Does reptisand change your reptile's color?

Question

i have a leopard gecko that i got a few months ago from a local pet store that is said to be really good, and the guy there who help my mom and i get the gecko said to use real sand instead of repti-sand for it because repti-sand will make the egcko change colors. for example, if you use blue sand the gecko would turn blue. i wanna use repti-sand because its not real sand so its okay for them to eat and also has like, calcium in it and i dont want my gecko to become calcium deficiant.

so pretty much im wondering if anyone has had any experience with it and if it turned your animals any weird colors and/or if it made them turn white if you use the white kind.

Answer 1

There are a number of factors that can cause color variations in your reptile. Diet, exposure to UVB light, environmental changes..I would think that as long as you are providing your gecko with adequate UVB exposure and a proper diet, everything should be okay. If you have doubts and see that your gecko's behavior has changed take your gecko to the vet!

Answer 2

repti sand does not change the geckos colors!!!!!!!!!!!! he lies ive been using that stuff for almost 3 or 4 years for my leos

Answer 3

It doesn't *actually* change your lizard colors, they just get some of it rubbed off on them, a bath or 3 later and they're back to normal.  You can also get the non-coloured calci sand and use that.  Just try not to keep baby/juvenile lizards on the stuff, impaction risks are much higher in babies.

Answer 4

Oh dear.  Here I go, being 180 out from every one who has responded so far.

Loose substrate of ANY kind is a disaster waiting to happen.  Leopard geckos originate from hard pack earth and rocky regions of the world.  Nature did NOT equip them to ingest small particles of undigestable matter with their prey insects.  Impaction is the number one killer of geckos.

Even Bearded dragons should NOT be housed on sand.  I wouldn't use sand for ANY animal's substrate!  Not just for impactions reasons, but because it's a growing medium for bacteria, fungus and mold, and is excellent for harboring parasites.  But please don't take my word for it.  One simple call to your reptile vet will cure you of this misconception.

Typical cost for treatment of impaction for a Leo is $110-$125.  IF the animal can be saved after weeks of force feeding a liquid high protein food and antibiotics.  Often, impaction results in death, and that's AFTER the bill.

So, to answer your question - no, the reptisand will not change the color of your gecko.  But it will kill him, sooner or later.

I hope you have done some research on Leopard geckos and their needs.  I hope you are gut loading the insects prior to feeding them to the gecko.  I'll post a basic recipe, just in case.  Below, I'll provide a few links, but please note my disclaimer.  Also - when you check out these sites which say it's okay to use sand - please pay attention to the pics and note that NONE of THEIR animals are ON SAND!

GUT LOADING CRICKETS for REPTILES:

The number one problem:

Dried up and malnourished pet store crickets and mealworms. These food items are essentially useless. A dehydrated and unfed cricket contains almost no nutrients at all; refrigerated mealworms are even worse. A lot of the variety in nutrients found in wild insects is actually in the stomach content - usually plant material. We need to duplicate this to provide the best for our reptiles; without the risk of illness/disease/parasites which can result from feeding our pets wild insects.

Please note that wax worms, while fattening, are not nutritious.

Basic Dry/Staple Cricket Food:

Equal amounts of dry Iguana food, dry dog food, chick starter mash, oatmeal (you can add dry baby food wheat/rye/barley, etc. as well; even shredded wheat - no sugar).

Grind these items together.  Place in a small lid/bowl for the crickets to eat.  Store the unused portion in the refrigerator or freezer, until needed.

Supplement daily with one of the following: sweet potato, bananas, zucchini, oranges, carrots, strawberries, assorted squashes (acorn, yellow, etc.), grapefruit, green beans, apples, kale, spinach, cactus pads, and just about any other nutritious item you can think of (do not use white/yellow potatoes - these are starchy and only good if used as a moisture source during shipping, and NEVER use Avacado - it's poisonous to most animals).

Provide the dry food and kale at all times (kale is readily available during the winter months, too), rotating the other food items through in succession. The key is variety, and to provide an assortment of varying nutrients. What you are trying to do is offer your reptiles crickets with guts 'loaded' with fresh foodstuffs.

The crickets should be gut loaded for 2-3 days prior to offering them to your reptiles.

Also, provide fresh clean water in a lid/bowl, adding a sponge or folded paper towel to prevent drowning.

  

Don't offer more crickets than the reptile(s) will consume within: 1.) a few hours if it’s a lizard, salamander, frog/toad, or 2.) a few minutes, if it’s a water turtle, so you know the crickets will still be full of the good stuff when eaten.

Be sure to remove any uneaten crickets so that they do not soil your pet's environment/water or bother your pet, once it is full.  Crickets CAN turn the table - and feast upon your pet! Or aggravate them, causing stress and even cessation of eating.

Also be sure the crickets are the correct size for the reptile.  The cricket should be the same size long as the reptile’s head is wide.

I hope this has been of help, and please do not put that adorable reptile on sand.

Answer 5

I have not but my pet store guy told me the same thing, so I believe it. I think if you want to use repti-sand pick a color you like and watch your reptile turn that color, it might be fun :)