Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Today my male dragon (draco) let out a massive dragon dropping...lol

i noticed in it what seemed to be some particles of sand. I think they are sand particles, im not 100% sure. Right now im using "Reptilite" sand.

I wanna go to using playsand but im unsure of where to get it. is there a difference between the playsand i can get at Home Depot or at a Lowes or something, or should i just got to Toys-R-Us and get thier brand?

What kind of playsand would the playsand users recomend?

Lowe's, Home Depot, Toys R Us, KMART...Anything that is SILICA FREE....
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kill 'em with kindness

Well i found a playsand on the lowes website - "Quikrete Play Sand" doesnt say anything abt being silica free or quartz free. but i did see "Sandtastik" but its to much money!!! im gonna run to the local home depot here by my house and see what i can find!

Well, I was told by a local breeder at a show that he used HD sand and all his dragons got mites. Might be a random occurance but since he was local I took it to heart. Keep in mind this was a long time ago. Now, I only buy sand from Toys R Us and have never had a problem. But of course I only buy from a particular store that keeps their sand inside. Toys R Us sand is Lighthouse brand.

forgive me but, wut is HD sand? lol sorry!

HD=Home Depot

mites probably were a rare occurence as the only way the mites would be harmful to your snake if they are snake mites and the chances of it being snake mites in every home depot out there, is pretty slim. I have bought playsand and dirt at home depots in my area and never had problems with bugs.

Personally I wouldn't use sand if it already looks like your dragon has a habit of eating the calcium stuff you were using previously. Though children's playsand has less chance to cause problems, it still can be ingested.

Most sand that indicates it is to be used for children's sand boxes, will be silica free...as inhaling silica is what causes health issues in children in the past.
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PHLdyPayne

well i kno they ingest sand by some of the greens that fall from thier mouths or that fall from the bowl when they are picking, and then they pick the ones off the sand. or it could be half a mealworm that broke off when they bit it and some sand gets stuck on the open end. they dont go and deliberatly eat the sand. im just worried that maybe i should go to play sand for the smooth edges and stuff. ive been using sand on all my beardies and have never have a problem.

IMO the best sand for dragons is NONE. i hate it period, end of story. but if youre to go with sand, as its already been posted most childrens playsand is SILICA free already. when you buy it, sift it so you get all the big pebbles and shells out. then wash it a few times, this will kill off alot of the dust sand produces. then bake it in the oven. keep an eye on it of course.
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Beach Beardies

2.2. bearded dragons
1.1. Sugar Gliders
0.2. Felines *queen athena and missy*

>> then bake it in the oven. keep an eye on it of course.

You don't want burn on top, ya know. Seriously though, you can get a 50lb bag of playsand at home depot for about 5 bucks. I use it for my leopard gecko and I have a playsand/topsoil mixture in my tortoise table.
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0.10.0 Ball Pythons
0.1.0 Leopard Geckos
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortoise

I've never bothered with the sifting, washing, baking thing. I just dump it in and have never had a problem. I just don't use it unless a dragon is at least 12". Before that I use reptile carpet.

most playsand is pre washed anyway and comes damp, or at least the few bags I bought for my spade tailed agama were. I mix it with plain potting soil and pack it down in a thick layer as spade tailed agamas love to burrow.

Sand should only be used by dragons at least 10" or as BDLvr does, no smaller than 12".
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PHLdyPayne

main reason for washing is to cut down on the amount of dust the sand gives off, which is alot. reason for baking it is to kill off germs and possible mites, which has been talked about in other listings. mites arent usually a big problem in the sand but can happen.

honestly ive just gone back to easy good ole fashion newspaper. put it in, they poop on it, take it out and throw it away, replace. easy as that. no sifting, no dust, no washing or scrubbing. cant get much easier than that. and if and when i see a female starting to dig, shes taken out and put in a laying bin. when i get my bigger cages, a lay bin will be put into her cage.
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Beach Beardies

2.2. bearded dragons
1.1. Sugar Gliders
0.2. Felines *queen athena and missy*