Calcium sand- Please help!

Hi everyone! I’m a new beardie owner. Hera has been with me three weeks and I’m totally in love with her! That being said I’m trying to do everything I can to keep her healthy and happy, which she seems to be, however I seem to be hearing a lot of conflicting information between internet searches and pet stores.... I was told calcium sand would be the best thing to line her tank with, but I’ve been reading horror stories about it all day and am currently in a panic waiting to leave work and dump that awful stuff OUT!!!!! Is there anything I can do for her to try to reverse any damage this may have caused to her health.... I made her a vet appointment, but it’s not till next week. Also what kind of substrate is safe to use for my baby (she’s about 3 mos old)? Thanks!

Not sure if your post was answered elsewhere but you are right. Get rid of the sand. You can use non adhesive shelf liner, paper towels or tiles. Hopefully the vet didn't feel any lumps in her belly. What did they say?

Is she pooing regular as clockwork ?

…. if she is …. you've dodged a bullet ….

Calci-sand / Vita-sand all the same lethal stuff …. pet shops still flog the stuff to raw beginner beardie and lizard keepers.

NEVER take and follow advise given by pet shop sales staff …. IT ALWAYS VERY POOR ADVISE because most will sell you what their boss tells them (to meet quotas).

If you can't feel any hard lumps in the hatchlings tummy you should be OK ,especially if she's pooing like clockwork and active and eating and look healthy …. a visit to a reptile vet is a good idea, tell them she's been on Calci-Sand and ask or an xray of her GIT (any blockages will show up).

If she's not currently pooong regularly , give her olive oil (about 0.4ml) orally by eyedropper or syringe once a day and convert over to liquid/pureed foods (and softer insects such as the soft white version of BSFL and silkworms …. solids will only add to the problem if she's impacted , will sit in the gut and rot = not good.

Best of luck …. hope this doesn't become serious enough to require trying an anima …. these are very dangerous for dragons and can kill a sick dragon. Don't let the vet try to push the blockage through her plumbing using water injected into her stomach under pressure either - this is very traumatic and can result in a dead dragon if some the water is aspirated.