Why is sand bad for dragons?

I just bought my first dragon 3 days ago and I bought him the calcium sand. The guy at PetSmart seemed to think that it was ok (and he was veryknowledgable about beardi's) but people are saying on here that it is not good for them. What about he sand is not good for them, what will it do?

Also from what I have learned so far beardies are ok to not hav a heat source at night as long as the temp doesn't drop below 65 is that correct? My tank stays about 70 at night. I am new at this so any tips are appreciated!

It has a high risk for impaction, which could kill the animal. All substrate has a chance for impaction but sand is much more dangerous than other substrates.

It's a good idea to keep him on a better substrate than sand, because dragons eat a lot of their substrate with their food. My leopard gecko supposively died from impaction because I used Calci-Sand many years ago.

I keep my KSB on crushed walnut shells but don't feed him on them, because they are also high risk for impaction.
Good luck!

Its a heated debate.....


Most people seem to think that in the wild, beardies lay around all day on rabbit pellets, or cage carpet. That they dont live in sand, THEIR WHOLE LIFE!

But in captivity we like to reduce as many risks as possible. Most people will not use sand for fear of "impaction". The same time, there is a lot of people who use sand with no ill effects.

what are signs of impaction? Is it something that happens gradually or all of the sudden?

impaction means that the feces that normally will pass through its body will get clogged with sand.

Beardies can act lethargic when they are impacted. Lack of new feces is also a sign

Thanks so much, I will probably go ahead and switch to repti-carpet or soemthing just to be on the safe side. It has been bugging me anyway that sand keeps gettiing all in his water.

Im not sure exactly what they are, but the pellets that people use for rabbits, are used quite a bit for beardies. If it gets wet it basically just dissolves into powdery stuff.

i had dragons for years and kept them on the repti sand which is supposed to digestable. supposed to be all calcium or something.

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Originally Posted by cierahailee

I just bought my first dragon 3 days ago and I bought him the calcium sand. The guy at PetSmart seemed to think that it was ok (and he was veryknowledgable about beardi's) but people are saying on here that it is not good for them. What about he sand is not good for them, what will it do?

Also from what I have learned so far beardies are ok to not hav a heat source at night as long as the temp doesn't drop below 65 is that correct? My tank stays about 70 at night. I am new at this so any tips are appreciated!

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Trust me, hes not. Hes more than likely just trying to get you to buy something that costs more that will keep you coming back for more.

Impaction is a very slow process, calci sand/reptisand turns literally into cement when a beardie eats it, one missed cricket bite and lead to death on any particle substrate. It will also dye your beardie the color of the sand which is why some beardies at pet stores are red or blue. Keep it simple and either use paper towels or ceramic tiles

I used to use sand with my adult beardie. It worked fine because I fed insects outside the enclosure. I probably wouldn't use it for a baby or juvi though, or if your dragon likes to lick things :P

Kept all my beardies, juvies to adults, on sand. I used a feeding dish for wet items like veggies.

If you use sand, there is a good cause that your beardie could get impaction of the intestines, which is usually fatal. Adults handle sand better; babies and juvies will often try to taste it.

If the cage is around 70 at night, that's fine. As long as its warmer during the day.

Man made sand and natural sand are very different.


The man made stuff is cut. It's very sharp and can be harmful to the animal in the form of many small cuts.

I haven't read this thread but... we used sand and gave our adult dragons a loft to sit on while they were eating. You can see it here at our free instructions for building a cage. :D

Personally, I just like the look of the sand better than newspaper.

http://www.timelessspirit.com/enclosure.html

One note that I did when using sand, as do most breeders.

I put about 2" of sand in the tank and misted it down really well, let it sit for a few days to dry up and harden. They will loosen some as they run around, but never had any issues.

This has been a debate for years and years. I know breeders that have used sand for 10+ years and havent lost any dragons.

Its a personal choice. I have heard of snakes eating paper towels because the rodent juice was on it. So not all subs are safe.

Calcisand and it's replicants blow. Bigtime.

Playsand has been used by many for years and years, as was mentioned, with no ill effects.

Senior Patissimus must never been to the great rabbit pellet plains of the Australian Outback nor the great a secret forest of Repticarpet that is rarely seen and never photographed rumoured to be hidden deep within the heart of that vast continent.

AHahaHAHAHAHAHahAHAHAHAHAHaAHAHAHahaHAHah

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Originally Posted by wilomn

Calcisand and it's replicants blow. Bigtime.

Playsand has been used by many for years and years, as was mentioned, with no ill effects.

Senior Patissimus must never been to the great rabbit pellet plains of the Australian Outback nor the great a secret forest of Repticarpet that is rarely seen and never photographed rumoured to be hidden deep within the heart of that vast continent.

AHahaHAHAHAHAHahAHAHAHAHAHaAHAHAHahaHAHah

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Ive only heard about them. One day I will venture to that great plain'o pellets

Pat, I wouldnt use bunny pellets. More is to go wrong should they somehow down one and it expands. Safer than sand though.

Particle substrates.... what can we do about them? It is so much easier to miss poop and such with it, I comb through my savs cage every few days and find buried poop all the time. With paper towels it would be easy to spot any poop because paper towel changes colors around it. PlaySand isnt bad for beardies, its how responsible the owner who changes and feeds on is.

I would use slate tile as it will help to keep their claws worn down. It looks nice and is easy to clean.

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Originally Posted by Patrick Long

Im not sure exactly what they are, but the pellets that people use for rabbits, are used quite a bit for beardies. If it gets wet it basically just dissolves into powdery stuff.

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I've seen people use what's called 'Yesterday's News' or 'Feline Pine' that's just crushed paper. When it gets wet it expands and turns into dust. Makes cleanup easy and eliminates alot of smell. I never used it with Beardies, though. I'm also one of those who uses walnut shell and feeds them seperately.

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.