My bearded dragon eats sand with food. Will it cause impaction?

I agree with the sites claiming sand is dangerous for your beardie, i have seen many beardies with sand impaction, many of them too far gone to be saved, i strongly recommend any of the other alternatives for bedding as they are all safer than sand.

She could be impacted, especially if she is on a sand bedding, you can try giving her laxatives such as parafin oil and cat hairball paste 3 times a day, i do recommend taking her to the vet to get it confirmed before you do that, an xray will confirm it if she has sand impaction.

Hi, Most likely he will not get impacted, but I would watch him closely for the next few days. I would suggest switching the substrate to something less hazardous like yesterday's news or artificial turf. It may not look as nice as the sand, but is safer. P.S. What a nice pattern Snuggles has :)

Hi Cameron and thank you for your question. I would recommend that you keep using the mat rather than sand exactly because of the concerns you have mentioned. You could get 2 mats and use one while the other is being cleaned. There is no real way of preventing them from swallowing sand.

I'm sorry Drakuo is so sick. It sounds like her needs to see a veterinarian. He may have a GI blockage or sand impaction if he's been kept on sand. Some metabolic diseases will also cause Beardies to vomit. I recommend getting him seen asap. If you do not already have a reptile veterinarian you can try looking here to find a veterinarian near you. http://arav.org/ I hope Drakuo is better soon!

Mealworms are fine as long as they are freshly molted mealworms. These do not have as much chitin, which is what can pose a risk of impaction or obstruction. Waxworms are very fatty and should be fed only occasionally to juvenile dragons. Stick with appropriately sized crickets, dubia roaches and phoenix worms. Keep him hydrated and warm to keep his GI tract moving. Soak in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte for 20-30 minutes every few days. Yiu can massage the abdomen, front to back, during the soak to stimulate defecation. As long as he is behaving normally and defecating regularly, he is likely not impacted or obstructed.

Hello, if this is a single event, I think it would be fine to closely monitor Cleopatra for any additional signs of illness like continued vomiting, anorexia, lethargy, etc. It’s entirely possible she just ate a bit too much or too quickly and then brought up some fluid. However, vomiting can indicate serious illness in bearded dragons, so don’t wait too long to see a veterinarian if it happens again. Sometimes, bearded dragons kept on walnut or sand bedding eat the bedding every time they eat a prey item and can get blockages in the GI tract. Also, tumors of the stomach can happen in bearded dragons, which can cause vomiting, as can general infection or illness.