Reptiles Magazine Community / Reptile Forums / Beginner Herpers Discussion / Dont buy this sand / Latest Posts

RE: Dont buy this sand

Saba — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 07:41:56 GMT

I get what you mean there.

RE: Dont buy this sand

Ratsnake — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:47:44 GMT

zaroba (8/23/2010)

as long as the info pertains to the topic, and the topic isn't too far down the list, why does it matter if its old? does it really bother you THAT much to see a topic title giving you an unread post notification? do you realize that by replying to me your also adding posts to the old topic? if i had started a new topic, then you would you have just told me to use the forum search instead, right?

looking threw the rules, there is nothing about kicking an old topic, and i can't fathom why you have an issue when the topic was still on the first page anyway. but rule #8 does say to stay on topic. and calling me snotty and attacking me for participating in a discussion can be considered violating rule #1

He's got you there guys. Even though this topic had been beaten into the ground, zaroba's post was informative. Usually you hear about calci sand being bad, but with no explanation of it's possible effects other than "it causes impaction". I don't mind an old thread being resurrected if someone has something good to say.

RE: Dont buy this sand

Saba — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:53:36 GMT

Thank you Steve and Tenacious Leafs.

RE: Dont buy this sand

Tenacious Leafs — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:45:35 GMT

I agree. Unless you have something not stated or if you have an answer to an unanswered old topic, there is not need to bring up old topics. Also there is no need for any of this arguing. But I think it would be a good idea to close topics that have been resolved or have the necessary responses. This is a friendly forum about keeping and reproducing reptiles so everyone can enjoy them, so think about this before posting anything.

RE: Dont buy this sand

Steve 95 — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:47:29 GMT

Its not as much the topics bringing back that bothers me, but the fact that people make replys to these older topics, when the topic was etheir resolved or all the information has been stated already.

The fact that Saba kindly told you not to bring back old topics and with a response like 'geez. it wasnt even halfway down the page' is just plain rude. This aurgement is childish, I should've not of said anything in the first place.

Oh BTW, maybe next time you should look through the rules instead of looking threw them.

RE: Dont buy this sand

zaroba — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:08:50 GMT

RE: Dont buy this sand

Steve 95 — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 14:02:37 GMT

Everyone knows the affects of calci-sand, this topic is brought up so many times its riduculus. The same goes for every sand, calcium carbonate is found in most rocks of the world. Just like anything else, too much of it can be hazardous, THUS creating impaction.

Bringing back old topics I think is against one of the rules. This topic was made a month ago, and the last post was sometime in the middle of July. If your going to be snotty and have a attitude about it, make another topic instead of brining back old ones.

RE: Dont buy this sand

zaroba — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 11:06:02 GMT

geeze. it wasn't even halfway down the first page yet.

would you rather me have not posted and thus not provided good information regarding the dangers of calcisand to the people who had posted in the topic about using it?

RE: Dont buy this sand

Saba — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 08:37:41 GMT

This is very good info and I clap for you there. Just PS: Try not to bring and topics up that have been over 2 weeks since the last post.

RE: Dont buy this sand

zaroba — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 08:06:43 GMT

calcisand actually can be quite harmful to reptiles, despite what the petshop and packaging would have you believe.

calcisand is made out of calcium carbonate, which is the same stuff Tums and other antacid medicines are made out of. Since Calcium Carbonate neutralizes stomach acid, it isn't digested very fast and enough of it could pretty much stop a reptiles digestive process by fully neutralizing their stomach acid. if this happens while a reptile is eating their normal food, then they wont be able to digest their food and it will rot in their gut possibly resulting in a sick reptile. since it absorbs moisture and clumps together, it will dry out whatever organ is around it so even a properly hydrated reptile will suffer from an impaction if enough is consumed.

since it is made out of calcium, a reptile will be tempted to eat it to get extra calcium.
Too much calcium results in a phosphorus deficiency and impaired metabolic function, the kidneys can only clean out a certain amount of calcium at once so if there is too much calcium in the blood, it wont all be removed. excess calcium in the bloodstream can result in the disease Hypercalcemia

RE: Dont buy this sand

Horseluvr — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:37:11 GMT

My uncle had a leo, and he used sand for a while before it got impacted and then he used coconut husk, but the leo got impacted again. The leo died of old age, though, so i would recommend repticarpet.

RE: Dont buy this sand

Ratsnake — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:13:20 GMT

Sinkarnate (7/13/2010)

thank you!
And ANY substrate has a small chance of being dangerous....
Animals can ingest paper towels to... and they have done so before.... and died from it.
There is a risk with anything you use in the tank, this risk is generally significantly lower than any risk they would face in the wild...but it's still there.... you just have to decide which risks are worth it or not.

I second that. A healthy and hydrated animal will be able to pass any ingested substrate. The problem is when an animal swallows an unusually large amount. I'm convinced that the impaction-thing is overblown.

RE: Dont buy this sand

Sinkarnate — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:45:13 GMT

RE: Dont buy this sand

Steve 95 — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:40:39 GMT

Sand is not a bad substrate, as long as you give your herp the proper care and keep them hydrated. It will only be unsafe if you don't live up to the requirements needed to care your herp.

RE: Dont buy this sand

repfreak — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 09:40:45 GMT

Maybe we should all stick with the paper towels. It might not look nice but it is the safest substrate.

RE: Dont buy this sand

JhoCool — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 07:21:56 GMT

I've used play sand from Home Depot for my bearded dragons and a Mali Uromastyx for years and never had a single problem. I don't understand the negative connotations that go along with using sand as substrate. That being said, Leopard Geckos are completely different from the two species I mentioned and I have never cared for one.

RE: Dont buy this sand

repfreak — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 19:06:24 GMT

same here. i use it also. Cali-sand is the best

RE: Dont buy this sand

Chase — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:51:47 GMT

ok. i use the calci sand and i havent had any problems with it. also the sand isn't supposed to get wet.

RE: Dont buy this sand

CLee — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:51:22 GMT

Calci-Sand being crap is not just an Internet rumor. I used to use it, it clumps like Play Dough when it gets wet. Now, imagine for a second, a big clumpy glob trying to pass through your Leo's intestines, it's not going to. That clay stuff is the same way, it's clay, it packs together and it's not going to pass through your Leo's intestines. Either way, causing a serious impaction when enough of either one is consumed.

If you use ANY loose substrate at ALL, use Washed and Sifted Playsand. In the end, it's more expensive than Tile though. Leo's spend most of their lives in Rocky areas not Sandy areas. :-)

RE: Dont buy this sand

eublipharis — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 23:29:26 GMT

the excavator sand is a pain in the a** i made the mistake of buying it and it took me an hour to get it out and i had to use a hose and turn the water all the way up

RE: Dont buy this sand

WisconsinHerper515 — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:51:00 GMT

There is a new fine ground Calci-sand from I think it was Zoo med.

RE: Dont buy this sand

oneWorld — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:10:18 GMT

The "excavator clay" or whatever its called is supposed to be nasty stuff. I personally havn't used it but I've heard from a reliable source that it is a huge pain in the rear end...once its dries its as hard as a rock (imagine trying to change that substrate!).

RE: Dont buy this sand

Crested Man — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 08:32:18 GMT

You could use the Zoo med burrowing clay. I've heard that stuff is excellent.

RE: Dont buy this sand

Reptile Maniac — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:34:37 GMT

Not feeding them in there cage is another good idea, also they'll usually tame down faster if they think that they'll be feed once you pick them up.

RE: Dont buy this sand

Sorrak — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:56:16 GMT

I used to use calci-sand,but I switched over to play sand,which not only appears a great deal more efficent,(It's not as powder-like so it doesn't go up Freckles' nose.)But,I don't feed her in her cage,just to be safe.

RE: Dont buy this sand

Reptile Maniac — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:46:15 GMT

How about you use dry ground coconut husk? It's safe for herps to digest, and looks nice, I've used it for my leos and didn't have a problem.

RE: Dont buy this sand

nagadragon — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:34:56 GMT

I have seen firsthand what sand does to leos. I lost my first leo due to impaction. If you want to avoid that, take him out and put him in a seperate container to feed him.

I have also seen what calci-sand does to young beardies. The sand actually bonded with the beardie, and not only stunted his growth severely, but changed his color to blue. It took months to just get the sand off (lots and lots of sheds).

I use sand, but I don't feed my pets in it.

RE: Dont buy this sand

Katschamne — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:02:47 GMT

I only use playsand whenever I use sand. I do bake the sand just to make sure that it doesn't have any parasites. It is cheaper, and finer then the sand they sell for reptiles. Also you really don't want to encourage them eating the cali-sand because of the risk of impaction. For Leos just put a small dish with calcium in it and if they want it they will lick it out of the bowl.

I have to say that I haven't heard of any other issues with the Exo Terra sand. I would say that it was an isolated issue, but I would still contact them and tell them of the problem that you had. They might want to investigate and if others have had a problem they might issue a recall for that item.

RE: Dont buy this sand

RabidReptile — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 06:11:14 GMT

Use only the finest sand. Just because it says "REPTILE" on the bag doesn't mean it's actually suitable for reptiles (such as Zoo Med's Repti Bark that says "Excellent substrate for green iguanas" on the front!).

It's better safe than sorry!

RE: Dont buy this sand

WisconsinHerper515 — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:34:51 GMT

Exactly, don't use sand myself for my leo.

RE: Dont buy this sand

Maximum — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:08:17 GMT

I would ditch the sand as well. It may look nice, but to put your animals at risk for reasons of looks, is not a wise choice.

I don't trust calci-sand either. Some use it successfully, but some end up with a dead herp.

RE: Dont buy this sand

Ratsnake — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:58:21 GMT

A lot of people claim that Calci Sand is not digestable and causes impactions. I realy don't know how true that is. It could be an overblown internet rumor. There are plenty of people who have used it succesfully. There are a few different calcium sands on the market, so be sure to check them out. The finner grade sands, like play sand are easier to pass if injested.

RE: Dont buy this sand

Finny — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:36:26 GMT

im not keen on ditching the sand. i like it for aesthetic reasons. how about calcisand. does it work? its the stuff that the lizards can eat right?

RE: Dont buy this sand

Ratsnake — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:11:57 GMT

Sand doesn't go bad. It's sand, not vegetables. Maybe there was something wrong with whatever dye they use in the coloring process. Did you email ZooMed about it? They respond to emails pretty quickly.

I would ditch the sand altogether and put them on reptile carpet, slate, or tiles. Then you won't have to worry and will have a much easier time cleaning the cage.

Dont buy this sand

Finny — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:39:39 GMT

I bought some exo terra black sand and put it in with my leos. I had a feeling something was wrong cause it smelt like propane, but i ignored it cause sand doesnt go bad right? WRONG!!! within a few days, my leos were lethargic and eating improperly( This post was also related to the leos passing whole crickets post). I got rid of the sand and put them on paper towel and they r fine now. How can i trust that the next time i but sand it wont be bad?