Australian Desert Sand
- Regular price
- $19.99
- Sale price
Australian Desert Sand for Reptiles and Invertebrates
Bring the outback floor into your enclosure. Our Australian Desert Sand is a natural arid substrate for desert reptiles and invertebrates, giving them a warm surface to bask on and a natural ground to dig, burrow and explore. Use it on its own, or mix it with soil to build a firm, burrow-holding desert floor like the ones in our own custom arid enclosures.
Available in: 5kg and 10kg bags
Ideal for:
- Central and pygmy bearded dragons
- Knob-tailed geckos and other desert geckos
- Gillen’s monitors and other arid lizards
- Desert and burrowing scorpions
- Arid bioactive enclosures and desert displays
Why use desert sand?
- Natural and enriching: desert reptiles dig, burrow and bask on sand in the wild, and a natural surface encourages that behaviour.
- Holds heat for basking: sand warms evenly under a basking lamp, giving a natural warm surface.
- Builds burrows: mixed with soil and lightly moistened, it packs firm so burrows hold their shape.
- The base for arid bioactive setups: it’s the main ingredient in our own Arid Substrate Mix.
How much do I need?
For a 3–5cm layer, a 5kg bag suits smaller enclosures and topping up, while a 10kg bag suits larger enclosures. Burrowing species need much deeper substrate (8–15cm), so plan for several bags or use our Arid Substrate Mix.
How to use it
- For a basking floor, spread a layer across the enclosure and keep it dry.
- For burrowers, mix the sand with soil or coco coir (around 60–75% sand), moisten the bottom layer and pack it down firmly so tunnels hold.
- Spot-clean regularly with a sand sieve, and top up as needed.
Safe feeding tip: feed insects from a dish or with tongs, so your animal doesn’t swallow sand along with its food.
Desert sand FAQ
Is sand safe for bearded dragons?
Sand is widely used for bearded dragons, especially mixed with soil. Feed from a dish or with tongs and keep your dragon healthy, well hydrated and correctly heated, so it can digest properly.
What’s the difference between desert sand and your Arid Substrate Mix?
Desert sand is pure sand. Our Arid Substrate Mix combines sand with coco coir, bark, charcoal and LECA, so it holds burrows, supports plants and is ready to use as a bioactive substrate.
Can I use desert sand in a bioactive enclosure?
Yes. Mix it with soil and organic matter, then add dry-tolerant isopods such as powder blues.
Pairs well with: Arid Substrate Mix, Stainless Steel Sand Sieve, Bearded Dragon Enclosure Starter Kit, Powder Blue Isopods (Porcellionides pruinosus), Knob Tailed Gecko (Nephrurus levis levis).
Shipped Australia-wide from Surry Hills, Sydney.
Supplies ship within 1 to 2 business days, depending on stock, and usually arrive 1 to 3 days after dispatch.
Live animals ship on Mondays and Tuesdays only, so they are never in transit over a weekend. Order by 11am Sunday to ship that week. Orders containing a live animal ship together on the next live dispatch day.
We hold live animal orders during very hot or very cold weather and ship them once conditions are safe. We’ll let you know if your order is held.
We ship Australia-wide. Live animals cannot be shipped to the Northern Territory or Tasmania.
Read our full [Shipping Policy].
Our Surry Hills store is small, so we keep in-store stock deliberately limited. Not everything online is on the shelf, so call us on (02) 7813 9640 before visiting for a specific item.
All reptiles and amphibians are sold online only, due to permit requirements.
Visit us at Shop 5, 450 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010. Open Wednesday to Sunday.
Every live animal is checked before it leaves us and packed by an experienced keeper.
If your animal arrives dead, contact us within one hour of delivery with a photo, and we will send a replacement. You don’t pay shipping on the replacement. Photo helps us identify what caused death so we can help prevent it from happening again with your order, and others.
Someone needs to be home to receive the parcel. We can’t cover animals left at a depot, sent to an incorrect address, or reported more than an hour after delivery.
Reptiles and frogs: most states require a licence before you buy. After ordering, email your licence details to info@biotastudio.com.au or add them to your order notes. If we don’t have them, we’ll contact you by SMS or email before your order ships.
Insects, spiders and supplies: most don’t need a licence, but rules vary by state and species.
See our [Reptile & Frog Licensing Guide] for every state.
New to keeping reptiles, frogs or insects? Our free [Care Guides] cover housing, temperature, humidity and feeding for every species we sell. Need somewhere for your animal to live? Shop [Ready-made Enclosures] or have one [custom built]. Questions? [Contact us] and an experienced keeper will help.