• Hello guest! Are you a Bearded Dragon enthusiast? If so we invite you to join our community and see what it has to offer. Our site is specifically designed for you and it's a great place for Beardie enthusiasts to meet online. Once you join you'll be able to post messages, upload pictures of your dragons and enclosures and have a great time with other Bearded Dragon enthusiasts. Sign up today!

Bearded dragon and bedding

Carina

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
2
My bearded dragon just died... we had the carpet for over a year and he was fine. We decided to switch to the clay sand they sell made for bearded dragons so that we can give him more of a natural habitat. We saw he was pooping a bit hard but we thought it was because he was eating a lot since the cricket couldn’t hide under the carpet anymore. We had an appointment for a check up to see how he was doing since we had him for a long time and he was growing beautifully. Last night we found him dead cold with some sand coming out of his mouth... very hard to see.
If it suppose to be safe why did this happen ? What went wrong? Need help understanding.
 

PatsyB

Super Moderator
Staff member
1,000+ Post Club
Beardie Club
Messages
9,390
Location
Chicago
I am so sorry this happened to you.

Reptile sand is the worst product marketed. Then you get pet store employees that don't own reptiles and don't know the dangers and only do what corporate tells them and because it has a picture of a cute bearded dragon on the front of it, they think it's okay. Reptile sand clumps like cat litter. The calcium in the sand is the same stuff that Tums is made from. This all means that if the dragon eats it, it could possibly harden in their stomach or it can neutralize stomach acids and cause stomach issues.

Bearded dragons don't come from a desert, their natural environment is hard packed soil. Now all sand isn't bad, children's play sand can be used for dragons because it's just sand with nothing added. The problem with sand is that as you know, they can swallow it but it can also harbor bacteria if its not cleaned properly. With play sand, as long as your dragon is healthy and well hydrated, they should be able to be kept on the sand. Most prefer slate or textured ceramic tiles. I use non adhesive shelf liner that looks kinda natural and I also put in some ceramic tiles to help file down their nails.
 

Carina

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
2
Thank you. I will never use that product again. It shouldn’t be out on the market.
 
Top