Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Heyas! I have a Bearded Dragon that is about 6-7 months old named Scamp. I've had Scamp for about three months now, and use Zoo Med's Vita-Sand for bedding, which is Veternary Recommended. I have been using this as a substrate since, and the vet I take Scamp to says Scamp is in perfect health, and I have not had one problem using Vita-Sand by Zoo Med. Scamp has no problem using the restroom, is active and as stated before healthy. However, I have read that using Calci-Sand is bad for Bearded Dragons. Vita-Sand does have Calcium in it, but it is vet recommened, whereas the other brands are not. I have had no problems with it up to now, but I am concerned that maybe I shouldn't use Zoo Med's Vita-Sand anymore due to people badmouthing sand. Is this brand of substrate all right ot should I change?

Personally I do not believe anything I read on packaging. Unfortunately, there is not always truth in advertizing. Word of mouth is always more reliable than what the makers of the product will tell you, remember they just want to SELL. A lot of these packages say "easy to digest" as well, but the impacted lizards that suffer from them know that's not true. All they have to do is ask ONE vet to say that it's "vet recommended." How do we know the "vet" that recommended it is not a quack? The Petsmart by my house has a "vet" that looks over their lizards, and apparently he thinks calcium sand is swell, chameleons drink out of water dishes, and baby beardies can eat full grown mealworms!

Vet recommended? Bah. You know what my vet recommends? No calcium sand at all.

It's a really controversial subject. I'm sure there are breeders and owners who have used the stuff and never had problems, and will stand by it. Maybe you'll get responses from some of them.

For me and my pets, I just won't take the chance. I have heard too many stories, seen it with my own eyes. I don't know about this specific brand you use, but I don't see how it can be that much different than any other calcium sand. Calcium sand is calcium sand. None of the articles or comments warning against it that I've seen have favored one brand over another. Put it in some water for a few days and see if it dissolves. Also, type "calcium sand impaction" into a search engine and read about it. In my opinion, if it's happened before, it can happen to my lizards. It may not, but it could. That's enough reason for me to stay away.

I use rubber shelf-liner. It's easy to clean, and safe. It may not look as pretty, but the lizards don't care, they're healthy, clean, and happy.
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1.0.1 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)
0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)

i use plain play sand in my cages and have had no problems with my beardies eating it i dont use sand in my baby cages though i just use paper towel or shelf liner becuase thay are so small

some people may have problems with sand but i think its fine easy clean up id suggest that if you have nop problems with it leave it.. if its not broke dont fix it right?? heres a pic of my enclosure i just use play sand about 300 pounds : ]

Thank you both. That's what I figured, that it would in fact be an opinion type thing. However, if I feed the dragon outside the cage, away from the sand... would there still be a problem? I just changed his cage with the sand two days ago and don't exactly want to go through cleaning a 55 Gallon tank again... when it won't be due for another month...

Note that crazybilly said he uses regular playsand, not calcium sand.

If you feed your beardie outside you are being extra cautious and that's good. If he/she is not much of a licker, then it's probably not ingesting a lot of sand, which is why it hasn't had any problems yet.

Still, for me, I wouldn't take the chance. I'd wait until next time I was cleaning the cage and just replace it with a safer substrate. I don't take risks.
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1.0.1 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)
0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)

I don't agree with the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" method. Impaction only has to happen once, and just because it hasn't yet, doesn't mean it can't in the future. I'm a super-cautious type person and I think a better motto is "better safe than sorry".

Crazybilly has adult beardies on regular playsand, not a juvinile on calcium sand. His dragons are statistically at less risk.
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1.0.1 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)
0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)

I had to learn the hard way on my first bearded dragon and i feel absolutely horrible about it. After a while impaction did occur and it only lead to more complications and my baby eventually died later. my vet has the x-rays to prove it as the calcium shows up bright and clear on the x-ray. Just use paper towels or the green felt liners they sell in the pet store until your dragon gets bigger. paper towels are much easier however. I went to shows and asked people about using sand and i even asked in the forums and i got the same wishy washy answers you are getting so i let it ride and i had a beautiful set up but i paid in the end. sand is only for adults and if you still insist on sand then feed your dragon outside the cage so it doesn't ingest any sand. this topic makes me so angry because not enough people speak up against it and i see people in pet stores buying new babies and i tell them when i see them picking out their favorite color sand what can happen. Go ahead and put some sand in water, the friggin stuff does not dissolve, and if you look you can even see it in the dragons stool, undissolved. Sorry about the long post but i recently buried my baby and i wish i had known.

Amen. Nothing personal to anyone here, but I am frustrated when I spend a half hour working on a thoughtful post about the negatives of calcium sand, and the only other response is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." That makes it look like it's 50/50, but I know there are a lot more people who aren't speaking up. I'm glad you came in with a personal experience. That has so much more impact than someone saying they have heard it's bad.

Even if it was 50/50, lets look at the pros and cons.

Pros: it's pretty and comes in different colors..... um, that's about it.

Cons: it's expensive, dusty, and can possibly lead to impaction or DEATH

I would think the cons outweight the pros, in a major way.

Fact of the matter is, lizards have died from calcium impaction. It has happened before, and it will keep happening as long as people take these chances. I don't know how many times I can say "why take the risk?" I can't stress enough that just because you haven't had a problem so far, doesn't mean you'll never have a problem.

If people still want to use it, there's nothing else I can say. If that's wishy washy, then I guess it's wishy washy, but I can't force people to do what I think is right, they have to make the decision themselves.
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1.0.1 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)
0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)

I just throw this up when I don't feel like typing a long post about substrates. It covers the topic well. After that it is up to the individual to make an informed decision.

http://www.anapsid.org/substrates.html

I've read all of your posts, and finally decided to call my vet. I totally forgot to tell her what type of substrate I was using when I first bought Scamp in, but I told her about the rest of the cage furnishings. Upon asking her, she told me that yes, I should change substrate and to try using some wet paper towels. So of course, hearing it from her I reluctantly got rid of all that sand and am now using paper towels. I read up on everything before I got a beardie, and yet I still made a mistake. Oh well, now I know and my beardie is safe now. BTW.. aren't 6 months old like sub-adults? That's what I've read in a lot of material.. so that' why I thought sand then would be safe... anyway, thanks again! =)