Hi
Some people say yes, some say no and others say maybe... Who really knows?
WRT the hygienic aspect of sand, I replace the sand in the cages once a month with sterilized sand. Obviously I take the poop out immediately.
Also if you think about it, snakes in the wild does eat, sleep, play on sand. In fact My Old man likes digging himself into the sand colmpltely and then just stick his head out looking around.
Ill take a few pick and post it here.