I thought the sand was bad for them as well... I was using reptile litter for a long time, & I just switched to Eco Earth loose coconut fiber substrate. My Beardie is 6 yrs old,* we got him when he was about 4 months old *. Never had any impacted problems or any other kind. Since I am home most of the day, I clean his poops out asap. He goes in the morning... in the same spot all the time!!! LOL