Can you reuse sand?

[Juli]

I was wondering whether you can reuse the sand in the gerbils' sand bath. I've seen people sift out the little poos in YouTube videos, but what about the urine? Our sand seems to end up quite damp after a few days. Is it possible to wash and dry it, so it can be used again, or do people just throw it out and replace it with fresh every time? It seems like you would go through a lot of sand if you did that.

[icecontroller2529]

Not sure how it gets damp like you say. In my experience, the urine just lumps together and can easily be sieved out with the poop.
What kind of sand are you using? Chinchilla sand is recommended.
Sieving out the feces every day should keep it nice and clean.

[Juli]

Thank you. We’re using play sand at the moment. Maybe we should give chinchilla sand a go instead.

[LilyandDaisy]

I use sepiolite chinchilla sand too. Play sand doesn't clump as much and also doesn't absorb liquid in the same way as chinchilla sand, which means it tends to stay damp.

[betty]

I use chin sand too - and yes - you can go through quite a lot of this too, for sure, as it isn't reusable per-se - just sievable a few times.

But I am sure you could 'wash' play sand for sure - I presume it is damp because the urine is just sort of stuck around and inbetween it - so a full rinse and dry (ideally sunbaked - or ovenbaked if you are in the UK!!!) will probably do the trick.

[Juli]

Thank you. It does sound like chinchilla sand is the way to go. I’ll order some.

[Juli]

Those in the UK, where do you buy it? And in what quantities?

[betty]

You can buy it from many places - but most commonly found in 3kg bags in Pets At Home (around £5 now) and online in a 25kg sack!

Loads of different brands of the sepiolite sacks avaailble - and some different sizes too (as the 25kg sack is WELL awkward to lift) - and some old-style pet stores actually sell it loose still - so maybe call or email a few and then you don't need to buy so much!

[Markpd]

I used to buy Chin sand from Zooplus, £5.50 a 5kg bag until just under a year ago, but aside from being out of stock now, I see it's nearly doubled in price to £9.19!
Will be looking at Pets@home next time.