Geico and his cage!

[Aleena]

Yup it is... I really like this substrate. When I make my 3 cages over the summer I'm gonna use a artificial grass instead tho.

No tile, huh?

 

[Jerin Zorb]

It will be very expensive... I decided to make a cage with one large tank on top and two smaller ones on bottom. Plus I have a 55gal and 20 gal already. Using this for breeding.

 

[Germ]

What is the Brand & Name of the substrate that you are using, what does it dissolve into, then what does it turn into when it dries? I have never heard of it & would like to check it out.

Have you really thought about the practicality of using turf as a substrate? Have you thought about how you are going to clean it, at times BDs waste isn't all that solid & there is a large amount of liquid expelled with a normal poop if they are well hydrated.

 

[Jerin Zorb]

I'm using custom Reptilite low impact.

 

[Germ]

Reptilite description excerpt ...

Reptilite™ is made of aragonite, the most soluble form of calcium carbonate available

Comes no where near

I'm using a custom sand with spherical grains that dissolve when touched by any sort of moisture.

That is nothing more than a different shaped Calcium Sand. Most Calci-sands make a similar claim of some sort or another. Calci-Sand (calcium carbonate) is an unsafe substrate for BDs. No matter what it's original state, source or shape, once processed, Calcium Carbonate is Calcium Carbonate.

 

[Jerin Zorb]

I brought it to my local exotic vet and asked them if it was okay because I know what some sands do to beardies and she said the it would be fine.

 

[Germ]

Many Vets are not familiar with specific species husbandry, while they are quite capable & have the equipment to test for things. Vets have said that young BDs are not capable of inflicting or have the strength to inflict such injuries as depicted here, http://www.beardeddragonforum.com/i...ka-is-bearded-co-habitation-a-good-plan.5172/. Vets have said that adult BDs shouldn't be fed Prey. Vets have said that full spectrum bulbs provide sufficient UVB. Vets have said many things that experience has proven them to be very wrong at the expense of BDs suffering.

The Vet that took this X-ray of a Calcium Sand impacted BD, would say that your Vet would be very wrong ...

 

[Aleena]

Many Vets are not familiar with specific species husbandry, while they are quite capable & have the equipment to test for things. Vets have said that young BDs are not capable of inflicting or have the strength to inflict such injuries as depicted here, http://www.beardeddragonforum.com/i...ka-is-bearded-co-habitation-a-good-plan.5172/. Vets have said that adult BDs shouldn't be fed Prey. Vets have said that full spectrum bulbs provide sufficient UVB. Vets have said many things that experience has proven them to be very wrong at the expense of BDs suffering.

The Vet that took this X-ray of a Calcium Sand impacted BD, would say that your Vet would be very wrong ...

My vet told me not to feed my adult bearded dragons animal protein any more. I think its just because she couldn't find anything to complain about with my husbandry, and I was able to tell her all the information she wanted to know off the top of my head and was irritated that she couldn't stump me. Their care sheet was a general guide for all reptiles... they still handed it to me and wrote the info on it that they wanted me to follow. However, I went to a BD vet in FL that took an x-ray of gabe when he wasn't up to par, he was fairly new to the household and was laying about and acting nearly dead. That vet took the x-ray of gabe that you could see all the calcium sand in his digestive tract, and how some of it was starting to clump together. We had a near miss on that one! We cleared him out with a bath every day for a week. The pet store I bought him from swore by the stuff... and they were a fairly reputable BD pet store in the area. If you find a good BD vet, stick with them, otherwise take what you hear with a grain of salt.

 

[Daeyang]

He should get off that sand ASAP.
And his feet are dyed from it; and he looks like a "normal" to me :/

 

[Jerin Zorb]

I already got him off the sand... As you can see in the recent pics.

 

[Aleena]

He should get off that sand ASAP.
And his feet are dyed from it; and he looks like a "normal" to me :/

She changed the sand out to the stuff that has no dye in it... still a calci sand derivative though.

 

[Jerin Zorb]

It's a not cali-sand version of reptilite. and I'm not a she. ;P

 

[Aleena]

It's a not cali-sand version of reptilite. and I'm not a she. ;P

So sorry! However, reptilite is calci sand, and that was what I was saying. They have it at the pet stores around here as well.

 

[Daeyang]

Any sand like substance is all the same; and can all lead to impaction (is that the right word?)

 

[sonja]

I'm just gonna be honest here. I'm a new beardie owner, however I've done a ton of reading and we've also owned a leopard gekko for 7 years. Sand looks cool. That I'll admit. But I can't understand why people are still willing to take a chance by having it in their reptile enclosures. It has been shown to cause impaction in so many cases, which is painful for your animals, if not deadly. I myself love the reptile carpet. It's more expensive than sand, yes, but one roll of carpet can last forever. When I clean our cages I use the sprayer from the sink to "power wash" it, then shake it outside. It dries very quickly and is ready to be put back in the cage. Please note, I'm not trying to offend anyone, and I understand the reasons for wanting to use sand. And I'm aware that this a personal chioce. I just felt the need to put in my two cents.

 

[Jerin Zorb]

I'm just gonna be honest here. I'm a new beardie owner, however I've done a ton of reading and we've also owned a leopard gekko for 7 years. Sand looks cool. That I'll admit. But I can't understand why people are still willing to take a chance by having it in their reptile enclosures. It has been shown to cause impaction in so many cases, which is painful for your animals, if not deadly. I myself love the reptile carpet. It's more expensive than sand, yes, but one roll of carpet can last forever. When I clean our cages I use the sprayer from the sink to "power wash" it, then shake it outside. It dries very quickly and is ready to be put back in the cage. Please note, I'm not trying to offend anyone, and I understand the reasons for wanting to use sand. And I'm aware that this a personal chioce. I just felt the need to put in my two cents.

I understand what you are saying and I agree that sand can be dangerous. In my case the sand is only temporary and I'm going to be switching to either Repticarpet, Tile, or artificial grass. I'm doing this because I'm going to start breeding.

 

[Aleena]

I understand what you are saying and I agree that sand can be dangerous. In my case the sand is only temporary and I'm going to be switching to either Repticarpet, Tile, or artificial grass. I'm doing this because I'm going to start breeding.

I remember you saying that earlier in your post. I want tile in my tanks so bad .

 

[Jerin Zorb]

Ya I think it looks really nice. In the end it just comes down to which saves more money. :/

 

[Spikeleebd]

get tile i have tile in bd cage and it is actually alot cheaper than any substrate even newspaper lol i got them for 52 cents a piece

 

[Jerin Zorb]

Wow! That's a great deal. What store did you get them from?