Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well now that I started buying the things I need I am also wondering if I should return them....I keep hearing people say no to playsand..yes to playsand..no to calci-sand...no to calci-sand....etc, etc.....Seems like impaction is a big worry with a few people and I want to get this right the first time...I did buy play sand today! Now when I buy my Dragon I don't want him/her to be an absolute baby, but not an adult either...Are there any breeders out there selling say something big and old enough to start out on play sand??? I know I am getting very good info but there sometimes seems to be soo many "EXPERT" opinions in here not sure which way I should go with a few products!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah it can get confusing when everyone seems to have their own opinions. Sand or paper is a BIG issue with a lot of breeders. I happen to be one of the breeders that uses paper towels till they are 2- 3 weeks old and then after that they are on sand.

Don't worry, many breeders have a few "older" babies that should be fins on sand

You will find the right dragon for you!

GOOD LUCK

>>Well now that I started buying the things I need I am also wondering if I should return them....I keep hearing people say no to playsand..yes to playsand..no to calci-sand...no to calci-sand....etc, etc.....Seems like impaction is a big worry with a few people and I want to get this right the first time...I did buy play sand today! Now when I buy my Dragon I don't want him/her to be an absolute baby, but not an adult either...Are there any breeders out there selling say something big and old enough to start out on play sand??? I know I am getting very good info but there sometimes seems to be soo many "EXPERT" opinions in here not sure which way I should go with a few products!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Lisa
www.beginnersbasics.com

Follow the instructions/care that the breeder you get your dragon from uses. Normally that is a relatively safe way to go, depending on the level of experience your "breeder" has.

Just a note about sand and impaction. The biggest problems are not with the sand, but the stones that come inside the sand bag. Make sure you sift the sand properly through a screen or strainer and remove the pebbles. Make sure when you feed greens/veggies to put them in a bowl/plate so they don't get covered with sand sticking all over them. Follow that and you shold be fine with the sand.

That is my "expert" opinion. lol

brandon
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Dragons by Nature

you know i used to say sand is fine for young ones as long as it is sifted real well

but the thing i have come to realize is sand becomes a breeding ground for germs if the poop isn't picked up right quick and then they grow and grow things like cocidia and pin worms that can grow outside of a host ect.

so i don't use sand on dragons anymore until they are over 190g i feel they are much better able to deal with the nasties than for some reasons babies get sick quick and just the smalest amount of added nasties can be leathel .

not scientificly proven just some observations. i have to many other science projects going to work on this one.
Mat Price

at all, though I think the dragons do to a point. I was just saying that if they wanted to use sand for a dragon (not a hatchling) if they do what I said before they should be okay.. at least to the point of "okayness" that is generally accepted in this forum.

I personally don't like the sand because it's a mess and a pain to keep the dragons greens and veggies from being covered in it and I don't like the thought of them ingesting any sand - whether it causes impaction or not. I'd not like a mouth full of sand on my salad!

But I didn't want to get into all that and start another debate based on my opinion.. so I just tried to answer them to help them out with their situation instead of trying to interject and "sell" my belief.

Gots to be careful with any substrate for dragons. I clean our hatchlings once a day and spot clean throughout the day and it's still amazing how bad it gets so fast. Someone needs to invent hatchling diapers or something!

brandon
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Dragons by Nature

Sand is used by many and they have no problem, for babies it is not worth the risk to me, so we use paper towels, then capret and paper toweld when a few months old and they they get their sandbox and Carpet with a folded paper towel to poo on when they are about 9 months. We have never had an impacted dragon and the babies I Think are coccidia free as they towels are changed daily and no chance to build up parasites loads by re-ingesting them like you have in sand or permanent substrates.

You can to absord as much info as you can, but it comes down to your common sense and what will work for you.

I started out with UVB tubes because I was scared off from what others said about mercury vapor, now as I learned more and researched more, I use only mercury vapors.

My first baby went on sand... I could see she was tasting it and common sense said that could not be good for her... I changed to paper towels, she gave me a dirty look and she has stayed that way! Of course she got a sand box when she was 9 months old... and she utterly lives in it... we had to put her hammock over it. when not in the hammond she stands in the sand resting her from legs on the top of the top watching us like say "I'm holding this one down so you can't steal it!"

Just learn as much as you can from others, but the final decisions rest with you and what works best for you and your dragons.

Thanks for the info....I guess common sense in all aspects of life is a good thing - even when it comes to our pets!