Are sand substrates good???

[Spike]

Hi everyone! It's been some time since I've been on. Spike is doing great! He just went through a shed and looks great! He's out of him semi hibernation stage and he eating like never before! My question is....I wanted to try a sand substrate, but not sure if they are good for them? If they are is there one better than another?? If so which? I usually order from Drs. Foster and smith because where I live there is one pet store and they don't have much variety. Thanks in advance for all your help!

[Arkangel]

Yay for Spike!
To answer your question....No sand.

From the caresheet:

Substrates not to use
We advise against sand and/or crushed walnut shells as excessive ingestion can be fatal. This is called impaction, and I've seen it on a number of occasions. When a blue tongue is chasing prey, or shooting his tongue around, he can't help but consume mouthfuls of these tiny pieces as they stick to anything even remotely wet. The tiny pieces build up and get backed up in the digestive tract, creating a complete blockage. If the animal is not able to pass the "clump", he will die. If you ever see a massive passing of feces packed full of substrate, this is your sign to switch substrates immediately. Eco Earth is another popular substrate that looks great, but our members have found bugs in the material on more than one occasion and in different states across America. Use at own risk. Do not use gravel. BTS will eat pebbles (which is normal and not harmful) but will often even attempt to eat large rocks which of course poses a serious choking hazard. See picture below. Do not use any type of pine or cedar products, and be sure that whatever substrate you do use is NON-aromatic. Cedar and pine shavings contain aromatic hydrocarbons called phenols (which gives it its scent). It can be quite toxic to your blue tongue, and can cause problems in the respiratory system. Actually, long term cedar and pine exposure are thought to be dangerous to all living things, and many studies have been done proving the theory. There are plenty of other great choices, so as long as you stay away from cedar, pine and other aromatic substrates, you should have nothing to worry about. Also, never use any type of wild bark or dirt you find outside. Bugs, ticks, mites, bacteria, dog crap, who knows what it could be infested with...and it's not even worth attempting to clean. DO NOT USE NEWSPAPER. The ink never dries, and it will leave your bluey's feet black and dry if used over time. The ink is also thought to be toxic under continual exposure, although not proven. Temporary use is fine. Here are two pictures of a BTS that was kept on newspaper as a substrate as well as the one gravel image mentioned above. Click to enlarge.

[Spike]

Thank you so much....I totally forgot about the impaction issue. I use wood chips now, I was just wanting to try something different. Thanks again!

[Dragontears]

sand =

you should post some pics of Spike

[Omega]

yeah, i've heard bad things about sand with these guys. i think they recommend cyprus or carefresh (what i use).... i like the carefresh a lot so far. Not very exciting looking... but works well.

[Lucifer_Spades]

yeah, i've heard bad things about sand with these guys. i think they recommend cyprus* or carefresh (what i use).... i like the carefresh a lot so far. Not very exciting looking... but works well.

*Aspen

[Omega]

yeah, i've heard bad things about sand with these guys. i think they recommend cyprus* or carefresh (what i use).... i like the carefresh a lot so far. Not very exciting looking... but works well.

*Aspen

whoops, i always type cyprus, lol, Aspen I mean... hehe.

[Lucifer_Spades]

s'ok I'm a pain in th rear stickler for semantics just blame it on my being a Virgo.


BTW I don't suggest using bark type bedding. I'm sick of pulling splinters out of my fingers every time I dig in there

[Zach]

sand =

That really cracked me up...maybe because I imagined you at your computer making the same face shaking your head.

[Nature's Gift]

I think this "sand" thing came about because people get this impression that all Australian reptiles live in the desert. I've never been to central Australia and nor have most blueys.

They certainly don't hang at the beach where I live, they burrow in bushy area's under the leaves and general bushy ground.

I think it's a bad stereotype that some reptiles have to suffer.

[KyleWeiss]

s'ok I'm a pain in th rear stickler for semantics just blame it on my being a Virgo.

KW