Why is sand bad for dragons?

I use Critter Country for my sub to adult dragons. It is a bedding made of plant fibers and will not cause impaction when swallowed. It spot cleans real good, is extremely absorbant, look fine, not dusty and falls apart when wet so it is real easy to see what to clean/scoop. The only downfall is if it stays wet it will mold so i dont give my dragons water bowls on this bedding, I remove and soak them. They usually poop in their water bowls anyway and this way they dont get yucky water. You can get Critter Country at Petco. I have been keeping and breeding dragons for over twelve years and this has been my favorite for maintanence and looks. Like any substrate it needs to be completely changed periodically and enclosure cleaned.

I knew someone that used alfalfa pellets which I tried once and it makes the room smell like alfalfa(yuck) and can have little boweevily buggies which are annoying and crawl around the room:O.

I have also seen many breeders use playsand, which I tried, but I find when its time to completely change substrate it is a pain to clean and dispose of and is messy. Getting sand out of a tank or melanine enclosure is not fun or easy.

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Originally Posted by West Coast Jungle

Getting sand out of a tank or melanine enclosure is not fun or easy.

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I have two words for you: Shop Vac. Or three: Wet Dry Vac. :P Same thing really.
I use that and then just take the cart out to the back yard or dump everything in a garbage bag, saves alot of time.

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Originally Posted by Dragnbaron

I have two words for you: Shop Vac. Or three: Wet Dry Vac. :P Same thing really.
I use that and then just take the cart out to the back yard or dump everything in a garbage bag, saves alot of time.

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My trash can would weigh 200+lbs by the time I finish. I have several enclosures and beardies and it didnt work out for me. Maybe with just one smaller enclosure, still messy and interfere with my glass sliding doors. Glass scraping on sand is not a pleasant sound.:rage:

Ive been using sand for my leos and havent had a problem, Maybe its time to switch just in case...

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Originally Posted by West Coast Jungle

My trash can would weigh 200+lbs by the time I finish. I have several enclosures and beardies and it didnt work out for me. Maybe with just one smaller enclosure, still messy and interfere with my glass sliding doors. Glass scraping on sand is not a pleasant sound.:rage:

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:) that's why i empty my vac a few times. Takes a few trips but well worth it for me, anyway. I don't have too many animals, though, so changing the bedding isn't a huge hassle i just have horrible cages to pick up and move.
I think i heard that sound before. Sounds like my ex telling me to stop buying animals and build her more closet space.

I use ceramic tiles. They are re-useable and very easy to clean. They also give that naturalistic look if that is what you are looking for. And they are dust free. That is another thing, besides impaction risk, that drives me crazy about sand. To me it's just not worth the hastle or the risk.

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Originally Posted by casperca

I use ceramic tiles. They are re-useable and very easy to clean. They also give that naturalistic look if that is what you are looking for. And they are dust free. That is another thing, besides impaction risk, that drives me crazy about sand. To me it's just not worth the hastle or the risk.

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Agreed!!! I can't say it enough... Tiling your Beardie tank has absolutely no risk impaction, looks great, and poops literally wipe off in the flick of a wrist. And personally if you can opt for something that can be easily sanitized in the Herp Hobby... It is the way to go. As for Sand, Newspaper, Or any other particle substrate, I have tried most of them and IMO none of this beats the convenience, safety, look, and cost effectiveness of Ceramic Tiles, The tiles make you realize what a pain in the butt all these other options really are. I paid like 5 bucks for tiles at lowes over a year ago, I remove them and sanitize them once a month, And have never had to replace them. After trying them all... Tile is really the No Brainer.

Go eat a cupfull of sand wait a day or so then come back and tell us what happened. It will answer your question :ohmygod:

Absolutely no sand for a baby. Baby and juvie BDs will taste everything, and are clumsy eaters. There is a good chance that they will ingest some sand at one point or another. This often causes impaction, which is fatal. Adults are ok on sand.

Never trust anybody at chain pet stores. It is very rare that you will find an employee that actually knows what they are doing.

If I were you, I'd switch to a solid substrate such as tile or newspapers, or a substrate that can be injested without consequences.