Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Thanks!
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~Julie~

most people by pre washed play sand. Unless you mean recycling sand from the bearded dragon's tank? I wouldn't recommend washing sand that has already been used as it is very difficult to kill some bactria. You would need to soak the sand in a bleach solution for a few hours or bake it in the oven for several hours at 200-300F. These temps still may not kill all the bactria. As washed playsand is cheap from hardware stores, better to just buy more.

Thanks. No, I'm not reusing it. I'm having construction done on my house and there's a big pile of sand out there, someone said I could use it since it has a sand area and carpet area, but i didnt know how to wash it, thanks!
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~Julie~

Lay an old bed sheet out in the yard, spread the sand out on it, and rinse it with a garden hose. Be carful not to blow the sand off of the sheet with the stream of water.
Let it lay out in the sun until mostly dry, then sift it through a screen of some kind. I bought a large metal strainer at wal-mart for about 5 bucks that works pretty well. Some folks use an old piece of screen from a screen door or window.
After that, put it in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour. I use an old canning pot that holds a couple of gallons for this step, but you can do it in small batches on cookie sheets lined with aluminum foil. This temp and duration should kill most anything harmfull, according to our vet.

Hope this helps.

D.A.