I'm still going to disagree with you there ziggy! That's how reptiles get impacted is from sand and trying to digest sand! They can't!! I just think you should do major research before putting anything on sand. I wouldn't reccomend it at all to anyone ever, but hey it's your choice! I'm just glad my herps will be happy and not irritated by the sand!!

You must admit though Brizzy, there are things that do exist that live on sand...But for the most part I think the main reason deserts are deserted is because not much can live on it. I wouldn't put anything on sand either but there is an aspect of something must live on it but how much do people really know about natural habitats of most creatures. I think the safest bet for me is to stay away from it.

Exactly! And of the few animals that do live in desert areas most of them do not live their entire existance on loose sand as they will in a sand based enclosure.
There in lies a problem. Saying something is safe just because one animal has lived on it for a few years with no obvious problem can be very misleading. Also the product you are referring to IS a calcium sand and is just about the worst thing you could use.

There are 2 types of impaction. In one there is a sudden blockage that immediately causes a problem. The other is a condition where the blockage builds up over time little by little. Your dragon could be accumulating an impaction as we speak. I am not saying it is but it is a distinct possibility.
The discussions over pros and cons of using sand as a substrate will likely continue to go on for the immediate future.
For myself and my charges I choose to err on the side of caution.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

I have to agree again with joe and merlin!! Nicely said!!

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Zane Neher.

The great and strong man is one who bears within his character many contradictions.
Crocodilian care.

So what is cali-sand? I had it for my hermit crabs then threw it out on the first cleaning. Is it sand coated in calcium? Then therr is the type that glows in the dark. Why would anyone think of making a sand to eat?

Hello,

It's pure calcium carbonate.

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Its ground up calcium carbonate, a mineral.
As for making a sand to eat, its simply a marketing ploy to get you to buy their product. Since some lizards will actively consume calcium as a part of their lifestyle, the manufacturer's push that their product is digestable to fool people into believing that it is safe to use.
It isn't.

And the glow in the dark part is just to attract the "ooooooooooh thats so cool" shopper!

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Pretty much anything is digestible if you eat a grain of it and digestable to what? It doesnt really specify...

Not true. Some things will digest and somethings won't.
Sand is eroded stone. Depending on what the original material is composed of it may or may not break down in digestion. For instance a single grain of calcium carbonate sand would dissolve in stomach acid therefore they can say it is digestable.
A grain of granite would not.
However a single grain of a material might pass THROUGH the digestive system without causing any harm. The problem lies in accumulation in the digestive system and the blockage that build up causes.

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!