Why Sand is the Worst Pet Reptile Substrate (with 10 Common Arguments)
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- When selecting a bedding, substrate or base layer for your snake, lizard, turtle, or other exotic animal, sand and calcium sand or (calci-sand) is often advertised as perfect for just about any animal. But, there are many issues that may result in "impaction" which I cover in this video. I also respond to the 10 most popular arguments I hear from people who recommend sand or don't see any reason to switch to something else.
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TIMESTAMPS
0:47 What's impaction?
3:30 Sand is only bad if your husbandry is wrong
7:20 Many animals naturally live on sand
9:10 Many animals have done well on sand
10:15 My animal's on sand with no signs of impaction, but I'll change it if symptoms begin to show
11:25 Only calcium sand is bad
12:20 Reptiles won't get impacted if you tong or bowl feed, or have a non-sand area
14:00 It's fine if you take your snake out of the enclosure to feed
15:45 Fine sand is okay, coarse sand is not
16:33 Sand mixes are fine (and) you need sand for bioactivity
The 10 arguments with timestamps
0:47 What's impaction?
3:30 Sand is only bad if your husbandry is wrong
7:20 Many animals naturally live on sand
9:10 Many animals have done well on sand
10:15 My animal's on sand with no signs of impaction, but I'll change it if symptoms begin to show
11:25 Only calcium sand is bad
12:20 Reptiles won't get impacted if you tong or bowl feed, or have a non-sand area
14:00 It's fine if you take your snake out of the enclosure to feed
15:45 Fine sand is okay, coarse sand is not
16:33 Sand mixes are fine (and) you need sand for bioactivity
Thanks for the timestamps!
Can you review Excavator clay?
Have you heared of the world animal protection USA they make some pretty awesome videos.(sarcasm). You shpuld check out there ball python vodeo. You should check it out.
Well. Your stupid
@@jackharvey6514 i was thinking of using it too but i think it would be hard to clean
"I dont like sand, its coarse, rough, and irritating and it gets everywhere"
-Anakin Skywalker
Yup there it is
And also kills reptiles
You beat me to it
@@dizzy.melodies XD
"Hello there"
On a zoom call recently a kid was talking about how glad he was that he finally got sand for his leopard gecko because he was “glad he was mimicking his natural environment” and I was like *B O I*
BOI leopard geckos live on ROCKS you stupid CHILD ON A ZOOM CALL
Tell him about impaction please
The actual...............I WILL HUNT THIS KID DOWN NOW
I tried fighting back but he retaliated with “tHeY LiVe oN sAnD NATurALLyy”
@@TobyCreates The kid is blatantly wrong. If you look up wildlife photography of leopard geckos in the wild, most of them are on rock, dirt or grass. The arid climates they come from have large swaths of rock and brush grass with very little sand.
I saw the title in a notification as "why sand is the worst pet" and I was just like " this is totally normal"
No one will _ever_ convince me that it’s not normal
@GerManticore Lol
It is normal, what are you talking about? Sand can be a very affectionate and cuddly pet.
well you got the whole family! i mean, your pet rock dies in the process even if you never knew it, but that's why they have it in quantity!
“I don’t know much about keeping plants alive” *cactus flashbacks*
:( don’t mention him
shhhh
R I P
Ok but like...same
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 stoppppppp people have feelings you know! How dare you mention the cactus 😡
Another title: 20 mins of leopard gecko pics
or: look at these cute lizards, please stop killing them
And Fat Tails
Tbh if the video was called that I'd still watch it.
I love those smug little bastards.
to make you feel guilty about even *considering* harming something that adorable
Wildfires occur naturally. Does that mean I should occasionally light my terrarium on fire?
Yep! So do reptiles being carried away by birds. Sometimes throw one in there and just let it vibe.
yeah bro it's 🐾🐊✨ n a t u r a l ™ ✨🐾🐛
Yes. I also recommend letting your animals out around predator animals unsupervised.
uhh is your terrarium acres of natural land created by nature over hundreds of years? is sand burning your animal alive?
@@remexotics1613 yes
BuT i H aD mY leOparD gecko on CalcIUm sanD for aLl hiS lifE and he lIveD HiS fuLl 3 YeaR lifE spAn
@@Eva-sb4lr that's the joke lol
@@Eva-sb4lr bruh
@@Eva-sb4lr Its meant to mock people who say that. those types of people do not know the life span of a gecko and will claim its okay simply because theirs did "okay" when it actually lived under half the normal life span. its not necessarily a joke but to mock people who say that.
@@Eva-sb4lr r/woosh
Loepard geckos should live 15 to 20 years
The two dislikes are from Calcisand and femoral pore clogs
all others are from their combined evil powers
And Anakin Skywalker
@Daniel except sand is still a terrible substrate,
or from people who realise he is a terrible person that often keeps his pets in unsuitable enclosures and just go look at the stuff he has said recently.
@@FilmDragons He's actually very capable and cares a lot about his pets...
I've had a corn snake for around about eight years now, I'm his third owner, and he was adult size when I received him. I kid you not, the people before me had a corn snake on sand with no hide, this is real life. It took so long for all of the sand to get out of his belly scales, I'm so glad and honestly amazed that he somehow managed to turn out fine after all that.
I'm so worried about one day getting a snake for fear I would do something wrong and then you read stuff like this and it's just... how??? How did that poor animal live this long??
Do ppl not know that corn snakes live in like the forest and stuff poor buddy he must be better now
Anna L Get a snake! All you have to do is put a little bit of research in. Try to find sources that are logical and agree with each other. For instance, Alex is a pretty good resource and not using sand is pretty widely agreed upon. So long as you actually care, you should be fine.
The chance have having a bird of prey in your enclosure is low but never zero
"you likely don't have any birds of prey in your enclosure" don't presume you know my life
BiRds Of PeEy ArE nAturAl, My SnAke wILl bE fiNe
No birds of prey
YOu dONt knOw Me
Not to mention naturally-occuring sand is round and weathered for millions of years, while manufactured sand is ground down gravel or quartz that has sharp edges and packs much easier. Sand in the environment is also packed down super well, making it much less likely to be ingested in large enough quantities to cause impaction.
Basically fuck sand its an awful substrate for captive reptiles.
To be fair. Who buys sand? Pretty sure most people would just get it themselves.
@@JelllieWitch well sand from outside can be dirty. I used to live in a desert and all the nearby sand was either a litter box for stray cats or full of snake holes. You could bake the sand but it's so much easier just to buy it.
This is actually a very valid point. Sand is not generic 'tiny pieces of rock'. Still, it's not as simple as 'sand in nature has rounder grains than manufactured' as the texture of 'natural sand' varies from very round and difficult to get clumped with water to more edged and easier to get clumped depending on what rock type it's broken down from, if it's been ground by water, wind or glacier, if the climate is dry or humid etc.
@@Rainxiety Yeah but if, they're using sand I dont think they would care enough to put in all the extra effort.
I hate the beach and sand anyways. My Leo gets eco earth and he spits it out if it gets in his mouth sometimes. And reptile carpet it’s fibers kept getting caught on his mouth there is many other options other then sand that are just as good sand is nasty to me
Goherping: sand is the worst substrate
*petco has left the chat*
Many stores don’t use sand at all! There are limits to what any chain pet store is allowed to use for their animals, so carpet is usually the only other option, but it depends on how knowledgeable the staff are and which substrate they’ve had more issues with.
Finally the petsmart that is close to me has changed its care they are on reptile carpet and the guy who was there actually had leopard geckos and we really helpfull he even reminded ppl about the calcium and said sand was not good I don’t know who else who works on the shifts but I do know that the staff is a little better the only think is that their crickets die to quick so I order them now
Iron spikes are the worst substrate
Petsmart has entered the chat havahahahagagagagagaga
@Modustollens1 Yep. Their care for birds, fish, and reptiles is terrible. And I have done research and kept all three of these at some point.
i will never eat sand again i’m sorry
Don’t stop! It great! Very tasty
@Crafty Kids Somebody doesnt get the joke
Crafty Kids r/woooosh
@Crafty Kids man have you ever tried it??? Calcisand is good for my teeth, and i sometimes eat sand from Sahara. Sahara sand is a bit expencive tho...
Crafty Kids oh boy, you’re missing out! definitely give it a try next beach venture.
In summary: why risk it? If there's a chance better be safe than sorry.
My lizard is 10 years old and has been on sand the whole time with no problems I don't see the problem
@@sully3581 did you not watch the video ??????/
Sully Well watch the video
Sully Just curious, why did you choose sand, and not another substrate?
@@sully3581 I'm pretty sure you didn't read the comment or watch the video.why risk the death of a animal?
Just buy tiles or rocks or something.
They heat up better.
They can be cleaned easier.
They don't have to be replaced.
Well Alex, that’s where you’re wrong. I do have birds of prey in my enclosure. It’s more natural that way. Sand and bird of prey G🅰️🆖
Oh me too I’m soon gonna be adding parasites to recreate the n a t u r a l environment of my corn snake( who ofc lives on sand)
me to I'm adding a jaguar to my ball pythons' enclosure witch is also on sand. Sand and bird of prey gang for life.
I'm adding poisonous native plants, birds of prey, other predators, parasites, sand, untreated water, and rocks+sticks straight from the wild with no cleaning, I pride myself on my natural enclosure
Yes I’m adding herons and a bunch of fish to my axolotls enclosure, to mimic the natural environment of course
@@thecouncilwilldecideyourfate ooh make sure it's kept on sand
Sand is made out of broken down quartz crystals. On the moh’s hardness, it has a rating of about 7 and it does not react with acid. The highest is 10 which is a diamond. Even a steel nail has a moh’s hardness scale of 6.5. So what your reptile is ingesting is even harder than a steel nail. Therefore, reconsidering the substrate would be a wise choice.
I took out the sand in my leopard gecko enclosure and put in steel nails instead
Thanks for the tip!
no, sand can indeed be made of different minerals
Yes, I was trying to buy sand for concrete, I needed a larger grain and learned sand is just a generic way of indicating a grain size of a material. 3mm and under is considered sand, above is pea gravel. above 5-6mm is gravel and so on.
@@tigerosu2070 im pretty sure it is mostly just cocunut husk, but don't quote me on that, I am probably wrong
Fun fact: sand can also become impacted in larger animals.
I don't have a reptile, but my parents really dumb golden retriever ate the sand out of our sandbox and had to have surgery. We took her to the vet because she stopped eating really suddenly and would throw up everything we tried to feed her. We thought she had eaten a sock or something (apparently Goldens do that a lot). But the vet just kept pulling out globs of sand.... we don't have a sandbox anymore...
Pulling out globs of sand?! That is... A horrifying visual.... thanks for that
this just shows why you shouldnt put reptiles on sand
Wait till Daniel the jackass comments, he’s been around lately.
Our cocker spaniel ate a rusty grill ... like pieces were falling off and we hadn’t noticed because of the way the patio is set up, and yeah we had to reevaluate our entire yard after we learned our dog was part goat
There are swimming pigs in Exuma that die from eating too much of the sand on the beach too. Tourists throw them food and it gets covered in sand.
At least goherping didnt eat the sand this time.
;-;
but that's the best part
Wait this time?!?!
He still needs to get the sand out of his system
@@laurenandrews4660 as I said it's still in his system
One of my friends didn’t have great husbandry and kept his leopard gecko on sand so I gave him some tips and showed him some of your videos and now he’s doing great
Stan - egh, dads talking again, just bla bla bla wiggle wiggle wiggle.
Why dont you pay attention to me (BOB BOB BOB)
Every time Stan is like dis, hes so adorable.
5% of comments - Normal comments 95% of comments - I EAT SAND
So true tho
what else is the herp community going to do, either there's people that have no idea what they're talking about or people making fun of the first category with no in between, and I love that for us
@@casper7481 hell yeah, fr.
I have wanted to tell someone about this for a while, I want to come clean. I eat glass shards instead of sand.
@@possessedaerosol8343 Can you tell me some good seasonings? I'd rather my glass stop tasting like blood. Its getting old ya know?
People hear "desert animal" and immediately assume that it means they roll around in sand dunes 24/7, when I could call a penguin a "desert animal" and be about as scientifically accurate as when classing a leopard gecko as such.
Raptormann0205 shit that’s true tho and I never made that connection before you sir are smart
Well, not only that, but people forget about rocky desert terrain. The ground is HARD. Not every desert is an entire sea of sand, and I think that people often forget that.
Ya I live in arizona. That's the desert but it's very green here
*I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.*
Anakin Skywalker liked that
*stop talking like this*
@@kanyenorth5711 *like what? Like this?*
What is this joke from? I get the feeling it’s a reference.
*Not like here... everything’s soft, and smooth.*
It’s funny when Alex, someone who is very experienced, says tummy like a 5 year old
He is not experienced, he knows nothing about reptiles, he is just a kid who just had a lot of animals in front of him. Just like me, always had food in front of me all my life, but im not a nutritionist expert
MrJkfixe, think that is just your opinion
MrJkfixe yes but do you sell food, educate other people on how to cook, and run a restaurant?
MrJkfixe experience /= age
Someone who is younger can have more experience than someone who is older. You become more aware by the number of hours dedicated to any subject matter.
For being "experienced" there sure is a lot he doesn't know.
Reptiles: Will get impacted if they ingest sand
Me as a five year old: *OM NOM NOM*
listen buddy i've been eating sand my whole life and i'm not dead >:(
*yet
Don’t let other people get in the way of your dreams!
Lol
Me too this guy making me mad! D:
u sure about that
chances of birds of prey eating it in captivity are very low. . . . HOW LOW ALEX???? are there sneaky thumb birds sneaking into reptile enclosures now??? these are details we need to know.
Yeah pretty rare but it happens. Like a 1 percent chance of an eagle flying in and eating your reptile.
BloodRedBeast shit dude...... times are scary
They Are Coming
why is the ellipse so far apart oh my god am I living in the matrix
He is referring to the event that the world simulates the hit movie Birdemic. Because who knows what could happen.
I definitely agree with the concept that if other substrates are proven to be better alternatives for certain species, then you should use them. If there is a risk, why take it? However, the mentality that sand is blatantly a bad idea for any reptile can be harmful considering that there are species that actually REQUIRE sand that aren’t as commonly kept but are becoming more popular in the hobby, such as Nephrurus (knob tail geckos). Their preferred substrate is a fine sand in which they create burrows with, and they utilize the heat-absorbing nature of the sand in order to maintain an adequate body temperature. I just think it is important to note that there are actually some species that need sand. Another species are frog-eye geckos, although their need for sand isn’t as vital as the knobtail geckos, it’s one of the most commonly used and recommended options for substrate because of its burrowing qualities. Banded geckos also prefer sand. The knobtails however can become extremely stressed and fail to follow their natural tendencies if they are lacking fine sand in their enclosures. Just a different perspective on something that might not be as commonly mentioned. For our most common pets though, I agree that sand is not the best idea! 👍
these are very small, uncommon and minority animals. exceptions, if you will. meaning, it literally doesn't matter, because the vast majority of animals will become extremely ill on sand.
thats not very fresh Not true. It just isn’t. Leopard geckos and beardies do great on sand *mixes* which they can dig and burrow in. Beardies are straight up a burrowing species! Look up videos of them being *dug out of their burrows.*
Sand: *exists*
GoHerpes/Alex: I'm about to end dis mans whole career
Sand: *murders reptiles*
Alex: *last ditch attempt to save them*
You mean Goherps. I'm not sure what Goherpes is, but I doubt it's legal.
Except most people already know that it is a pretty bad subject.
give me that delicious r/woosh
go on I am waiting
G O H E R P E S
RRW no, GoHerpes 😎
Are the souls of the damned a suitable substrate?
always, especially of course for iguanas, savs, and Stan
Yes unless it’s soulsand from Minecraft because no sand
Yes just be sure to perform any necessary rituals to stave off hauntings. (alex needs to read this bc with all stan's head bobbing i know he hasn't taken proper ghost precautions)
Alex, please cleanse your home of the ghosts in the souls of the damned you use as substrate, Stan knows
Yes, it's great enrichment. My bearded dragon even learned to scream from them
Drinking game:
Take a shot everytime he says either sand, impaction, and calcium
Finally, alcohol poisoning
or, if you don’t drink, eat a shot of sand :) the less sand in the world, the better
How many times do people need to be told not to use damn sand.
I was on TIKTOK and this like 10 -11 year old girl had her poor gecko on gravel and all the pet ppl attacked her I cliched my teeth
three million. in the end, confiscate their pet.
Funny story. Sand is a million times better then freaking tiles or other not natural bullshit.
@@Fairytale30299 what common pet trade animals live naturally on pure dune sand? is tile much different from the hard surfaces many reptiles already live in the wild on, and what negative effects does tile have you think? is the risk of reptiles swallowing tiny pieces of glass and gem that accumulate in their organs worth it? is "natural" always better when you're keeping a live animal in a glass tank or plastic tub in a bedroom and feeding it thawed out rats from your freezer? perhaps you should release your animals outside then. much to think about
Shannon's Exotics so what you’re saying is that I SHOULD put birds of prey into my gecko enclosure cause it’s more natural
i eat sand because it fills the emptiness of my soul
Lol s a m e
I once had someone tell me their sand was fine because it was rounded
I'm rounded too and I'm not fine
a h yes, you see, the round sand simply _rolls_ out of their digestive system instead of getting impacted.
As opposed to the dreaded cubed sand
Lol cubed sand hahah they be building legos inside of them self
They were probably going by basic concrete mixing logic. See to make concrete, you need sand but it has to be the right sand. The purpose of concrete is literally to be a solid rock, and if you use something like desert sand it’s been blown about for hundreds of years, and each particle is rounded. They don’t stick together at all when wet, thus making horrid concrete. Most of the sand you see in pet stores is the sand you see for literally any other purpose, including concrete. It’s usually dredged from the bottom of the ocean, it’s got sharp edges that make it perfect for sticking together when wet, which is what impacts your pet. Honestly I don’t know, they could be right. I wouldn’t risk it personally but those cards are stacked in their favor, round sand doesn’t clump. You wouldn’t know until you did a study of feeding different sands to geckos.
"Sand is bad for reptile's substrate!"
Sandfish skink: Hold my crickets...
I don’t even have a leopard gecko i just came to see cute leopard geckos videos/ pictures
My dude you seem so tired. Hope you’re taking care of yourself when you have time ❤️
bUT calci sand has minerals
and ✨ n u t r i t i o n™ ✨
Ah yes
N U T R I E N T S
☆~totally better than dusting with calcium powder~☆ cause they eat more sand than food
@@casper7481 it's a two in one my guy! substrate and _quality_ minerals
@@kayleighs8427 precisely! I absolutely never use the helpful and reliable paper towels that are cheap and clean, I use the expensive stuff that has *•~¤no benefits¤~•* for nutrition and quality!
And delicious
Bioactive enclosures for desert animals typically need sand in order to maintain humidity levels, consistency, and to hold shape when burrowing (sand, top soil, and clay in a specific ratio is what I use). Sand shouldn't be used for the vast majority of reptiles.
Ryan Gynan Sand is in many bioactive mixes.
Anakin was right about a few things i'll give him that
Just look where growing up in sand got him.
This is Bob AFTER he bought a snake and decided to buy a gecko.. he bought sand for his leopard gecko..
His gecko started moving slow and Bob was concerned
Bob went insane.
Bob had a mental breakdown.
“Sand is a GrEaT substrate”
Alex: Leopard geckos dont just think "oh I wish I was 5 degrees warmer"
Stan: *bobs at Alex*
"Good point, Alex." -Stan
Leopard geckos *do* self regulate extremely effectively is the thing. Christ, this kid...
@@arnicamoana7861 READ THE COMMENT
@@arnicamoana7861 lol
I kept having flashbacks to the time he ate all that sand
Mario doesn’t like sand. Sand is only good for Squizzard
😋
You are on every GoHerping video
Does this mean I can’t eat sand
Darn it
Well, there go my plans for the day...
Well then what the hell am I supposed to do this weekend!?
The striped leo that kept coming up (1:06, 13:27, etc.) warmed my heart. What a gorgeous gecc.
So in Australia most of our reptiles are found in sandy, rocky desert areas - there are some species, like knob tail geckos that love to burrow - it's how they hide and gives them enrichment - how would you suggest swapping red Australian sand (usually what's used) for something less impactful for a species that borrows? What would be the best substrate to swap out the sand specifically for a burrowing species? Thank you!!!
I have my burrow-loving corn snake on shredded paper substrate similar to care fresh (rodent substrate) and her tunnels usually hold their shape. Not as pretty as a good sand setup but might be worth a look.
As someone who keeps knobtails they really need warm red Australian sand and get extremely stressed on any other substrate. Shredded paper doesn’t work because they can’t dig through it properly and it also doesn’t hold the heat they need. I’ve also never had an issue with impaction. I think this video is general good advice for common captive geckos like leopards but it isn’t good advice for knobtails. Alex likely doesn’t have any experience with knobtail geckos because they’re pretty rarely kept in the US.
I also keep knobtails. Sand is not an issue for species that actually live on it, and taking sand away from a knobtail is extremely cruel. Please don't listen to this video, it doesn't list a single source and is not something that should be treated as fact. Your knobtail needs sand, just like so many other reptiles that live in the arid centre.
@@australianreptiles4356 He already said facts are limited due to lack of study, and only mentioned snakes and leopard geckos. Saying to disregard the video is an overreaction. Also source for what? Where's your sources, then?
The video seems to be targeted at the more domestically bred reptiles, not the less commonly kept species. In this instance, I would recommend getting actual red sand from Australia if you can, and disinfecting it for safety.
It’s similar with fish - most fish you’ll find in chain stores you want pH around 7 or so, so that’s what most places will recommend, but if you want specific fish that aren’t as adapted to life in captivity, you have to mimic their specific environment if you want them to do well, and sometimes that means a pH of 6 or 8, depending on the fish.
Certain geckos like dune geckos, frog eyed geckos, tropiocolotes species, and knob tails are commonly kept on sand and are healthy. He acts like KSBs, leopard geckos, and bearded dragons are the only things that people keep on sand; these animals should not be kept on pure sand but keeping them on solid substrate doesn’t allow these animals to burrow or have more enrichment. Calcium sand is bad but many species thrive on other sand aka non dyed play sand in captivity. Also bioactive substrate doesnt need coco fiber, coco fiber breaks down quicker so a good alternative is a plain topsoil with no additives. Also leopard geckos come from a rocky, steppe (not desert) environment therefore they wouldn’t just be living on rocks the whole time, they would be living on a rocky soil which would have a similar consistency to sandy soil.
Leos live anywhere from rocky steppe to grassland to temperate forests in India. They can withstand a whole lot more than goherping fans think they can.
ive actually been researching the soil types of areas where leopard geckos are native for a while now, seems there is indeed sand involved (loamy clay soil usually) but its generally hard packed and rocky. so i think its more of a discussion of loose substrate than sand specifically
My bearded dragon is still combatting impaction GET RID OF IT! IF YOU SEE SIGNS ITS TOO LATE!
I had to bring my bearded dragon in to the vet today because she was doing really bad and I am scared it might have been impaction aswel... I hope she'll be fine
I really hope your animals with impaction do better soon, good on you for learning and changing
Lee Elliot I just wish I’d done it sooner
good luck with your beardie
So small update, my beardie died. :( She didn't have any impaction but she died because she couldn't pass her eggs... They ruptured inside her and eventually killed her. She wasn't digging in her enclosure, just sitting beneath her heat lamp pretty much all day so I had no idea
Great work Alex! Fantastic topic and well presented!
I use sand in my bioactives but that's because I was trying to mimic the exact substrate that the snakes are on in the wild (I collected soil samples and measured the clay/loam/sand % and the pH and mineral content and tried to mimic it as closely as possible with stuff from the hardware store). It doesn't do much for the snakes but if you want to grow native plants you may have a difficult time growing certain plants without sand due to the way the substrate holds on to water.
What snake is it?
This - all of this. It’s important from a plant/drainage perspective. If you’re concerned about the reptiles being in contact with any sand, you can mix in he sand to the lower layers only, and leave the top 0.5” or so without sand and then top with moss if appropriate.
Yeah, I keep all my herps on some kind of bioactive substrate. My leopard geckos are all on top soil/sand mixes along with my savannah monitor. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with sand as a substrate especially when it’s mixed with other things. It holds humidity great and provides that drainage needed for live plants in addition to holding burrows very well. Regardless of what Alex is saying here your animal will not get impacted if your husbandry is correct.
@@skylarbrenner1149 Your animal will not get impacted with correct husbandry. *Sand* is incorrect husbandry.
Next video: the ASMR audio of the leo claws on the microphone
*3 year olds at the beach have left the chat*
If you guys are curious about Alex’s other opinions you should go check out his Twitter! 👀
i had a lady scream at me bc i said sand causes impaction to which she said i shouldn’t own pets, and that i needed to join her facebook group to be enlightened she said that it’s bc of the humidity and nothing else
join the facebook group and *end them*
join the facebook group, and end them.
Karen needs the kNOwlEdGE
Next on go herping: saying arugula 5x fast and making bad reptile parents wanna fight Alex.
I use organic topsoil which usually comes with very small amounts of sand. Then I sift it to remove any sticks or rocks. And personally I think it’s a better alternative compared to sand. I use it for my bearded dragons enclosure.
I’ve been shopping around different brands of topsoil but I haven’t discovered any that don’t have 4-5% sand. However I really like using the dirt substrate because it offers natural burrowing behaviors and I consider it to be a little if any risk of impaction.
Me to
I add sand to mine for consistency purposes. It’s great. I use timberline brand.
Alex this was so interesting! I dont have a reptile I would ever want on sand or needs sand or cares about sand. You are amazing because just tell it like it is! Happy to support you!
I have a red foot tortoise no sand guys. Two chinese water Dragons seriously NoNo No sand. Two red eared sliders bro no sand and a three huge Goldfish no sand guys! I hate sand I live in North Carolina for a reason. No sand!
That’s really awesome! I love seeing comments like this, reminds me the world can be a good place :) stay safe, love!
A lot of ppl who do bioactive set ups mix sand with organic top soil, i've been thinking about doing bioactive enclosure for my leo. Still doing my research
Web footed geckos: “hold my sand substrate”
Alex: makes a serious video about impaction
Me: watches Stan bopping in the background
💜💕💝”For Their Tummy”💘❤️🧡 🥺👉👈
I am a zookeeper, and part time I work for a pet store to help educate help public keep reptiles and fish and birds... this account is one I recommend watching before coming getting a reptiles and to continue watching. Thank you for your educational videos. They really do make my life so much easier
Kayla Garcia This video is full of misinformation. As a zookeeper, I would think you’d encourage naturalistic husbandry and conforming to the millions of years of evolution that these animals have gone through to survive in a specific environment.
I pretty much agree, but I do wanna bring up the sandfish skink, which has a body built to literally swim through fine sand
I have been _WAITING_ ever since you announced you'd be making a video on this! thank you!
By the end of this video sand stopped sounding like a real word
I’ll admit I used to use calcium sand, specifically VitaSand for my bearded dragon because I didn’t know how to properly take care of my beardie and I was clearly a victim of marketing lol. I finally switched it out a year ago for a sand mat and a small amount of coconut fiber on one side of her tank to act as her “bed”. DO NOT use calcium sand. It stained my beardie bright orange and she still has patches of it on her. I’m glad that I never bought blue or some other color.
That sand boa was so pretty.
The African Fat-tailed gecko was even prettier
The thumbnail is awesome, it prepared me to listen to this gecko complain about how annoying sand is.
"once it sticks, its pretty stuck"
2:57 this gecko has better eyeliner than me lol
For me it depends on what we’re talking about here. If it’s sand all by itself then yeah bad idea but if we’re talking about a compact play sand and top soil mix then I don’t see it as a problem. I have experimented with a mixture of play sand and organic top soil drenched in water, baked for a couple hours and left to dry over night. The result was a soil that could rival excavator clay and requires a good shovel to create tunnels.
Did you even watch to the end of the video?
Rebster ! Nope 😀
@@gryllidaeperkcal1369 that's clear because he addresses that point in the end
Rebster ! No need to watch to the end. I did, and nearly every point was chock full of shitty care attitudes and bad advice.
The title of this looks like an essay I’d write
I love getting notifications because I get so excited to watch your sarcasm and chaos
Just taken my boy (Bearded Dragon of 7 months old) off sand. He is on reptile carpet now.
@@ducklingwarrior So? please stop with this nonsense. The guy already remove the sand. ffs.
@@nwyk153 how are you literally going to tell someone to stop giving them actual good advice? just because sand is the worst doesnt mean there arent other bad substrates
That’s awesome that you switched! I would change that out though, carpet isn’t much better
@@heysaucemikehere1804 He is going onto Habistat bearded dragin substrate with the rocks, sort of a soil/sand base but more so he can finally dig as he loves that. And I've had no issues with him on carpet, as I cleaned it everything he pooped, thr area was scrubbed with disinfectant friendly to beardies, and his home never smells. And i have no mould. He is kept extremely clean as he is in my bedroom next to my bed. And i don't do stinky dragons.
I don't know if I'm ever going to own a reptile, and based on what I've seen your videos are an excellent resource for knowledge, but I mostly come here now for the adorable lizard b-roll shots I love Beardies and Leopard Geckos so much
goherpes: Educating us
Stan: _BOP_
GoHemorrhoids: spittin straight fax
stan in the background: yuh yuh
Impaction happens most commonly from inability to digest chitinous feeder insects. Animals on paper with incorrect temperatures and a diet primarily of super or mealworms, are far more at risk of impaction than an animal on sand with a varied diet and correct heating and UVB access. This chitin heavy diet, in conjunction with dehydration (which almost every captive bearded dragon or leopard gecko I've seen is dehydrated) is a recipe for disaster. Substrate is a natural part of the digestion process in many reptiles- consider it a gizzard effect. This substrate is safely passed as long as the size is feasible, and the animal is properly heated and hydrated. This is why you see substrate in the stomachs of 'impacted' animals- although the cause of death is not impaction by substrate, but impaction by chitin. Most people don't supply leopard geckos with the correct UVB or overhead heating, or bearded dragons with 110+ temperatures to digest correctly. Paper towel and carpet are statically more likely to cause death from ingestion, due to the fact that they are unnatural foreign bodies that can't be passed now matter the animal's health. In my years, I have seen many instances of snakes ingesting paper towel due to feeder smell remaining. I have also seen wrenched toes, missing nails, and bacterial infection from animals living on carpet or towel.
On another note, substrate is incredibly important for certain species of lizard. It's a natural femoral pore cleanser, and keeps nails and scales healthy. It is enriching, especially to bearded dragons who have an incredibly high burrowing drive. Not to mention that keeping on towel, tile or rocks causes long term joint damage and twisting toes, nails and knees/elbows. Substrate is an essential insulator, both for high and low temperatures- and it opens up multiple microclimatic regulation options for the reptile living on it. It is also more mentally stimulating that paper or tile.
As far as I know, you don't have any herpetological education or training by professional biologists- and it's clear that you need to study more on the actual physiological reasoning behind substrate usage in specific species of reptile. Naturalistic keeping has been more successful and around much longer than the newer trend of 'sterile' keeping. I hope that you find more inspiration to thoroughly research these topics, and discuss them with an actual scientist who can give you their piece.
Now, I'm not saying that sand is appropriate for all reptiles. You should do your research on the animal's native habitat, and use that habitat as reference to create an enclosure. They have evolved for millions of years to fit into their niches and ecosystems; this is a simple but factual reason to recreate the beneficial aspects of that habitat.
"Don't know much about keeping plants alive"
Cactus flashback!
If you’re making an arid viv, a small amount of clay sand is definitely important to make a layer that traps moisture for plants and microfauna. Otherwise your soil will just dry out and become dusty. After wetting it and letting the heat pad dry it a few times over the last month or so, the substrate is practically one solid piece and it holds shapes very well. I give it a light mist once a week and my succulents are doing amazingly.
Stresses about impact ion even though my leo is on a mat
Im so glad you posted this now because i just got a leopard gecko yesterday and she came on sand and your video popped up today for me. So funny.
What plants do u recommend for a crested gecko bio active enclosure
Devils ivy is a good choice so is snake plant
Nerve plants and Dracina are the 2 I use
Sansivaria
Pothos
Creeping fig
Violet orchids
Birdnest ferns
Janet craig
Bamboo
Bromeliads
Air plants
Peace lillies
@@umbrareptiles270 everything this person said along with peperomias that like high humidity :) variegated ones are my fave ! they can ad alot of visual love to a bioactive
I find that my pothos plant and dwarf umbrella tree did best in my own crestie bioactive tank. It depends on the dimensions of the tank though, my umbrella grew taller and is sort of... twisting at the top screen.
the lizards moving around on the recording equipment is kinda cute and funny x3
"Usually reptile stuff"
And then... *the cactus*
Hi i agreed with you completely i find a good alternative is clay based sand (so just fine clay) it it desolves in water so can pass through the animal and if it is ingested it can give some vitamin supplements to your animal and this is why many animals eat clay in the wild this however is not a replacement for normal supplementing as you should not be encouraging your animal to eat the substrate as there is a risk no matter the substrate
Sand is good in a mix, but it’s mediocre on its own. Tile and paper towel will always be worse though. Safety shouldn’t prevent you from giving your reptiles necessary enrichment.
To all the Leopard Gecko owners: 20 min of leo pics while Alex talks about sand
It's awesome!!
“sand is marketed to animals all the time”
hello sir would you like some sand? 🦆
My rabbits always buy sand with my money, and it's starting to pile up.🙇
What do you think of cork.. The flat kind you would make a bulletin board out of? That's what I have in mine this last couple months. And lots of rough and a few smooth rocks and natural cork yadayadda yada
Thank you! Finally you tell people why. It’s really annoying when people argue that sand is good because it’s from their ‘natural habitat’. Umm no 😂😂😂
This channel has been really helpful for my preparation when I get a reptile. Thank you.
What are you talking about. Sand is the best substrate and a nutritious food to add to your own diet
Next time I go to the beach after lockdown I'm gonna put some in my sandwich extra flavour
@@jess.bus.photosx6388 Doesn't that happen, no matter what you do? Like, whenever I eat something on the beach there's sand on it. Alga (is that really a word?), seagulls, childreeeeeeeeh I mean... SANDwiches...
anakin now hates you
I'm in a group that advocates for loose substrate with leopard geckos but even in that group plain sand is not recommended. They recommend a mix of topsoil and sand. I tested out reptisoil with my female gecko as a lay box when she was ovulating and she really liked digging, but the soil dried out fast and became very dusty. I tried mixing in a bit of sand like the group suggested and it seems to be holding together better and staying just moist enough to not be dusty for a longer period of time than just the soil alone. So I think there might be something to the soil\sand mix as long as there isn't too much sand and as long as a good reliable heat source is used. They recommend a deep heat projector or a halogen bulb both on a dimming thermostat with a piece of slate or tile under the heat source to absorb the heat which will create belly heat. Heat mats can't really heat through substrate very well so this makes a lot of sense to me and I am considering making the switch from my heat mat and tile set up to the soil\sand mix since my girl just really likes digging. I might just do a small section of the dirt or just use a lot of slate with some small digging areas though since I do have impaction concerns but from my research it seems like it's possible to do correctly though I wouldn't recommend a beginner jump right into it.
I’ve been using terrarium liner ever since I got my beardie in 2013. I don’t want him accidentally consuming sand
Hi I am a new leopard gecko owner I have been doing some research about how to make a good enclosure for leopard geckos and I found this video really informative! +1 new sub 😁
thanks!
I'm the person from TLC that was eating sand...... and I still am
Can you do a video on what to do if one of your friends is doing something you are aware is incorrect with their reptile? Some of my friends have gotten reptiles without doing a whole lot of research, and I want to help them care for their pets better without making it seem like I'm insulting them. Do you have any tips for this situation?