Views on sand as substrate

What does everyone think about sand as substrate. (All types of sand)
Im a member of ********** and they all say its bad, which i beleive too but just wanted to know what everyone on here thought!
THanks

I'm a fan of newpaper and repticarpet myself. No sand here!

Well all sand is dangerous as a substrate and can cause impacton in most reptiles. So I would say yes, all sand is bad. Some sands worse than others though.
I myself do not use sand for any of my herps. The only tme I may use sand is *IF* I ever get frog eyed geckos. But still that is a major *MAY* statement. So I am a fan of papertowels, reptile carpet, and other safe substrates.

well i havent had any problems yet and seeing as though bearded dragons are natives of australian deserts it shouldnt be a problem.

I like sand.
I have used sand for 10+ years and have never had a problem with it. Sand can cause impaction, every substrate has it's flaws and being I'm a huge fan of natural substrates I will use sand if it's relative to the animal. I keep herps for many reasons and one is for visual purposes. Having any of my animals on paper towels or newspaper is like having a fish in an empty tank.

More so, I have use it for many years with great outcomes and I will comtinue using it when it comes to it.
Zane

I have recently started to use sand for my big Bearded Dragons, but not the smaller ones, I think the greater risk of impaction lies with the smaller babies on sand, although im still not sure of it with my bigger Bearded Dragons, I have been thinking about changing to something else, don't know what yet tho, and I cant stand the grating of the sliding doors when the sand gets underneath it, oh that goes threw me

OH boy here we go. Julie and Brad know my views from the other forum but for the rest of you here goes. Sand has proven to cause problems and many times the problems are so slow to show themselves you dont realize there is a problem until it is too late if ever. II believe it may shorten a Bearded Dragons life by slowly impacting them. The Bearded Dragon lives for 5 or 6 years instead of 10 or more and you think it has died of natural causes but it is because of a slow impaction. Another thing is in the wild Bearded Dragons do not live on sand like many think . They live in more of a Savanna type environment than a sandy desert one. What is natural to them is a hard packed dirt and rock environment, not a sandy beach like one.

I prefer the use of either Wheat Bran or Alfalfa pellets. I lean toward wheat bran because I like the looks of it better and I dont like the grass smell of the Alfalfa pellets. Using repti carpet or newspaper/paper towels is probably the safest bet but like mentioned above I just dont like the look of it and my Bearded Dragon loves to dig and he cant with those.

Just my

Thanks dad, you and I both know about sand!! We have shared many arguments about it elsewhere but i just wanted some new advice from this lovely place. Brad wants to put Deuce back on it and i still say NO!!! We tried wheatbran before like i said before, finding there poo is like a scavenger hunt for us, and now that grassy smell of the pellets is bothering us. Still not sure what to do. I dont think we will be going back to sand though!!!

I have used sand for 2yrs with all my Bearded Dragons with no problems at all. They are not fed inside their enclosures. Everyone has their own opinions on sand and that is how it will always be.

Asides for young animals, do you have documental proof of sand impaction? Even being a Vet Tech(Med) I have yet to see anything but keepers saying it has happened to them or have seen it happen. Granted I'm sure it can, especially in young animals but in adults properly cared for I find it slightly probable. Feel free to email me if you do, I would love to take a look at them.

Also, vitticeps are often found is sandy areas and eaten sand is passed through the digestive system. It may not be digestible but it is often passed through the tract of adult animals. 6-10 years is the average life span for these guys so I'm not so sure if sand is part of the cause of deaths under 8 years of age. It could be natural, all I can say is if anyone wants to know for sure take your animal in for necropsy after it passes.

But like I said, I've used it for many years, including feeding in the same enclosure (Not advisable) and have never had any problems. By the way, I do like the slate tiles, too. Great stuff to mix with sand.
Thanks,
Zane