Why Sand is the Worst Pet Reptile Substrate (with 10 Common Arguments) 

The 10 arguments with timestamps 0:47 What's impaction? 3:30 Sand is only bad if your husbandry is wrong 7:20 Many animals naturally live on sand 9:10 Many animals have done well on sand 10:15 My animal's on sand with no signs of impaction, but I'll change it if symptoms begin to show 11:25 Only calcium sand is bad 12:20 Reptiles won't get impacted if you tong or bowl feed, or have a non-sand area 14:00 It's fine if you take your snake out of the enclosure to feed 15:45 Fine sand is okay, coarse sand is not 16:33 Sand mixes are fine (and) you need sand for bioactivity

"I dont like sand, its coarse, rough, and irritating and it gets everywhere" -Anakin Skywalker

Wildfires occur naturally. Does that mean I should occasionally light my terrarium on fire?

On a zoom call recently a kid was talking about how glad he was that he finally got sand for his leopard gecko because he was “glad he was mimicking his natural environment” and I was like *B O I*

I saw the title in a notification as "why sand is the worst pet" and I was just like " this is totally normal"

“I don’t know much about keeping plants alive” *cactus flashbacks*

i will never eat sand again i’m sorry

Another title: 20 mins of leopard gecko pics

BuT i H aD mY leOparD gecko on CalcIUm sanD for aLl hiS lifE and he lIveD HiS fuLl 3 YeaR lifE spAn

The two dislikes are from Calcisand and femoral pore clogs

The chance have having a bird of prey in your enclosure is low but never zero

I've had a corn snake for around about eight years now, I'm his third owner, and he was adult size when I received him. I kid you not, the people before me had a corn snake on sand with no hide, this is real life. It took so long for all of the sand to get out of his belly scales, I'm so glad and honestly amazed that he somehow managed to turn out fine after all that.

Not to mention naturally-occuring sand is round and weathered for millions of years, while manufactured sand is ground down gravel or quartz that has sharp edges and packs much easier. Sand in the environment is also packed down super well, making it much less likely to be ingested in large enough quantities to cause impaction. Basically fuck sand its an awful substrate for captive reptiles.

Goherping: sand is the worst substrate *petco has left the chat*

"you likely don't have any birds of prey in your enclosure" don't presume you know my life

Well Alex, that’s where you’re wrong. I do have birds of prey in my enclosure. It’s more natural that way. Sand and bird of prey G🅰️🆖

In summary: why risk it? If there's a chance better be safe than sorry.

Fun fact: sand can also become impacted in larger animals. I don't have a reptile, but my parents really dumb golden retriever ate the sand out of our sandbox and had to have surgery. We took her to the vet because she stopped eating really suddenly and would throw up everything we tried to feed her. We thought she had eaten a sock or something (apparently Goldens do that a lot). But the vet just kept pulling out globs of sand.... we don't have a sandbox anymore...

Sand is made out of broken down quartz crystals. On the moh’s hardness, it has a rating of about 7 and it does not react with acid. The highest is 10 which is a diamond. Even a steel nail has a moh’s hardness scale of 6.5. So what your reptile is ingesting is even harder than a steel nail. Therefore, reconsidering the substrate would be a wise choice.

At least goherping didnt eat the sand this time.

5% of comments - Normal comments 95% of comments - I EAT SAND

One of my friends didn’t have great husbandry and kept his leopard gecko on sand so I gave him some tips and showed him some of your videos and now he’s doing great

listen buddy i've been eating sand my whole life and i'm not dead >:(

People hear "desert animal" and immediately assume that it means they roll around in sand dunes 24/7, when I could call a penguin a "desert animal" and be about as scientifically accurate as when classing a leopard gecko as such.

It’s funny when Alex, someone who is very experienced, says tummy like a 5 year old

*I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.*

Stan - egh, dads talking again, just bla bla bla wiggle wiggle wiggle. Why dont you pay attention to me (BOB BOB BOB) Every time Stan is like dis, hes so adorable.

Are the souls of the damned a suitable substrate?

chances of birds of prey eating it in captivity are very low. . . . HOW LOW ALEX???? are there sneaky thumb birds sneaking into reptile enclosures now??? these are details we need to know.

i eat sand because it fills the emptiness of my soul

Reptiles: Will get impacted if they ingest sand Me as a five year old: *OM NOM NOM*

Sand: *exists* GoHerpes/Alex: I'm about to end dis mans whole career

How many times do people need to be told not to use damn sand.

I definitely agree with the concept that if other substrates are proven to be better alternatives for certain species, then you should use them. If there is a risk, why take it? However, the mentality that sand is blatantly a bad idea for any reptile can be harmful considering that there are species that actually REQUIRE sand that aren’t as commonly kept but are becoming more popular in the hobby, such as Nephrurus (knob tail geckos). Their preferred substrate is a fine sand in which they create burrows with, and they utilize the heat-absorbing nature of the sand in order to maintain an adequate body temperature. I just think it is important to note that there are actually some species that need sand. Another species are frog-eye geckos, although their need for sand isn’t as vital as the knobtail geckos, it’s one of the most commonly used and recommended options for substrate because of its burrowing qualities. Banded geckos also prefer sand. The knobtails however can become extremely stressed and fail to follow their natural tendencies if they are lacking fine sand in their enclosures. Just a different perspective on something that might not be as commonly mentioned. For our most common pets though, I agree that sand is not the best idea! 👍

bUT calci sand has minerals and ✨ n u t r i t i o n™ ✨

I once had someone tell me their sand was fine because it was rounded

My dude you seem so tired. Hope you’re taking care of yourself when you have time ❤️

Drinking game: Take a shot everytime he says either sand, impaction, and calcium

I don’t even have a leopard gecko i just came to see cute leopard geckos videos/ pictures

Anakin was right about a few things i'll give him that

Bioactive enclosures for desert animals typically need sand in order to maintain humidity levels, consistency, and to hold shape when burrowing (sand, top soil, and clay in a specific ratio is what I use). Sand shouldn't be used for the vast majority of reptiles.

"Sand is bad for reptile's substrate!" Sandfish skink: Hold my crickets...

I kept having flashbacks to the time he ate all that sand

Mario doesn’t like sand. Sand is only good for Squizzard

Alex: Leopard geckos dont just think "oh I wish I was 5 degrees warmer" Stan: *bobs at Alex*

This is Bob AFTER he bought a snake and decided to buy a gecko.. he bought sand for his leopard gecko.. His gecko started moving slow and Bob was concerned Bob went insane. Bob had a mental breakdown. “Sand is a GrEaT substrate”

I have been _WAITING_ ever since you announced you'd be making a video on this! thank you!

The striped leo that kept coming up (1:06, 13:27, etc.) warmed my heart. What a gorgeous gecc.

*3 year olds at the beach have left the chat*

Does this mean I can’t eat sand Darn it

ive actually been researching the soil types of areas where leopard geckos are native for a while now, seems there is indeed sand involved (loamy clay soil usually) but its generally hard packed and rocky. so i think its more of a discussion of loose substrate than sand specifically

My bearded dragon is still combatting impaction GET RID OF IT! IF YOU SEE SIGNS ITS TOO LATE!

i had a lady scream at me bc i said sand causes impaction to which she said i shouldn’t own pets, and that i needed to join her facebook group to be enlightened she said that it’s bc of the humidity and nothing else

Alex this was so interesting! I dont have a reptile I would ever want on sand or needs sand or cares about sand. You are amazing because just tell it like it is! Happy to support you!

I love getting notifications because I get so excited to watch your sarcasm and chaos

I sincerely appreciate your channel so much. Its been so cool learning about reptiles and everything they may need, I never realized it was so much.

So in Australia most of our reptiles are found in sandy, rocky desert areas - there are some species, like knob tail geckos that love to burrow - it's how they hide and gives them enrichment - how would you suggest swapping red Australian sand (usually what's used) for something less impactful for a species that borrows? What would be the best substrate to swap out the sand specifically for a burrowing species? Thank you!!!

Next video: the ASMR audio of the leo claws on the microphone

The thumbnail is awesome, it prepared me to listen to this gecko complain about how annoying sand is.

This channel has been really helpful for my preparation when I get a reptile. Thank you.

Next on go herping: saying arugula 5x fast and making bad reptile parents wanna fight Alex.

I pretty much agree, but I do wanna bring up the sandfish skink, which has a body built to literally swim through fine sand

Hey dude congrats on how fast your channel is growing i am a HUGE fan. Also, keep working hard and keep doing you!

Great video! I love everything that you do for reptiles. You’re awesome!

Certain geckos like dune geckos, frog eyed geckos, tropiocolotes species, and knob tails are commonly kept on sand and are healthy. He acts like KSBs, leopard geckos, and bearded dragons are the only things that people keep on sand; these animals should not be kept on pure sand but keeping them on solid substrate doesn’t allow these animals to burrow or have more enrichment. Calcium sand is bad but many species thrive on other sand aka non dyed play sand in captivity. Also bioactive substrate doesnt need coco fiber, coco fiber breaks down quicker so a good alternative is a plain topsoil with no additives. Also leopard geckos come from a rocky, steppe (not desert) environment therefore they wouldn’t just be living on rocks the whole time, they would be living on a rocky soil which would have a similar consistency to sandy soil.

Great work Alex! Fantastic topic and well presented!

Alex: makes a serious video about impaction Me: watches Stan bopping in the background

Thank you for your awsome videos! You really helped me research and choose the best options for getting a reptile. Your videos are very helpful and I you saved me so much time and money.

I use sand in my bioactives but that's because I was trying to mimic the exact substrate that the snakes are on in the wild (I collected soil samples and measured the clay/loam/sand % and the pH and mineral content and tried to mimic it as closely as possible with stuff from the hardware store). It doesn't do much for the snakes but if you want to grow native plants you may have a difficult time growing certain plants without sand due to the way the substrate holds on to water.

If you guys are curious about Alex’s other opinions you should go check out his Twitter! 👀

Hello! I just got my first snake (a ball python) this Sunday, and for the whole week before I binged your videos in preparation! Now, me and him watch you together! Thank you!

Im so glad you posted this now because i just got a leopard gecko yesterday and she came on sand and your video popped up today for me. So funny.

Web footed geckos: “hold my sand substrate”

That sand boa was so pretty.

I appreciate you so much for explaining these serious problems that can happen with your pet reptile, ive owned 3 diferent reptiles and kept them on sand everytime and sadly it always ended up stuck in theyre eye, i never even knew about the possibility of impaction but it could have been the cause for at least one of my babies, luckily now i follow you and can do serious safety research before picking up a new reptile. Thanks again 🤘🏾🤟🏾

Really educational and respectfully presented video. Thank you! 🙂

goherpes: Educating us Stan: _BOP_

💜💕💝”For Their Tummy”💘❤️🧡 🥺👉👈

I don't know if I'm ever going to own a reptile, and based on what I've seen your videos are an excellent resource for knowledge, but I mostly come here now for the adorable lizard b-roll shots I love Beardies and Leopard Geckos so much

I just want to say thank you for these videos. I’m getting a leopard gecko tomorrow and I’m watching this whole playlist, taking notes. Just know that you helped one more leopard gecko flourish.

The title of this looks like an essay I’d write

"once it sticks, its pretty stuck" 2:57 this gecko has better eyeliner than me lol

Thank you for all of the information you've shared. You and Emily from Snake Discovery helped me figure out my setup. My Snow Motley corn snake ships today. I can't wait to get him

I love how you go between scientific terminology and "tummy." Very wholesome.

By the end of this video sand stopped sounding like a real word

Stresses about impact ion even though my leo is on a mat

the lizards moving around on the recording equipment is kinda cute and funny x3

I’ll admit I used to use calcium sand, specifically VitaSand for my bearded dragon because I didn’t know how to properly take care of my beardie and I was clearly a victim of marketing lol. I finally switched it out a year ago for a sand mat and a small amount of coconut fiber on one side of her tank to act as her “bed”. DO NOT use calcium sand. It stained my beardie bright orange and she still has patches of it on her. I’m glad that I never bought blue or some other color.

"Don't know much about keeping plants alive" Cactus flashback!

"Usually reptile stuff" And then... *the cactus*

I just click on this from a vid from 4 years ago and your voice just DROPPED 😂😂

Rly cool videos, and I really commend you for speaking so clearly the auto generated sub titles are pretty spot on! Edit: and yea I know he does have normal subtitles, but on some of his other videos it’s only auto generated.

Just taken my boy (Bearded Dragon of 7 months old) off sand. He is on reptile carpet now.

I’ve been using terrarium liner ever since I got my beardie in 2013. I don’t want him accidentally consuming sand

A lot of ppl who do bioactive set ups mix sand with organic top soil, i've been thinking about doing bioactive enclosure for my leo. Still doing my research

Thank you for blessing us with your sand knowledge.

“sand is marketed to animals all the time” hello sir would you like some sand? 🦆

Hi Alex, I’m planning on getting a corn snake in about a month or so I was just wondering if you put the heat pad under the substrate or under the enclosure?

Thank you! This video was very helpful.

Hi I am a new leopard gecko owner I have been doing some research about how to make a good enclosure for leopard geckos and I found this video really informative! +1 new sub 😁