REASONS WHY SAND IS BAD AND WHAT ELSE TO USE

[Vincent]

Reasons that make CALCI- SAND a bad option to use for substrate:

* when using CALCI-SAND your bearded dragon has a risk of impaction no matter what type of sand you use

* causes respiratory infections for the dust in sand ( that means your poor bearded dragon has to breathe all that junk into their lungs every day

* dyed sand dye your bearded dargons skin






The list of substrates that are good to use:

* SLATE/CERAMIC TILE

* REPTILE CARPET

* PAPER TOWELS

* NEWSPAPER

* NON - TOXIC SHELF LINER

* CHILDRENS PLAY SAND

Please do your dragon a favor and not use sand, its over all unhealthy for them. If you are currently using SAND take it out ASAP !!! and choose the substrates that suit you listed above.

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

Vincent,
As has been pointed out to you many times in the past you should do more thorough research before condemning something. In this case your info on the use of sand as a substrate in a bearded dragon's enclosure is neither complete nor is it accurate by any means and spreading mis-information based only on your personal preferences without any proof to back what you claim is of no help to anyone. Every few months you pop into these forums and try to spread your gospel on the dangers of using sand substrate and while I certainly appreciate your attempt to participate in the forum I do not appreciate when anyone repeatedly tries to spread wrong and or unfounded information in the forums as it is the purpose of these forums to make sure that folks get the accurate info that they need to properly care for their bearded dragon.

To begin with you have said that in their native habitat bearded dragons do not live in sand but instead hard packed clay substrates. Your answer is only partially correct as they live in hard clay and gravel/rock, scrub forest bed and indeed in sand areas. Those areas are called "traveling sands" by the way and are indeed sand dunes.

You have also claimed that sand substrate poses a high risk of impaction in bearded dragons. While there are some "sand substrates" like CalciSand that do pose impaction risks, this is simply not true for all natural sand substrates and in fact impaction is not as common an occurrence in captivity as most people would be led to believe in the first place. Thousand of bearded dragons do die each year from impaction in their native habitat but it is not caused by sand. The truth is that it is caused by the ingestion of the clay substrate in their environment. These deaths by impaction are not limited to bearded dragons either because many other species suffer the same fate there. By the way the "hard packed clay" that you refer to is actually cracked, flaky,dry and dusty and easily ingested. That is fact.

Sand such as Children's Play-sand does not clump if it is ingested but will in fact simply pass straight through the digestive tract. On the other hand clay clumps together and blocks the digestive tract which is a classic impaction scenario.

Children's Play-sand is and has been used safely and without incident by hundreds if not thousands of bearded dragon enthusiasts and breeders for decades and as long as the criteria for safely using it is met then it is an established, tested and proven safe alternative substrate to use.

The prerequisites to using Children's Play-sand are that your dragon be 10+ inches in length from snout tip to tail tip and that it be a healthy, well-hydrated dragon. The only accepted Play Sand to use would be Washed and Sifted Children's Play-sand. I personally recommend that before using it that it be baked in a 225 degree Fahrenheit oven for at least 30 minutes and allowed to cool to room temperature to ensure that any molds, fungi or bacteria that may be in it are killed off.

As far as it posing a greater risk of respiratory distress to your dragon I believe that to also be an unfounded claim as well. Bearded dragon's come from one of the harshest, most dusty and dry climates on the planet and their bodies are built to handle that climate. While Children's Play-sand may be a bit dusty at times the dust is minimal and I believe that the risk of them developing a respiratory infection because of that is no more than from the ordinary household dust in most homes.

As far as it being a harbinger or breeding ground for germs and bacteria the fact is that as long as proper husbandry practices are maintained then it poses no more risk than any other substrate choice. You mentioned in another thread that when using tiles for substrate that feces can just be wiped up and cleaned with paper towels and water. While it is true that it can be wiped up it can not be cleaned properly with just water and by simply wiping feces up with water you are in fact leaving a whole host of the germs and bacteria that you are so concerned with. Perhaps you should revisit and modify your own husbandry practice before suggesting to others how they should clean their dragon's house.

While I will agree with you on the other substrate choices you listed as good alternatives, I whole-heartedly disagree with your presumption that using Children's Play-sand is a bad choice for a dragon keeper to choose.

I hope that you will continue to participate in the forums but please refrain from posting absolutely wrong info and please do your research before hand. Bad info is bad info and of no viable use to anyone.

I will also remind you that you were challenged on this same issue a few months back and at that time asked to produce two legitimate articles which would fully back your claims and have yet to produce even one. The reason why is that you are wrong in your claims but the challenge is still open.

Enjoy!!

 

[Germ]

Great, informative & insightful responses Buddha

.

@Vincent: LIKE your post??? Where is the "Completely Full of IT" button ... when you need it ...

 

[Vincent]

hahaha wow ha

 

[Germ]

i had to learn the hard way lets hope you dont have to.

I may be wrong, but if my memory serves me right, your experience of learning the hard way, that you refer to, was with 'Calci-Sand', not with regular Washed Play Sand. Two different Substrates altogether.

 

[Pat B]

Thumbs up to Germ and Brett (Mungi).

 

[Spikeleebd]

I love this forum and my bearded dragon loves sand i also have my steppe lizards in sand. For substrate i love sand no smell ,just have to sift through it with a fish net and it scoops the pew up. i have used tile substrate and when your dragon poes and runs through and gets it all over the cage i hated having to clean his cage all the way out 3 times a week.

 

[Tedmiester]

@Mungi ... Many thanks for the info, will bear that in mind when commencing my new tank!