Most impactions occur for two reason.....the lizard swallows something larger than it can pass (i.e. a small pebble) or the lizard is not hydrated enough to pass the items.
A properly hydrated lizard can eat sand, dirt, clay.....and it will all just pass through the system.
A dehydrated lizard will eat sand, dirt or clay and have it turn into a brick in their gut. They eat sand, their mouth and throat moisten the sand, and their intestines suck the moisture out in an attempt to rehydrate the animal. It is like a brick manufacturing process inside the animal when they eat soil substrate while dehydrated. No wonder the animals die.
Young lizards are more prone to impaction because they are more prone to dehydration. I think the substrate plays a small part of the issue, but the quality of care the animal receives plays a bigger role.
If you do not have the skill to care for the animal while on a soil substrate....use something that is safe for YOU to use and try not to critize others that know what they are doing.
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