Respiratory risks in sand

[LlamacornBob]

Some people buy reptisand for their hamsters because it's safe and sanitized, but I think people seem to neglect the other risks sand can carry. When I bought some reptisand I noticed that when some spilled out it was so fine that some of it looked almost like thick red dust, which could be the reason for its softness, but the problem is further than just this brand, Here's a question, isn't sand already too fine? one may argue that if your sand isn't too fine it would be okay, but this is sand, it's ground-up there's bound to be dust not to mention if the grains are too big it won't clean their fur well and they wouldn't like their sand bath as much. I firmly believe that hamsters need sand, but don't you think you need to choose more wisely? is fine sand alright if it isn't like powder? or is there something about the sand's properties that make the dust it may contain not as harmful as it could be?

[Ria P]

I always thought reptisand isn't suitable for hamsters.
Or am i mistaken? I've never used it and stick to sand, not dust, meant for rodents.

[AmityvilleHams]

Originally Posted by Ria P

I always thought reptisand isn't suitable for hamsters.
Or am i mistaken? I've never used it and stick to sand, not dust, meant for rodents.

In general the safety for reptile sand overall is, at best, debatable. Children's play sand however if prepared properly is extremely safe - it's also significantly cheaper than reptile sand for a much larger volume!

[Pebbles82]

I believe also that reptile sand isn't suitable for various reasons (its usually a different type of sand). Chinchilla bathing sand is safest (must be sand not "dust"). Or childrens play sand if sterilised.

[sushi_78]

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

In general the safety for reptile sand overall is, at best, debatable. Children's play sand however if prepared properly is extremely safe - it's also significantly cheaper than reptile sand for a much larger volume!

Can you elaborate more on this? Most reptile sand is just quartz, which is exactly the same as most children's play sand. There is calcium reptile sand, but that's well known to be unsafe and it's not as common.

[AmityvilleHams]

Originally Posted by sushi_78

Can you elaborate more on this? Most reptile sand is just quartz, which is exactly the same as most children's play sand. There is calcium reptile sand, but that's well known to be unsafe and it's not as common.

It can certainly be the same material, but it may not necessarily be the same quality in terms of uniform smooth grains and minimal dust etc(ultimately not all quartz/silica sands will be safe - processing by hamster owners also boosts safety of play sand if done properly). The original post was a fair representation of the potential issue with, for example, Reptisand.