Substrate Question

[Frankie Bedford]

Hello!

Question time! I've had some people tell me that my beardie, Moses (in the very blurry photo attached) is big enough for sand now and others say not. Since I really have no idea if he's ready for sand yet, what say you, forum?

(I am sorry for the poor photograph. I wanted to try and get all of his tank in as well as him so you could try and get an idea of his size.)

Thanks guys!

Frankie

 

[Germ]

If particle substrate is really desired & if your BD is greater than 10" long nose to tip of tail, it is big enough to be placed on 'Strained' Children's Washed Play Sand. There are many non-particle alternatives also.

Good Luck

 

[Germ]

Sometimes I wonder if people read any of the other threads on lighting placement,Thermometers & sick beardies. I'm unsure what you have in those 2 fixtures, but both the UVB & the Heat Bulb should cover the Basking Spot to be effective. Those wall mounted thermometers do not give you accurate temps anywhere near where they are needed to be taken, which is directly at the Basking Spot for the Basking Temp of 110F. It will be a heck of a lot hotter on top of that tree than it is where the thermometer is mounted. There have been many threads recently, on both subjects in the enclosure, health & photo sections, please have a look at a few of them.

Good Luck

 

[Frankie Bedford]

thanks i'll go check them out. i get a lot of conflicting information. sorry if i'm wrong. i really want to have the best habitat for my beardie.

 

[Pat B]

thanks i'll go check them out. i get a lot of conflicting information. sorry if i'm wrong. i really want to have the best habitat for my beardie.

There is a tremendous amount of information on the internet about beardies. In my personal opinion, and I have looked at other sites, this is the best site for your questions and concerns. There are a lot of very knowledgeable people that will help you all that they can. Helped me a whole lot otherwise I just might not have my beardie today. Good luck to you and come back often....

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

I have to agree whole-heartedly with Germ on the 10+ inch size restriction in the use of particle substrates with Beardies. I can tell you that with our Mungi as well as all of our reptilian family members we have experimented with most of the commercially available products and can report that most of them are pure junk if not outright dangerous to your Beardie..the pet stores are very much like playing Russian Roulette with your dragon but you have to consider that at least with the big chain stores their in the business to sell product and most of the sales reps are really not well verse on proper nutrition and husbandry of all of the species they might offer to supply for. (I could rant here but I wont for fear of being a fanatic! lol)

That being said with Mungi we use Quikrete Premium Play Sand and have had no issues with him eating it. In fact we have found that by using a 4 inch deep base of the play sand Mungi is able to dig and burrow, which he GREATLY enjoys...he says the excavation work keeps him slim and sexy..smh..lol!

I will add a beware that all "play sands" are not equal to say the least. I've used them all and the only one I will recommend is the Quikrete Premium and only that specific product bought at Lowes Home Improvement Centers. Although Quikrete states on their site that they only offer one Premium play sand I have found a vast difference in the one at Lowes as opposed to other distributors that carry it. The Lowes ones are consistently cleaner and finer grade and although I sift it before use I have found that the Lowes one doesnt really need sifting at all. Very rarely have I found any pebbles or other impurities in it. Just make sure that you get the dry bags located inside the store. Wet sand is a harbor for all kinds of nasty things and it would also be a wise decision to bake it in your over at 200 degrees for about an hour first too..of course making sure you completely cool it before using it in your beardie's enclosure..lol

Using play sand has also helped regulate the temps in Mungi's enclosure. Play Sand Holds Heat. I mention this because you will need to monitor your temps closely if you use it. You may, as we found find that you will need to use lower wattage lighting in your enclosure when using the sand. Depends on your particular set up though. We were able to reduce from 150 watt Basking lights to 100 watt Basking lights and still maintain the proper Basking temps and gradient that Mungi needs.

Well that's my 2 cents worth on the Sand substrate issue for what it's worth!
Take care and have a great day

 

[Vincent]

i would just get tile,because sand can cause an impaction. and sand has this dust to it and your bds are breathing that dust every day. you can clean tile way easier than sand. anyway bearded dragons come from a hard dirt subtract.