Reptile & Amphibian Forums

was thing of using calcium sand from zoo med please tell me about personal opinions if you have used it or of a better substrate thanks

don't use that stuff!

your best choices are:

1) washed/sifted play sand. you can buy a 50 lb bag at either walmart/home depot or similar store for about $3 per bag.

2) non-stick shelf liner. you can buy at walmart/target or any store selling kithen stuff.

the benefit of the shelf liner is that you never have to worry about ingestion of substrate. the calcisand is not only overpriced but can cause impaction leading to death of your pet. If you are looking for a more natural looking terrarium, then go with the play sand.
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a free range dragon is a happy dragon

just was wondering why does calcium sand cause impaction but regular play sand doesnt??

playsand is silicon based...like the stuff at a beach, where the calcisand is made from oyster shells (i think)as well as other things. Given enough moisture the calsisand forms pretty large clumps that don't pass through the digestive tract that easy.
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a free range dragon is a happy dragon

They both can but the calcisand will. If I were you I'd stick to something solid.
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Heart Mountain Herps

washed play sand can cause impaction as well but the risk is less compared to the much coarser calcium based sands. also, being calcium based, it tends to clump up and thus making it harder for the dragon to past through the intestines. very little of the calcium sand is actually broken down and absorbed by the body, so it is not as digestable as claimed on the bag. it also tends to neutralize stomach acid, making it less effective in breaking down food.
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PHLdyPayne

Now, I use the repilite but I feed not only my greens but also my crickets in a large terra cotta bowl. The cricket will stay in the bowl, eating the greens and pellets. The dragon knows that the crickets are in there. He also knows his tank so he doesn't "taste" his surroundings. He will "taste" when he is loose in the room though.

I don't understand how people can use shelf liner because it makes me personally ill being around it, never mind the dragon sitting on it, in a tank, with hot temperatures beating on it. Can you imagine the chemicals outgassing from the liner?

MHO I've had my guy for over 2 years now.