play sand and bearded dragons?

Question

i have a baby bearded dragon he is mayby 6 inches. just got him 2 days ago. he is on paper towl right now..
the pet store was using crushed walnut shells so hes never been on sand before..
i want a type of sand in the tank.
i would perfure childs play sand becouse of the price.. but i dont want to harm the beardie.. i am aware of the special types of sand they have fore reptiles but i also dont like the prices..
so i have acoupl questions...
if he gets impacted will he die?. or can u treat is by seing a vet..
and would u recomend play sand?
pls anser both questions and any other imput u have TY

Answer 1

AVOID PLAY SAND...My brother gave me hes beardie and he was using playsand.. after awhile it made him sick costing me 250 in vet bills... I now use reptile sand.... and have been for 2 years and have had no problem

Answer 2

avoid sand all together, play sand has been know to cause impactions in reptiles because its non digestible and proves difficult to digest and pass. I know its affordable, however if sand is an interest, a little more expensive option would be caci-sand, a calcium based product made by zoo med, its completely digestible and actually beneficial if eaten. you can prolong the use of it if you make a sifter and sift through the waste when noticed. Ive bred bearded dragons for many years and have actually used play sand in the past (when I first started with them and very little info was actually known about them and their husbandry practices) and lost a few sub adults from sand impactions, discovered after my on staff vet examined the bodies.
I am a professional breeder / importer / exporter and would never use sand with any desert animal. play sand has a different chemical make up then desert sand does, and also different from beach sand too, neither would be a good choice. Go with the calci - sand, make a sifter and it will give you plenty of use to make it more economical as well.

Answer 3

Play sand is the most recommended type of sand. Sand is not essential for baby bearded dragons as it can lead to impaction. But an adult around 2 years will definitely be fine. Hope this helped. Leah.

Answer 4

Avoid the sand --- but RUN from walnut shells!!!!!!!
Trust me - impaction is a common killer. We breed and keep beardies - we use unprinted newsprint paper - you can buy it at office supplies and shipping places. It isn't that expensive either. There are some brown kraft papers out there now - no need to use any store-bought sand. Those calcium sands stick together when wet... clumping causes impaction too.

The only sand we ever use is fine beach dune sand - and never for beardies under 1 year of age.

If you have ANY doubts about impaction from walnut shells - read this:
http://mrskingsbioweb.com/beardeddragngrossanatomy.htm

That should do the trick!
~Morgana

Answer 5

Play sand is the best option out of all the sands the sell but to aviod impaction you should feed it in a different tank, because if he ingest the sand it will kill him. If it is caught in time a vet can fix it, normally requiring surgery. Do not use the sand the sell at pet stores like the calcium sand it's not good for them and will still cause impaction. I don't use sand, I use reptile carpet, easy to clean, cheaper then buying sand all the time and prevents impaction. Good luck.

Answer 6

I have a bearded dragon. Got it when it was young. I use sand from home Deot. Play sand. Just make sure to go through sand and pick out any big items. Sometimes there are pebbles or pieces of stick. My dragon is 2 and he has never had a problem with the sand. Good luck and congrats.

Answer 7

Any clean sand should be fine, perhaps adding some rocks for interest. Here the bearded dragons are native to sandy and stoney desserts so can't really see why the sand would be a problem.
With a good varied diet he shouldn't get impacted (constipated?), so you should find out what different kinds of food he can have. Mine ate all sorts of bugs (loved snails), worms, boiled egg, lettuce and banana.
Hope this helps and good luck with your new pet.

Answer 8

I avoid sand all together carpet is much better. also I bought a twin size mattress heater and folded it over I placed it under the carpet. it makes the terrain a little bumpy but I dont think they notice. I can regulate the floor temp and they really seem to like it. they still have the basking area etc but it makes for easy regulation of temp and I can check the temp at ground level. I have heard as many horror stories about sand as I have heard people say they have used it for years. but do not be fooled with calcium sand it does not break down in their digestive tracts as they say it does. take some put it in a glass of water and shake vigorously forever if you want but very little goes away like they say it should. I went so far as to put vinigar in it and let it sit overnight. same results. i used vinigar because of its a mild acidic traits.

Answer 9

Avoid all loose substrates. Especially for such a small dragon. The best substrate (of course it's solid) is by far ceramic tile. You get it from the harware store and have it cut to size. Then you just lay it in there, no grouting necessary. It's extremely cheap and easy to keep up. It is the most sanitary and actually wares down your dragon's nails, which is good. To find out more about tile and anything about bearded dragons, please go to http://www.repticzone.com and check out the bearded dragon forum sections. If you MUST use a loose substrate, despite the risks, playsand is the safest. Walnut shells are gut splitters! Please see this link for info (proof) of loose substrate impactions. http://mrskingsbioweb.com/beardeddragngrossanatomy.htm

Answer 10

You have to wait until it gets older (6 months min.) before you can put sand in the cage; it could get into it's eyes and it's not suitable for young ones.
We used dragon carpet you can buy at a pet store until he's old enough for sand, and you have to use sand from the store; it has added calcium that he needs if he licks it or his food gets on it (it's not that expensive).
Really, if you bought a bearded dragon, you have to be prepared (and ready financially) to take care of it.