Home Depot play sand

[raouf]

Do u guys think I should wash the play sand (marked on it already been washed) before I house a desert scorp in it? I got some stones too from home depot that I plan to wash and bake as well.

 

[Warren Bautista]

Yep, that's what I use. Make sure to wash it good.

 

[snappleWhiteTea]

how are you guys washing sand? i bake mine and thats it.

 

[Moose9]

I never did anything with the sand I bought before and never had a problem. But always good to take precautions. To wash the sand, I would put it into a fine wire mesh colander and rinse well with water from the garden hose.

 

[H. laoticus]

I never did anything with the sand I bought before and never had a problem. But always good to take precautions. To wash the sand, I would put it into a fine wire mesh colander and rinse well with water from the garden hose.

Yeah, I didn't do anything either. I bought my play sand from Home Depot as well. You don't need to bake it, either.

 

[Obelisk]

I have my desert hairy in that same sand. I didn't do anything with it before using it.

 

[snappleWhiteTea]

Yeah, I didn't do anything either. I bought my play sand from Home Depot as well. You don't need to bake it, either.

i only bake "my" sand because i get it locally from the desert. and I wouldn't want to waste a scorpion on some thing living in the sand. i don't see what a water hose could really help when washing play sand though. germs?

 

[MrMatt]

i only bake "my" sand because i get it locally from the desert. and I wouldn't want to waste a scorpion on some thing living in the sand. i don't see what a water hose could really help when washing play sand though. germs?

Washing sand is typically done to help remove and reduce the amount of silica dust released into the air. Not good stuff to breathe in and I'd assume it doesn't do the inverts any good either.

 

[snappleWhiteTea]

Washing sand is typically done to help remove and reduce the amount of silica dust released into the air. Not good stuff to breathe in and I'd assume it doesn't do the inverts any good either.

yea i see now, to bad there isn't better stuff for people in other states to buy though.

 

[Envyizm]

I always wash my play sand by putting a small amount of it in a sterelite container and letting water from the faucet pour slowly on the sand to wash out anything sedimentary (silica dust) while keeping the more coarse pieces on the bottom. I only bake my substrate for less hearty species.

 

[presurcukr]

I wash my sand and then bake it (local sand) and boil my rocks in bottled water.

 

[MrMatt]

yea i see now, to bad there isn't better stuff for people in other states to buy though.

I agree. We have it lucky being able to get good substrate from our 'backyards'

 

[Moltar]

I get this stuff from Lowe's botanical department called "desert sand". I think it's just natural sand from, yaknow, some desert somewhere. It doesn't have large amounts of silica dust in it like manufactured sand, nor is it so fine as to cause joint or booklung problems like "hobby sand". There are natural variations in size of the particles and the larger bits seem rounded as though tumbled. It's going to be kind of pricey to set up large sand-only enclosures since they only come in 5lb bags though. (A 5lb bag of sand is pretty small.)

Also, not sure if it matters, I'm using this to mix up tarantula substrate, not for sand-only scorpion tanks. When it comes to scorps i'm just a big poser.