DON'T USE SAND

I've put this in the health section rather than viv as the symptoms of sand ingestion are more likely to lead someone to this section. Bit long-winded but please read if you are considering using sand or anyone has recommended it to you, or if your beardy has no energy no appetite and no poos!

So following advice from the pet store (pets at home UK, Leeds) I got Finn from and my local store where I get supplies and being a COMPLETELY new pet owner never mind reptile, I bought what I thought the best most natural substrate for him which was calci sand. Pets at home sold it to me saying as it was calcium it wouldn't cause compaction if swallowed

The local pet store manager said in these exact words 'maybe one in a thousand will swallow any sand, of those maybe one in a thousand will encounter any problems'

DO NOT PUT YOUR BEARDY ON SAND. It is not worth the risk. I'm taking mine to the vet tomorrow for a check after tonight passing the most awful massive sand plug followed by, thankfully, a normal looking poo after a week of not pooing. For the last couple of days I've been worried sick that something as easy and simple as substrate choice can prevent this from happening and my choice endangered Finn. He's been on lino for two weeks so he must have had this sand in him for a while.
I've given Finn twice daily warm soaks, tummy massages and prune juice and the vet was the final resort as I couldn't let him go any longer without pooing, but we'll still take him for a check as the amount of sand that he passed was huge and we need to k ow there isn't any internal damage or any more in there.
In the few hours since pooing the sand out Finn's had more energy and gobbled a couple of waxworms (he didn't even want those before) so the constipation/impaction must have made him feel really bad.
Sorry for the long post but if one newbie owner sees it and doesn't use sand it's worth it!
Advantages to NOT using sand (tile, lino or similar): cheaper, more hygienic, much easier to clean

The sand impactions can be bad, especially with calcium sand which can quickly become fatal. Even if the sand isn't ingested it can pick up moisture and harbor bacteria which can cause smelly and unsanitary conditions in a hurry. Hopefully Finn got it all out and there will be no issue going forward.

I hope you've been back to the pet shop and given them a right yelling at , and I'd be presenting the owner of the pet shop with your vet bill.

When you get your beardie to the vet, PLEASE ensure the vet is a HERP / REPTILE vet, as general and exotics vets rarely know much of anything about bearded dragons and their health.
Also - be insistent on having xrays taken BEFORE the vet does any treatment - vets have killed impacted but otherwise health dragons by
>>> downing them in the attempt to flush their stomachs with water forced in under pressure
>>> giving enemas to a dragon who is too sick to tolerate it. Enemas are incredibly dangerous procedures and a last resort.

Xrays will tell you and the vet where any blockages and impactions are and are your best guide.
Hopefully he's got rid of calcisand that he's ingested and will be fine going foreward, I do suggest no solid foods until the vet gives you "the all clear" , only finely mashed / pureed sloppy foods til then and will help to give him 0.4ml of olive oil each day til he clears all the calcisand in his GIT.

Good luck.

UPDATE - Took Finn to the vet, got poop sample checked anyway (all fine), x-ray all clear and he's now fine! The vet did admonish me for having put Finn on sand in the first place but for new owners the information out there is so contradictory and in some cases just not clear. So to any new owners happening on this post I would urge you to thoroughly read through the forums on here (best website I've found so far) and take your new beardie to a herp vet as soon as he's settled in so they can check him out. Mine spent a good hour going through set up, food, routine, general husbandry and now I feel confident I'm caring for Finn properly ?

If he's passed the sand he is probably fine now. As the other poster mentioned, be careful of what a vet may do now since the emergency is probably passed.