ingesting alot of vitasand? is that ok?

[VENZZ]

I recently swaped out my substrate from cypress mulch to vitasand/eco earth mixture.

I noticed the sand is very annoying to deal with since it gets into his drinking water and food plate...

I know that vitasand is meant to be ingested, but is too much ok??

 

[Kristina]

No, it is very not. In fact vitasand can be worse because it tastes and smells edible and can cause deadly impactions. When you mix sand and coir, you want to use playsand for just that reason. I personally do not use sand because I tried it and it separated from the coir and got into my tortoises' eyes, food, and the creases in their bodies. Since you are having a problem I would swith substrates asap.

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I meant to say not ok, lol.

 

[Isa]

I totally agree with Kristina, you should remove the vita sand ASAP!

 

[Tom]

Ditto. I never use any amount or type of sand just for the above stated reasons.

The pet stores keep selling it and the people keep buying it though.

 

[GBtortoises]

I do not use any type of sand products for substrate mainly because it does stick to everything moist in the enclosure and on the tortoise. I'm also not advocating that your tortoise be allowed to continuously consume it. But according to the manufacturer of Vita-Sand (Zoo Med) it is a safe, digestable product made from calcium carbonate:

"Our Vita-Sand is an all natural substrate that contains no artificial colors or color sealers. We've enhanced our substrate with added vitamins and beta carotene that may help provide increased health benefits for your pet. In addition, the ultra fine grade particles help prevent against impaction from over consumption. Ideal for bearded dragons, uromastyx lizards, monitors, geckos (including leopard geckos), and desert tortoises. This is not a substitute for dietary supplements.
Features
All natural vitamin-fortified calcium carbonate substrate increases calcium delivery in desert species of reptiles
Fortified with vitamins and beta carotene for increased health benefits
Veterinarian approved substrate is offered in a variety of colors"

My experience with Calcium Carbonate in powder form is that it is a fine dust and turns to a clay like consistency when wet. In order for it to not do that it would likely have to have some type of material binder in it. Notice their description only says that it "contains no artificial colors or color sealers". Not necessarily what it does contain!

Not a sand fan.
.

 

[tortoises101]

The pet store sands are there because pet stores want your money and are constantly trying to convince you that these commercial products are completely safe and even beneficial to tortoises.

Wrong. These sands are more like death traps to tortoises. They clog the gut if ingested, are irritating to eyes, and are dehydrating. Like what others have told you, play sand mixed with something like coir or topsoil would be your best bet.

 

[VENZZ]

what substrates would you guys recommend?

 

[GBtortoises]

Any sand is nothing more than finely ground rock, quartz and/or shell. The composition of it depends upon where it was harvested. Play sand goes through a washing and drying procedure to remove debris and contaminents and to minimize airborne dust, but it's still ground up rock. It's still not digestable. This doesn't make it any safer for tortoise substrates than Vita-Sand or other similar products. Mixing it with another organic substrate such as mulch doesn't make the sand "inert" in any way, it just means that it has more to stick to when it gets wet.

The better choice for a substrate would be organic compositions like coconut coir, organic top soil, organic potting soil or safe wood based mulches like cypress and a few others. Even when using organic substrates every effort should be made to minimize ingestion because it too can cause impaction if too much has been ingested.