bearded dragon substrate

Question
hi,
i have had my bearded dragon for 6months now and have just changed her substrate to sand from wood chips. i am always reading up on beardies but have come accross a few people saying sand can be harmful and cause impaction. i have noticed she has sand in her nostrells will this harm her? and what is your opinion about using sand
thanks
hayley

Answer
Are you sure it's sand or is it salt excretion? Many lizards that are native to xeric climates like the Beardie, excrete excess salts from their nares.

The answer depends on the kind of sand. Many Beardies live on sand in Australia you know. I don't recommend Calci-Sand or the like. The type made from pulverized shell fish is what is commonly sold here in the US, but it's not a fine enough grade, so it can be dangerous. The dangers from sands are more so to the abrasiveness in my opinion than impaction, but it depends on what you are keeping and what you are feeding it. Sand is not appropriate for any babies in my opinion, because the baby will be clumsy and will ingest more of it when trying to eat, but sand is relatively safe for adult dragons. You have to watch that our Beardie isn't getting it in the eyes though. The finer the grade the better. The less coarse it is, the less likely to cause an impaction, or a gastric irritation if it is ingested.

For many years I used the playbox sand which I sifted to remove the larger pebbles, and I washed it to remove the particulate powders (pulverized quartz) from it. The only issues I ever saw were if it got in the eyes, and sometimes to the snout of those lizards that liked to burrow to sleep. These days I use a nice soft loamy native dirt and it cuts down on any abrasiveness issues though. To summarize, in my opinion, too many people make a stink about sands in general where it concerns adult dragons. Just stay away from the coarse kind. Don't use it with juveniles, use artificial turf or paper for them. Dirt is better than sand, but sand is definitely better than wood chips. Some kind of turf may be a bit safer still, but in my opinion, most herps enjoy having a natural substrate to dig around and cover themselves in, and promoting natural behaviors is beneficial to their longevity and reduction in stress.