Sani-Chips?

OK, so now i know that pretty much all sand and repti-carpet shouldnt be used for my leps, what about this stuff? http://www.petsmart.com/global/produ...2030043&Ne=2it doesnt look like it would cause impaction or anything like that.
what do u guys think?

I used sani-chips from Harlan for almost 5 years ... they were awesome ... never had a problem.

I use unprinted newspaper now ... I like it much better because it's cheap, easy to store in bulk, and when you clean the cage, you know it's clean.

-adam

alright. thanks. it will work for juvi leps too, right?

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Originally Posted by gmmuscle91

alright. thanks. it will work for juvi leps too, right?

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ohhh poop ... didn't see which forum this was posted in ... sorry about that ... I have no idea how lizards work. :confused:

-adam

thats ok. does anyone else think this would be ok?

What?! Repti-carpet shouldn't be used? Who told you that? IMO thats the BEST substrate to use for these guys. Leos do not do as well with a loose substrate as they could with something like carpet. The downside to newsprint is that it doesn't give them anything for them to get their claws into as they walk around. Repti-carpet is porous enough that it allows them to get their claws into it, but it doesn't use looped fibers that people talk about claws getting stuck into.

check out the thread called calci-sand and there is tons of debate on repticarpet because they can get their teeth caught on the fibers.

i used indoor/outdoor carpet in my crested cages for a while and i noticed that they did often get their teeth stuck in it when hunting crickets. they had to struggle pretty hard sometimes to get themselves free so i quit using it. i use papertowels and newspaper with all my geckos now.

yes. but i would really like to know if this is safe for the leps?

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Originally Posted by gmmuscle91

check out the thread called calci-sand and there is tons of debate on repticarpet because they can get their teeth caught on the fibers.

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I don't mean to offend, but that's a load of poo right there. Not once have I over observed any on my leos getting their teeth caught on the floor. I've even got a female that will take a dive-for-life to grab a cricket and never had a problem.

I'll tell you why loose substrates are bad. First, male hemipenes occasionally come out for breeding purposes or for no purpose at all. They are very proned to becoming prolapsed if sand or dirt or bark gets stuck to that tissue. It can result in sterilizing your male or death from a resulting infection. Second, when they defacate, tissue within their vent can come out as well, resulting in a prolapsed cloaca. Again, a very serious conditions that's not fun to deal with. Third, loose substates pull moisture out of anything that contacts it. This include a vital area on leos- their toes. Stuck shed on their toes never gets a chance to come off and they end up losing toes as the tissue dies. Not life-threatening, but your leo can lose a few toes.

I'm not basing this on my opinion just cause- this info comes from personal experience with these guys and the observations i've made. Hope that helps.

i did have repti-carpet in and i did observe them getting there teeth caught so i took the carpet out

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

I don't mean to offend, but that's a load of poo right there. Not once have I over observed any on my leos getting their teeth caught on the floor. I've even got a female that will take a dive-for-life to grab a cricket and never had a problem.

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I've never observed flamingos having sex, but each year there are more flamingos.....

While I agree with you on loose substrates, not necessarily for the same reasons as you, I have to totally disagree with the use of repti-carpet. Besides their teeth getting stuck, their claws will get stuck as well...

GM, use paper towels, they are the safest, if you don't want to use them, I have heard plenty of people rave about using slate or tile, I have never used either of the two, so I'm not sure how well the heat transfers.

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Originally Posted by Gecko Den

I've never observed flamingos having sex, but each year there are more flamingos.....

While I agree with you on loose substrates, not necessarily for the same reasons as you, I have to totally disagree with the use of repti-carpet. Besides their teeth getting stuck, their claws will get stuck as well...

GM, use paper towels, they are the safest, if you don't want to use them, I have heard plenty of people rave about using slate or tile, I have never used either of the two, so I'm not sure how well the heat transfers.

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thanks. im using paper towels now and probably will forever.

excellent choice. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Gecko Den

I've never observed flamingos having sex

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Sam, oh Sam, oh Sam ... I heard there's video out there that proves otherwise. :banana:

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Sam, oh Sam, oh Sam ... I heard there's video out there that proves otherwise. :banana:

-adam

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Observing and participating are two different things, plus I kept my eyes closed the whole time...

Don't make me post the video of you and the 2 sheep....:O

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Originally Posted by Gecko Den

Observing and participating are two different things, plus I kept my eyes closed the whole time...

Don't make me post the video of you and the 2 sheep....:O

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Oh boy...2 sheep? Stud! :partyon:

baaah! :sheepish: :sheepish:

I dont use or reccomend any loose substrates for leos. The best and safest things are slate rock,tiles,newspaper,or paper towels.