Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Would like to hear pros and/or cons of using it from those who have tried it.

Thanks in advance

>>Would like to hear pros and/or cons of using it from those who have tried it.
>>
>>Thanks in advance

I don't use sand for anything but hermit crabs. For snakes it is dry, abrasive and will impact and kill them if they eat it. It doesn't hold a burrow unless it is so damp that it is growing bacteria....and yeah, it absorbs and grows bacteria. I don't see any reason to use it for most living things.
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Sonya

Haven't we warned you about tampering with the structure of a chaotic system?
Mrs. Neutron

animals that tyipically dwell in it in the wild...some species of scorpions, various lizards, and I can only think of one snake, a sidewinder. Past that, sand would certainly not be recommended. As the previous responder said, it can cause impactation and result in death. Furthermore, sand is messy and a real pain in the a$$ around cage cleaning time.

Chris
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Chris Law
U.A.P.P.E.A.L. (Uniting a Proactive Primate and Exotic Animal League)
Herpetoculture Element Representative

View my website: www.herpfanatic.com

There are many sand dwelling herps that do just fine with it. Horned lizards and other dessert herps. For most herps you will mix the sand with peat or soil for a good substrate that will be softer and better airated. Having calcium in the sand, helps prevent impactions that usually occur when the animal is calcium deficient and continously licks the subtrate trying to get calcium in their system. As for keeping the cage clean, I don't see any difference between sand and any other substrate, unless your a newspaper- shoebox, type of herp keeper with no interest in setting up a natural terrium/vivarium.

My main concern is for the health of my sand boas. When I first heard of the vita-sand and calci-sand I thought it sounded pretty cool, but after opening a bag and smelling that chalky smell my gut feeling said they wouldn't wanna live under that stuff.

Sand boas don't really live in sand alone, a mix of peat and sand would be better. Live plants, earthworms, and such will help keep the substrate airated, and clean.

" As for keeping the cage clean, I don't see any difference between sand and any other substrate, unless your a newspaper- shoebox, type of herp keeper with no interest in setting up a natural terrium/vivarium."

If you have a cage that cannot be lifted and taken to a sink or outside to clean, sand is a real pain as a substrate. It is much harder to clean out of the caging unit completely than aspen bedding or something of that sort. I dont mind sand for a liftable tank or shoebox type setup, but any permanently placed cage it is not good. Substrate in my opinion should be completely changed and not just "spot cleaned". Therefore, sand is much harder to clean out completely to sanitize the cage and then refill. This is why I claim that sand is a pain in the A$$ as a substrate.
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Chris Law
U.A.P.P.E.A.L. (Uniting a Proactive Primate and Exotic Animal League)
Herpetoculture Element Representative

View my website: www.herpfanatic.com

Sand in a cage that is set up as a dessert Vivarium and is dry, will act just like cat litter, and regular scooping will do just fine. Creating natural biological environments that do not require much maintanence should be the goal of any keeper, in my opinion, it beats the hell out of dragging your cage to the sink!