Thanks Ndokai for your response,

I have literally just sat down after replacing the sand-the more i thought about it the more ridiculous an idea it was. Strangely, what was the deciding factor is that my female chuck was actively tasting the sand a few times but definitely seemed to turn her nose up at it and left it alone after that. As always the animals themselves know best! I will keep posting updates to let you know how we get on.

Thanks again,

Ben