Sand?

I have used sand as well in some enclosures for over 16 years. A couple more things worth mentioning is that a dragon that is not well - hydrated and/ or eating greens is more prone to constipation and impaction . The other thing is that the calcium type sands are actually much more problematic because some animals get a taste for it and when they sample a bit too much, it hardens in their digestive tract. I was in a pet store about 12 years ago that bought dragons from me and the manager mentioned that the leopard geckos were dying that were on calcium sand. I picked them up , turned them over and you could clearly see through their skin that their entire intestinal tract was blue....they were loaded with it and couldn't pass it. So, I would avoid that stuff for any reptile.

In agreement with the previous posters, we use playsand for 8"+ bearded dragons and paper towels for babies. In over 15 years, we've never once had a problem with impaction.

As a side thought, I would be concerned about keeping adults long-term on anything but a soft, loose substrate (preferably playsand) if your enclosure has a hard floor surface such as glass and it also includes climbing branches. Over the years, as the animal leaps to the floor from branches, half-logs, etc, it may cause discomfort/damage if there is not adequate cushion (paper towels, newspapers do not provide much). Sand provides a nice soft surface that doesn't jar bones. This may cause issues in elderly dragons.

Wow! Your all sooo knowledgeable! Great input! And good point Jabberwocky Dragons. All this information is sure to bring clarification to the topic of sand as substrate!

Thank you all very much!