Regarding the desert blend walnuts:
Years ago this stuff was a disaster for me. The pet store I worked with at the time (mom and pop shop) put a leopard gecko on it. As Leo's do... He ate it and got impacted. It was a bloody mess from the rough grit that it used to be.
It looks like the specific Zilla Desert Blend walnuts shells are processed much better these days, it's a bit finer and they grind it down smoother than it used to be. But I would be very careful with any kind of knockoff brand or other kind of crushed nutshells. If it feels too prickly, don't use it.