Buying Sand

[Pyror]

For those who have used sand as a substrate in their enclosures, where have you found to be the best places to obtain good quality (with regard to cleanliness and colour) sand?

[soulweaver]

some people just get it from outside and bake it in the oven to kill off the crap.........or so i've heard

From my local gardening supplies, Fine Wash sand, $5 a cubic metre..enough to do a few lizard enclosures

[bigguy]

I buy bags of Kiln Dried Sand. Costs about $6 for about a 40kg bag. This is the same sand they use for sand blasting graffetti off walls. Its great stuff and easily sifted. I get it from the local sand supplier.

[Switch]

Just something to think of, if your are using the sand in an enclosure which is meant to be dry such as an environment for a bearded dragon it would be fine but for a northen python which requires higher humidty it may asborb alot of the moisture in the air and dry out the encosure too much, this can cause lots of problems when shedding and more importantly respitory problems. If the sand was kept moist in a waterproof tray it might help.

[bigguy]

Switch, I think if you keep a reptile such as lizards and snakes on moist sand you would be inviting scale rot big time. Always house lizards and snakes on dry clean substrates. To increase humidity you need only to supply a larger water bowl.

[Matty_2004]

I buy the Reptile (Central Australian) Red Desert Sand from a petshop in Melbourne - costs me like $15.00 per 10kg bag. I'm still trying to find Central Australian desert sand from garden suppliers as $15.00 for 10kg is a bit steep although it is clean and filtered.

[instar]

Would dry sand naturally absorb moisture from the air? Might absorb odour too? how do you find?

[Switch]

your right Big guy, i dont keep lizards or use sand , i was just offering some thoughts

Bob,
I always keep one end of the enclosure fairly moist in my monitor enclosures (for humidity). Just wondering, if you dont keep the sand moist..whats the best way to make sure the lizards can dig solid burrows that wont collapse?

Ahh I think that maybe you guys are using 'moist' in a different context to me??????? The sand drys out on the surface, but a CM under is still good for burrowing...Is this what you do Bob?

[sobrien]

You could get that sand that brickies use. It's orange in colour and compacts really well. You can wet it and let it dry but it stays together...I think. I'm only going on by what I have heard so don't take my word for it. At the moment I am using red desert sand but it's so expensive I need to find another alternative.

[bigguy]

Baritji

I use a nesting box for the lizards to lay in. This is a mixture of loam and sand and I keep this damp for digging holes in. The sand in the cages in very dry.