Using sand

[Lonewolf627]

I understand sand is bad to use because they can injest it but in the wide they have sand. I have a food dish for them and was wondering if it still would be bad to do half of the tank sand and leave food and water on the other half

 

[Esther19]

In the wild it is actually a hard packed clay. We do not recommend using sand in the enclosure.

 

[SDragon]

I'm not sure who 'we' are.

Esther is right that BDs don't live om sand, however personally I don't believe proper play sand is problematic. A natural environment would certainly involve the ingestion of particles at times, however there is a caveat that a lizard needs the correct: temperatures, hydration and diet. If they are not right; then impaction could be a problem.

 

[Esther19]

Ingesting sand is bad, regardless of temperature, etc.

SDragon, the "we" I referred to is the collective "we," representing the experience and recommendations of the many experienced keepers here on the forum.

 

[Taterbug]

Considering their native range is over a large part of a huge continent, some live on or near sand, some live in woodlands, some live in towns.... That said they also have the opportunity to move to a different terrain of they choose. http://tinyurl.com/m6hw2m9

I tried a setup with half sand and didn't like it. It never stayed where it should and was just a mess.
I don't like sand for a few reasons. It's dusty, it doesn't hold a burrow so it's almost useless for digging, it's like a litter box hygienically and its doesn't give the lizard a stable surface to walk around on.

I use a bioactive substrate and I encourage people looking at sand or other loose substrates to check into that method. It's a good option if your looking to add enrichment for them (such as digging).

For newer keepers solid flooring can be much easier and safer to learn on.