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Does anyone use it? opinions?

>>Does anyone use it? opinions?

I used play sand from walmart the colored stuff. For my Bearded dragon cages and for my Rhino Iguanas cage. It looked nice but was hard to keep clean. Held temps nice as well.
My 2 Cents
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"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

1.1 Hypomelenistic Red Tailed Boas
2.0 Double Het Stripe Albino Red Tailed Boas
0.1 Suriname Red Tailed Boa
0.1 Anerthrystic Red Tailed Boa
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse

Really? It was hard to keep clean?

I have a sand boa, and Ive been thinking about keeping it on sand, but Ive heard so many stories about it being bad for the snake. Anybody else have any opinions?

>>Really? It was hard to keep clean?

Ya they are rather large lizards and it takes a lot of work to clean up the amount of extriment they produce. Other than that it was a great product I enjoyed using. Cheap as well.

>>I have a sand boa, and Ive been thinking about keeping it on sand, but Ive heard so many stories about it being bad for the snake.

I know Pro Exotics keeps their stuff on Decomposed granite. That includes there sand boas I believe. They say it keeps moisture and is easy for burrowing. Only downside is some areas of the country its hard to come by.

They have an article on there website discussing this topic its a good read you shoud check it out.
Jeremy
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"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

1.1 Hypomelenistic Red Tailed Boas
2.0 Double Het Stripe Albino Red Tailed Boas
0.1 Suriname Red Tailed Boa
0.1 Anerthrystic Red Tailed Boa
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse

I have used sand in a variety of applications, including sand boas for a brief time. I used it for beardeds and leos for years, and use it to this day for a few animals.

I find it very easy to clean, but that is just my experience with it.

Some people have reported impaction, but I have never had any problems. (I don't keep hatchlings on sand, just adults)

Good luck
Ben
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Ben Team
Mark Davis
New Paradigm Herpetoculture
Captive Bred Morelia
404-247-3544

Mmk, Thanks to all of you for your responses. Ill check out that artice, and Ill probly end up using sand or the granite for my kenyan.

I don’t use sand as a substrate for any of my snakes. Some of the drawbacks:

It is very heavy.
Lots of sharp-edged grit may adhere to food items.
As with any “scoop the poop” substrate, an unhealthy environment can build up quickly in small cages.
Liquid urates plus sand equals concrete (well, pretty much anyway).
Some types can be very dusty.

A plus would be that it holds heat nicely.

I kept one or two Kenyan sand boas on sand a long time ago for maybe a year. The negatives I listed above prompted me to switch to other substrates. Nothing’s perfect, of course. But sand is just about last on my list of substrates to use.

-Joan

>>Does anyone use it? opinions?

"It is very heavy.
Lots of sharp-edged grit may adhere to food items.
As with any “scoop the poop” substrate, an unhealthy environment can build up quickly in small cages.
Liquid urates plus sand equals concrete (well, pretty much anyway).
Some types can be very dusty. "

Well, Im not worried about the heaviness, my terrarium stays put, you know?

The adhering to food items dosent matter, I never feed my snakes in their tank.

The unhealthy environment factor is a good point though.

I was considering using the T-Rex Desert snow, someone else mentioned it on this forum...

I think Markg swears by the stuff. Maybe he'll chime in on it. I think he mixes it with Sani-Chips to cut down on the cost. I finally saw some recently and it looks really slick. I've got to try it out.

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>>I was considering using the T-Rex Desert snow, someone else mentioned it on this forum...

Hmm, Interesting. Ill definetly look into it.

Hey mark, if you read this, what are your opinions on the stuff?
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1.0 Ball Python, 50% het for Pied.
0.0.1 Kenyan Sand Boa

I’ve been housing, snakes for about eleven years now on sand. I have tried different kinds of sand. The play sand has too many fines in it. The fines absorb up moisture, so a 1” spot will turn into a 3” spot. I use a cleaned (dust free)Monterey #3/12 grade kiln dried sand (its a smooth beach sand more or less). it’s kind of hard to find, I buy it at industrial supply stores. It’s used for sandblasting .it’s about eight dollars for 90 lb. Bag. Retains heat well, doesn't dry out reptiles skin like wood shavings might.I think it’s easy to clean, all I use, is a plastic spoon and paper plate, just scoop it out and try to pick up most of moisture after each feeding. I clean my tanks, about twice a year, remove all sand , and clean the tanks with bleach and water. I recycle my sand, by putting it into a bucket and letting it soak in bleach and water for a few days. Then I stir it up with a stick. Push a hose to the bottom of the bucket until water runs clear on the overflow. I then pour it into sandbags and let It dry out till the following year.
I have never had a problem with any of my snakes getting sick or dying yet. View some of my tanks,check out my gallery at my site below.

http://www.webspawner.com/users/rbichler/index.html
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RBICHLER