coastergirl946
Hatchling Member
My boyfriend and I lost a 3 1/2 year old beardie to calcium sand impaction.
Calcium sand, when ingested, forms a cement-like clump in their intestines that is extremely difficult if not impossible to pass. Beardies lick everything and there is no way for you to know how much is in their system until it is too late.
Curt was in a great deal of pain and stress every time he pooped.. blackbearding, straining, and going limp afterward with his eyes closed because pooping hurt him so much.
It messed up his intestines to the point where he could no longer poop without babyfood prunes and warm baths.. the vet was continuing to find sand in his feces three months after we removed the sand from his vivarium.. (not to mention his viv STUNK when we were using sand as a substrate.. when the sand was dumped out we found dead rotten crickets, and sandy poo that was baked onto the bottom of the viv)
then one day he prolapsed..
then on the way to the vet he choked to death on the food he vomited up that he could no longer digest.
It still hurts to look at the top of the dresser and not see him there on his basking stick or scratching at the glass.
Please do the best thing for your dragon and use a non-particle substrate.
Calcium sand, when ingested, forms a cement-like clump in their intestines that is extremely difficult if not impossible to pass. Beardies lick everything and there is no way for you to know how much is in their system until it is too late.
Curt was in a great deal of pain and stress every time he pooped.. blackbearding, straining, and going limp afterward with his eyes closed because pooping hurt him so much.
It messed up his intestines to the point where he could no longer poop without babyfood prunes and warm baths.. the vet was continuing to find sand in his feces three months after we removed the sand from his vivarium.. (not to mention his viv STUNK when we were using sand as a substrate.. when the sand was dumped out we found dead rotten crickets, and sandy poo that was baked onto the bottom of the viv)then one day he prolapsed..
then on the way to the vet he choked to death on the food he vomited up that he could no longer digest.
It still hurts to look at the top of the dresser and not see him there on his basking stick or scratching at the glass.
Please do the best thing for your dragon and use a non-particle substrate.
