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How do I stop my bearded dragon from licking and swallowing sand?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Hi my name is Cameron and I got sand for my adult bearded dragon and I used to have a Matt like what you use for a golf course surface and I was wondering how do you make your bearded dragon from not licking the sand and swallowing it?

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Ady Y. Gancz, DVM, ABVP (Avian), ECZM

Veterinarian, Board-certified avian specialist

Published on January 7th, 2018

Hi Cameron and thank you for your question. I would recommend that you keep using the mat rather than sand exactly because of the concerns you have mentioned. You could get 2 mats and use one while the other is being cleaned. There is no real way of preventing them from swallowing sand.

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