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Old 01-03-2022, 02:08 PM   #1
Charlie Ping
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Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: England
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Default Concerns about Sand

Hey! So, I was looking for dig boxes and came across a post on here talking about how play sand has silica in which is a known carcinogen (cancer), and I've been thinking about it since. Is play sand actually safe for our little friends? I saw that silica in cat litter has shown to be a problem so would it apply to our hamsters? I'm worried my sand I have has silica in and I don't want to have any health issues for my new rescue ham. I've posted this in healthcare too, I hope that's not an issue.
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Old 01-03-2022, 02:33 PM   #2
Ria P
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Default Re: Concerns about Sand

Which sand do you have?

I use the Tiny Friends Farm sand which is safe.
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Old 01-03-2022, 02:44 PM   #3
AmityvilleHams
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Default Re: Concerns about Sand

Play sand is safe once rinsed, baked, and sifted. Silica cat litter to my knowledge is a much different type - more of a crystal. Those crystals can be harmful for very different reasons, one example being that they're unsafe if ingested(very likely when cats are grooming their paws etc).

While I would never recommend someone use the silica based cat litters for their cat or any other pet, play sand is something I have and always will recommend using providing you properly process it before using.
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Old 01-03-2022, 02:46 PM   #4
Charlie Ping
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Default Re: Concerns about Sand

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ria P View Post
Which sand do you have?

I use the Tiny Friends Farm sand which is safe.
I use children's play sand, but I saw that it contains silica which can cause cancer and it's now caused me to start worrying whether it is suitable or not to be in a hamster's enclosure where they kick it around. Someone told me that hamsters don't have a long enough lifespan for cancer to set in, but I didn't know because they have a more sensitive respiratory system and a shorter lifespan (seems confusing) and I didn't know if that would mean they were more susceptible.
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Old 01-03-2022, 02:48 PM   #5
Charlie Ping
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Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: England
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Default Re: Concerns about Sand

Quote:
Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams View Post
Play sand is safe once rinsed, baked, and sifted. Silica cat litter to my knowledge is a much different type - more of a crystal. Those crystals can be harmful for very different reasons, one example being that they're unsafe if ingested(very likely when cats are grooming their paws etc).

While I would never recommend someone use the silica based cat litters for their cat or any other pet, play sand is something I have and always will recommend using providing you properly process it before using.
Yeah, I baked my sand before use and it always seemed fine but seeing carcinogen worries me haha. So would you recommend I rinse and then bake and then sieve, or is that in the production process?
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Old 01-03-2022, 02:48 PM   #6
AmityvilleHams
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Default Re: Concerns about Sand

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Ping View Post
I use children's play sand, but I saw that it contains silica which can cause cancer and it's now caused me to start worrying whether it is suitable or not to be in a hamster's enclosure where they kick it around. Someone told me that hamsters don't have a long enough lifespan for cancer to set in, but I didn't know because they have a more sensitive respiratory system and a shorter lifespan (seems confusing) and I didn't know if that would mean they were more susceptible.
As long as you've rinsed, baked, and sifted it to remove dust(along with other things such as insects that can be in sand even if it seems perfectly sealed) you'll be completely fine to keep using it.

ETA posted right at the same time - baking and sieving should be done regardless of manufacturer claims such as kiln drying etc. Even bags that look perfectly sealed as this post has mentioned can have foreign objects in them, so you always want to do the process fully.
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Old 01-03-2022, 02:49 PM   #7
Charlie Ping
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Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: England
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Default Re: Concerns about Sand

Quote:
Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams View Post
As long as you've rinsed, baked, and sifted it to remove dust(along with other things such as insects that can be in sand even if it seems perfectly sealed) you'll be completely fine to keep using it.
Oh great, thank you! Do I use hot water?
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Old 01-03-2022, 02:51 PM   #8
AmityvilleHams
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Default Re: Concerns about Sand

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Originally Posted by Charlie Ping View Post
Oh great, thank you! Do I use hot water?
You're welcome! Cold water will work just fine.
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Old 01-04-2022, 12:08 PM   #9
Charlie Ping
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Join Date: Jun 2019
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Default Re: Concerns about Sand

Quote:
Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams View Post
You're welcome! Cold water will work just fine.
OPh great! Thank you, how long should I rinse for? Will it dry in the oven?
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