Calci-Sand: The substrate your reptile (and you) will love
Jun 27 '00
Reptile owners like easy to care for vivariums and reptiles like calcium. T-Rex Bone Aid Calci-Sand is the perfect substrate to make both you and your pet happy.
I've tried a great many substrates over the years, having raised snakes, lizards, turtles, tortoises, and hermit crabs. Almost all of them seem to require a choice between an attractive habitat that's easy to care for and the health and happiness of your pet. Here are a few of the common substrates I've tried.
Rabbit pellets - Cheap and safe if ingested, but should your reptile knock the water bowl over or kick the pellets into his water bowl, yuck! You wind up with a gloppy goo of bacteria habitat. Not very attractive, either, and limits natural burrowing activity.
Newspaper - That lasted about a day. Not safe for your pet to begin with since inks can irritate, turns into a miserable mess when it gets wet, and even a tiny corner of a strip falling into the water bowl can make the whole habitat a swamp. Even less attractive than rabbit pellets. About the only thing that can be said for it is it's cheaper than anything else, including dirt.
Dirt - Natural, absorbent, drains well, doesn't stink. However, it gets compacted pretty easily and scatters quite a mess when you're taking out your pet. If it's not properly layered to create drainage you can grow some pretty interesting fungus, I've noticed.
Moss - It's a pain in every aspect. Messy, gets wrapped up around your pet, and winds up in the most inexplicable places.
Reptile carpeting - Now that's attractive, makes your pet look like he's been astroturfed. No burrowing at all possible. And just wait until you have to clean it *smirk*. On top of this it can irritate the underside of your pet and get wrapped around claws and toes.
Sand - Uh, no. That one stopped the first time our lizard got constipated. If you think they look grumpy normally, try one that's bloated from gritty feces. Said it was 100% quartz, but apparently some clay got in there.
Then I tried Calci-Sand. This isn't any silicon or quartz sand, it's made from ground bone, so it's calcium, the most important mineral for growing reptiles anyhow. It's actually healthy for them to eat, and with the gaping bites my bearded dragon takes when catching crickets that's a good thing. It evenly distributes and maintains heat, so reptiles love burrowing in it and basking. There's no odor at all, and should it get kicked into the water bowl it settles to the bottom and is easily cleaned out, and should it get wet it clumps just enough to keep the wet from spreading all over the cage without compacting. It won't cling to your pet, either, so you can pick him up without taking half his substrate with him. Cleaning is a breeze, just use a small slotted spoon to scoop out messes.
Calci-Sand even looks cool. It comes in eight colors from natural to funky and is an attractive fine grain. You can make your vivarium an impressive realistic setting or match it to your decor, either way it makes a plain tank a centerpiece.
I've used Calci-Sand with a variety of reptiles and invertebrates and enjoyed tremendous success, with happy pets and attractive and easy to care for tanks. If you've got a reptile or invertebrate, make both your lives a little more pleasant with Calci-Sand substrate.
T-Rex Bone Aid Calci-Sand is available through most major pet stores and reptile suppliers. The average price is about $6.00/5lbs. 15 lbs will be plenty for a 25-gallon tank, and will last for one-two years.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
QueenLyssa
|
|
Member: Lyssa Jaraba
Location: Riverside, CA
Reviews written: 64
Trusted by: 19 members
About Me:
It's good to be queen.
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.