Beach sand for sandbath

[amura]

I've found a thread about this topic (gerbilforum.proboards.com/thread/868/sandbath-beach?page=1) but apparently it's locked. So I hope it's ok I create a new one.

There is no sand for sandbaths in my local pet store, and I thought it would be something nice to have for my little one.
I could order chinchilla sand online, that's an option.
Or I could walk to the beach and bring some sand with me, wash it and bake it. For me it would be easier than having something delivered, not to mention sustainability.

In that older thread the only issues mentioned are salinity and sharper edges. According to user Ed they should have no problem. 
That post is 14 years old so maybe there is some new information on the topic?
I would love to know whether it's safe, because if it is then it would be a nice option for me.


Also.
Do you keep the sandbath always available or do you offer only on certain days?
I've read both opinions on different articles, and I would like to know the pros and cons.

[barryozzy]

I don't know about beach sand, but I know you can use children's play sand. I'm not really sure about whatever kind of sea stuff would be dangerous and not be killed by baking. I would definitely try to collect some that at least looked fairly clean though, and still bake

Usually I just leave it in for a little while or they'll just knock it over and bury it, but now that I have a shelf in there I have been thinking about leaving it in there for them to use as a litterbox or whatever

[Markpd]

No probs on creating a new one , that's an old thread, hence it being locked. Though tbh, IMO it doesn't hurt to keep a discussion like that open where the info is still relevant *shrug*.
(Btw I made your link live to make it easier for others . Also you've linked to the wrong 'ed', I'll correct it to 'Ed').

Baking should kill everything if it's hot enough, but I have no idea what the right temperature or time would be! I'm sure others here do though.

Ed is the guy who made the egerbil.com website, (which is still partially functional, we're pretty sure he's abandoned it though), so he knows his stuff!.

I keep the sandbath in by boys tank, they enjoy just perching in it often, as well as having baths when they want . You do have to sieve it daily though to keep it clean, but that way you only have to change it every week or so (depending how much they wee in it!).

Sorry but I love to show off this photo!

[LilyandDaisy]

Beach sand is quartz or silica sand, which in general can be sharp (and some believe that it can damage gerbils' fur due to this) but like Ed said in the thread you linked, beach sand if anything would be better because being washed around in the sea would erode any sharp edges. Similar to how beach pebbles are mostly smooth.

You would want to wash it very thoroughly to dissolve the salt and get rid of any impurities, and then bake it to dry it and kill any germs.

[amura]

Thank you very much for the thorough replies!

I guess I'll give it a try after I have the tank ready (I'm so slow, but these days are busy days!).
Washing and baking some sand should be easy enough. I'm gonna guess that washing is hot water might be better to remove saltiness.
And I've read at WikiHow that 45 minutes at 150 °C (300 °F) is enough to sterilize sand. (They were not talking about gerbils, just sterilization in general.)
If that's correct, I know someone who is gonna bake a cake at the same time xD


Markpd, no wonder you want to show off, that's such a cute pic <3

[Markpd]

it looks like Blake (the agouti one) is smiling!

Good to know about sterilising temp and time.

........ someone mention cake??