also owns a rep rescue, and has had it going on for around 30 years, and I still have to sometimes give him advice on caring for the reps, because even being he has been doing it for about 30 years, it doesnt mean he knows everything, and is the reptile god like jenjen precieves "Mark" as being.


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## RasperAndy (Sep 21, 2007)

i think this bloke with 34 years experience needs to go for a swim with some stingwrays :whistling2:

calcium sand is great, get a big bag then throw it as far as you can, see what happens..boom on the wall, game over, good times


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

POAGeckos said:


> I have a vet, who also owns a rep rescue, and *has had it going on for around 30 years, and I still have to sometimes give him advice on caring for the reps, because even being he has been doing it for about 30 years, it doesnt mean he knows everything*, and is the reptile god like jenjen precieves "Mark" as being.


 
nope, quite often they don't realise that things change and changed for a reason. 
Its a bit like my mum with technology, she didn't have computers and DVD's and all that when she was young so when she got one she found it difficult to understand them because she'd gone x years not using one. Same with old school *anything*, you do it for so long and find that change is difficult and think its not needed because you've done pretty well so far.
My mum had a goldfish that died a few years ago, it was kept in a round plastic fish bowl, fed occasionally and cleaned completely every couple of weeks. No water cycling, no filter and as it was the standard bowl it was probably too small.. It was over 30 when it died so if you told my mum she was keeping it wrong she'd have pointed at it, told you how old it was and that would be it..

It might work for one person and be fine but not many people (percentage wise) get a 30 year old goldfish even with the right setup


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## POAGeckos (Jul 11, 2008)

Meko said:


> nope, quite often they don't realise that things change and changed for a reason.
> Its a bit like my mum with technology, she didn't have computers and DVD's and all that when she was young so when she got one she found it difficult to understand them because she'd gone x years not using one. Same with old school *anything*, you do it for so long and find that change is difficult and think its not needed because you've done pretty well so far.
> My mum had a goldfish that died a few years ago, it was kept in a round plastic fish bowl, fed occasionally and cleaned completely every couple of weeks. No water cycling, no filter and as it was the standard bowl it was probably too small.. It was over 30 when it died so if you told my mum she was keeping it wrong she'd have pointed at it, told you how old it was and that would be it..
> 
> It might work for one person and be fine but not many people (percentage wise) get a 30 year old goldfish even with the right setup


 Yeah, It is more of a luck type of thing, if your animal doesnt endup getting impacted for many years, its luck, but many times I have seen leos who have been on sand they're whole life, and die a 9y/o, and the owner says "oh they must be old" but I believe it is a slow impactation death. And along time ago, if someone had a rep, and it died, they would shrug their sholders and get a new one, never knowing what they had

And my rep vet told me about a 2 year old, healthy leo he had that died that day, and he said she wasnt eatting for a couple of weeks though, and after I examined it, I found it had bad impactation, and after that day he hasnt used sand again. Somepeople learn from word of experience, others learn from personal experience.


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## Jen Jen (Feb 24, 2008)

Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred :: View topic - amey zoo in bovingdon

How To Care For Leopard Geckos (Pets: Reptiles)

AmeyZoo Exotic Pets

AmeyZoo Exotic Pets

Mark is a zoologist, he has his own Leo which is 22years old and is still breeding!! Mark has worked with sir david attenborough in the programe on bbc1 life in cold blood. I trust what he says as he knows what he is going on about. If you have any problems feel free to contact him on 01442 834446.


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## Esfa (Apr 15, 2007)

is all i have to say on this subject.


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## cazzie (Jan 3, 2008)

Wow this thread is old  

But none the less one shall reply.

Darling he can be on the tv as many times as he wants, he can writes books about gecko care, he can do what ever, if he suggests calci-sand as substrate im going to ignore that part of his advice, because guess what love, its more prone to killing your pet, as to why? Because it gets tacky and sticks to the insides.

But seeing how were passing links around thought i'd share aswell, it shows why bark and calci-sand shouldn't be used for leos Calci Sand - Not Digestable, Can Be Fatal £0 - Pet Zoo Online Reptile Shop & Exotic Pet Store

Edit:: xD Damn you esfa posting the picture i was going to post but then thought not to so just put the link xD


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## Jen Jen (Feb 24, 2008)

Like i have said anyone got a problem with sand then feel free to call Mark yourself:2thumb:


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## HadesDragons (Jun 30, 2007)

Jen Jen said:


>


Wasn't Thalidomide "Doctor Approved" for morning sickness...? And I'm sure we all know how that turned out...

I personally wouldn't take the risk with Calci-Sand when there are cheaper options available that don't clump to the same extent when wet, don't neutralise stomach acid to produce vast amounts of gas which can cause bloating, and don't actively encourage some species to eat them...


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## skaface (Jun 8, 2008)

it boils down to calci-sand is crap... you only gotta see this by the pictures posted by esfa


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

Jen Jen said:


> Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred :: View topic - amey zoo in bovingdon


thread is a year old and only 1 reply. why did you bother posting the link? 



> How To Care For Leopard Geckos (Pets: Reptiles)


Laughable.. even common sense can tell you that.
use calcium sand or newspaper as any other loose substrate can cause problems... now think carefully and answer this after thinking and making your own mind up... 

edit.... i forgot to add.. He puts the heatmat on the side?? everybody knows that leos need belly heat and that heat mats don't give off ambient heat. you put the heatmat under the substrate so the substrate heats up and gives them the belly heat that replicates the sun heating up rocks. Heat mats on the side of a viv doesn't do that.

Out of all the loose substrates a leopard gecko can come across in the wild, whats the possibility of it coming across a man made substance?




> AmeyZoo Exotic Pets


great.. tells us nothing though.



> AmeyZoo Exotic Pets


see above.



> Mark is a zoologist, he has his own Leo which is 22years old and is still breeding!! Mark has worked with sir david attenborough in the programe on bbc1 life in cold blood. I trust what he says as he knows what he is going on about. If you have any problems feel free to contact him on 01442 834446.


 
thought he owned a petshop? doesn't make him a zoologist.


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

Jen Jen said:


>


 
back to common sense.. how many vets are reptile qualified or experienced? just because 'a' vet has said its ok it doesn't mean its safe. 
Now if it was BHS or ASIH approved it might hold some credibility.


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