Why not calci-sand?

[jebbus]

My friend who has had his beardie for 3 years now has used calci-sand with success and his dragon is very healthy. I ask this because i jus bought my first beardie last week and i'm using it also. What is so bad about it?

 

[LJean]

There have been reported impaction risks to using the calcisand. It tends to clump when wet, so if a beardie ingests it it can clump up inside them.

 

[civicgrl88]

I used pet store sands before I tried the washed playsands and my opinion and observations on the pet store sands are basically exactly the same. While the pet store sands are much more aesthetically pleasing, they are also much more dangerous and annoying. Despite what the packaging says, they cannot be digested and they clump more than the washed playsand does. I tested this out by dropping a bit in a jar lid with some water and it clumped up like wet cat litter. To add to the potential danger it posed to my dragon's digestive tract, it also dyed his entire underside the color of the sand and took MONTHS to come out. I had to gently brush his underside with a soft toothbrush every time I bathed him until it finally came out. One other thing I forgot to mention with the washed playsand that also goes for the pet store sands are that it has very little traction for the dragon to get a good footing on. Pet store sands are much more coarse compared to washed playsand which I would imagine would be uncomfortable for the dragon. More costly to maintain than washed playsand.

 

[Elora]

Besides the fact that calci sand isnt actually healthy, calci sand costs A LOT. Washed play sand is very cheap. When I was little I had a beardie and he lived for 8 years on the calci sand. then he died of impaction. (RIP JT ) So for me I just wouldn't take the risk because i lost JT. They can live on it just fine but there is always that risk and unfortunately for JT we had no idea and he payed for it. I think that the play sand can move better through their system. not sure

 

[Poisoned1]

Do what civic grl did and just test is.

Just take a clump and wet it and jsut imagine that in your dragon's stomach.

I know my dragon licks alot and you like enough it causes lots of problems.

 

[civicgrl88]

Do what civic grl did and just test is.

Just take a clump and wet it and jsut imagine that in your dragon's stomach.

I know my dragon licks alot and you like enough it causes lots of problems.

yea i personally would rather a safer environment for my dragon as opposed to a "prettier" one...sand isnt natural to a dragon anyway so if one wanted a particle substrate to use, excavator clay would be one but it would still harbor bacteria nd breaks off into pieces that could be ingested as well....ive used almost EVERY commonly used substrate for beardies and i personally find tiles and newspaper to be my favorites

 

[jebbus]

good post all but if he did endup ingesting some calci-sand isn't it made so his digestive juices in his stomach break it down. I get what you're all saying about how it clumps in water but water is different from the digestion system...hope i made sense haha

 

[civicgrl88]

good post all but if he did endup ingesting some calci-sand isn't it made so his digestive juices in his stomach break it down. I get what you're all saying about how it clumps in water but water is different from the digestion system...hope i made sense haha

no i do understand your point but put it this way...millet seed is supposedly digestible but infact its not...small tough particles easily get caught in the dragons digestive tract...heck...even cricket parts and worm parts (chitin) can cause impaction and thats food to the dragons...so the calci sand can pose the same risk

 

[Grixxly15]

good post all but if he did endup ingesting some calci-sand isn't it made so his digestive juices in his stomach break it down. I get what you're all saying about how it clumps in water but water is different from the digestion system...hope i made sense haha

Hunter had an impaction due to calci-sand. So had a lot of other bearded dragons. Impactions are not a theory :wink:

 

[fresnowitte]

good post all but if he did endup ingesting some calci-sand isn't it made so his digestive juices in his stomach break it down. I get what you're all saying about how it clumps in water but water is different from the digestion system...hope i made sense haha

Hunter had an impaction due to calci-sand. So had a lot of other bearded dragons. Impactions are not a theory :wink:

I have a female that I rescued Ms. Piggy that had been kept on calcium sand for her entire live before I had got her(3 to 5 years) and she was also badly impacted. She did not require surgery, but it took alot of time and working with her to break it all loose. It wasn't colored sand so she wasn't stained but she was very dry and her skin was chalky looking. For several months you couldn't even tell she had yellow and orange coloring she looked more like a snow dragon. The skin wasn't only chalky it was also very thick which the vet said was due to the calcium sand. Also her nostrils were badly clogged.

So I have to say for Ms. Piggy that no their digestive juices can not break it down. Think about how metal collects in a cows guts. Obviously the digestive juices have no luck there or they wouldn't put magnets in their bellies. Or how harmful dirt can be to the horse when ingested.


I year later.........she is now doing great!
But I feel she was lucky that I found her when I did and that we didn't need to resort to surgery.

Ms. Piggy says, "Please don't use calcium sand."

 

[jebbus]

so what does everybody recommend to be the best substrate then?

 

[civicgrl88]

so what does everybody recommend to be the best substrate then?

theres actually plenty to choose from that still look very nice in an enclosure...newspaper, paper towels, outdoor/reptile carpet, butcher paper, non adhesive shelf liner, and textured ceramic tile are some of the best ones to use...im a personal fan of tile and newspaper

 

[fresnowitte]

so what does everybody recommend to be the best substrate then?

Tile :mrgreen:

 

[Nasubi77]

Not only is there the risk of impaction, but also, sand is absorbent. When your beardie poops, the sand will absorb any liquid and become infested with the bacteria from said liquid. No matter how well or how often you scoop out poop, you'll never completely remove all the residue and harbored bacteria. That makes the cage unsanitary, increases your chances of contracting salmonella and also *stinks*. And it costs a whole lot to replace all that sand every 3 or 4 weeks. If you get tiles, you only have to buy them once! They are easy to clean and disinfect, and ZERO risk of impaction.
To me, it's a no-brainer...

 

[fresnowitte]

I'll second that! :wink:
As I'd say like a "Litter Box."