Can I use reptile sand for hamsters???

[Crystalroborovski]

Hi there! Pretty soon, I might be getting a couple of robos and I've been doing much research. Since hamsters like taking sand baths I was going to make a little sand section in my cage. I was wondering- is reptile substrate sand safe for hamsters? I thought it might be but I just wanted to check beforehand.

As for me getting a pair of male robos, please do not bash me on this. I've been researching it A LOT so I know what I'm getting into, what the risks are, etc. I'm getting a very large cage so if worse comes to worse, I can put a divider in it.
Thanks!

[AmityvilleHams]

Reptile sand is not safe for hamsters.Stick with chinchilla sand or sterilized play sand,which will be much safer and should also be considerably cheaper

[Drago]

Reptile sand as amity said, should really be avoided. In fact, reptile sand isn't even safe to use with most reptiles! The problem is that there is often added calcium in the sand which is obviously not good for hams to be rolling in and licking off themselves. You mention reptile substrate, what exactly are you thinking of specifically? It's best to stick with hamster things with hamsters as hamsters have very different physiological needs than reptiles do and thus substrate that may work with a lizard or snake, may not be safe for a hamster. Chinchilla sand, plain aquarium sand, or well sterilized play sand would work very well for them

[Crystalroborovski]

Drago-
Ok, thanks. By "reptile substrate sand" I just meant the basic sand you would put in the bottom of a reptile's cage. I thought I should probably stay away from the calcium sand or sand with added calcium as I thought it probably wasn't safe. Thanks for replying!

[AmityvilleHams]

Any sort of reptile sand(even without calcium)would be extremely risky.Aquarium sand is also not worth risking,since it would be extremely difficult to find a completely safe sand(most use dyes or are made of unsafe things).Not all sand is created equally!

[Drago]

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

Any sort of reptile sand(even without calcium)would be extremely risky.Aquarium sand is also not worth risking,since it would be extremely difficult to find a completely safe sand(most use dyes or are made of unsafe things).Not all sand is created equally!

If you use completely natural aquarium sand it can actually be better than playsand due to the fact that it's natural, broken down bits of rock and shell rather than made up of artificial crushed rock known as silicates like play sand is. As long as you can get it without dyes or added elements, it's actually very safe and better in the long run

[Crystalroborovski]

Originally Posted by Drago

If you use completely natural aquarium sand it can actually be better than playsand due to the fact that it's natural, broken down bits of rock and shell rather than made up of artificial crushed rock known as silicates like play sand is. As long as you can get it without dyes or added elements, it's actually very safe and better in the long run

Ok! Is there any specific brand you would recommend? Or if I were to go with play sand any brand you would recommend for that?

[Drago]

For playsand, I'd say any brand is fine, but the more natural it is, the better! As for aquarium sand, I use caribsea super naturals aquarium sand as it's not dyed and is all natural


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005Q..._t3_B003JVCSPM

(Here's just an example, you can usually find it cheaper than this)

[Crystalroborovski]

Originally Posted by Drago

For playsand, I'd say any brand is fine, but the more natural it is, the better! As for aquarium sand, I use caribsea super naturals aquarium sand as it's not dyed and is all natural


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005Q..._t3_B003JVCSPM

(Here's just an example, you can usually find it cheaper than this)

Ooh ok, thanks! I'll check it out

[AmityvilleHams]

Quikrete I believe is the easiest from Home Depot!It is much cheaper than aquarium sand,with the linked sand costing more than four times as much for half the amount.Even the all natural play sand is cheap,considering it costs the same as regular play sand.