Colored sand?

[bubblez825]

I recently put my full grown bearded dragon on reptile calcium sand, as she is hand and dish fed; is the colored reptile sand bad for a bearded dragon? Until I was home with the Already purchased sand and had her tank set back up wih the sand, did it cross my mind about its coloring. Any opinions are welcome the sand isn't being eaten or anything, since I don't feed anything she chases around the tank. Thanks!

~emily

 

[ZombiGecko]

I honestly wouldnt use sand for any reptile.. I use paper towels..

 

[katie_]

Bearded dragons, even when hand fed will still 'lick' their environment. If youve noticed, their tongues are forked like a snake. They use them to smell and investigate their environment.
He will still ingest sand, there is still risk of impaction.
I used to house my beardy on sand, until someone put it in perspective for me. Is your dragon worth possibly dying so your tank could look 'good'? You wouldnt even have the tank if you didnt have the beardy.

And the sand will dye the belly of your dragon.

 

[ZombiGecko]

and it will dye its feet as well

 

[bubblez825]

Alright, Thanks guys I'll take her off the sand as soon as I get a chance to take the tank outside and clean it out fully

 

[katie_]

I'm glad
You can use tile, they look natural.

 

[im faster]

calcium sand is the devil

 

[ZombiGecko]

I second the tile.. Im gonna put some in my 20 gallon long next

 

[RyuuKirin]

Ryuu lived on playground sand for a LONG time and she LOVED it, but she's a digger, and loves to hide under stuff. I changed her out to reptile carpet when I caught e coli from her tank, and then to slate tile when the carpet made me angry, lol.

 

[Yamori]

Sands to get - beach sand, play sand, dessert sand.

Sands to avoid- colored sand, calci sand, excavator sand.

I would recommend either a natural dessert sand or sand mixed with coco fiber which are both natural to bearded dragons as its what they live on in the wild as they come from arid to semi arid arias.

The arid habitats are either 1. vast open plains covered in red dirt with scattered shrubs, rocky outcrops and a few trees here and their and 2. the Aussie desert which is all sand, small shrubs and grasses etc. The semi arid habitat of the species is bushland, dry forests with dirt/sand, mulch and leaf litter.

Dispute popular belief, sand alone will not cause impaction, furthermore hard surfaces such as tile are detrimental to their health and has been seen to cause foot and nail deformities as well as psychological problems being that dragons of all kinds are burrowers, they love to dig, hard surfaces are unnatural.

Cheers-

Yamori

 

[bubblez825]

i put the dragon back on paper towels, thanks guys

 

[Dimidiata]

Ive seen many experienced keepers keep their Beards on sands and soils, however, despite this, Calcium/reptile/vita sand is the worst kind out there, not only is it sand, simple as that, it also dissolves into a concrete when ingested.

 

[bubblez825]

ew.... ugh im glad i took her off it, that sounds nasty and really painful

 

[Dimidiata]

Yeah, pics arnt very pretty either, i have a link saved with them should the need arise in a debate . Regular sand can also clog up their gut, but when you think about it, quarts crystal bits arnt going to dissolve together very well, but something as weak as calcium or other vitamins will, and then it sticks together and just forms one big ball of crud.

 

[bubblez825]

yuck! ill take your word for that haha if i saw the pix i might cry! :main_rolleyes: I don't wana get all goober faced over that