what to use?

[ferris2f]

So Im sitting here and just read old post and looking for ideas and yesterday i was asking about the reptile woodchips which i personally thought was a bad idea but then i just read a post that you guys feel sand is a bad idea too because it can cause blockages? so what is actually good to use? they are from the desert so i thought the play sand would be fine! that is what i use. all my beardies are doing great finally i think all my adopted buddies are happy!

 

[corrine]

Playsand is fine if you can keep it very clean. It takes a lot of work and effort to keep up on it. While the poo is easily removed, the liquid part is absorbed into the sand. I personally use slate tile for my dragons. It keeps thier nails in check, is easily cleaned, holds heat well, and doesn't get all over.

 

[zebraflavencs]

In the wild, dragons aren't really on sand, per say.
It's hard pan, which is baked clay/sand mixture with a dusting of sand over that.

As for which is best, that's entirely up to you and your reptile... Some won't move in sand, others defecate so the point you would be changing out the entire enclosure every few days... Some won't tolerate tile either. If you are anal about cleanliness of the animal itself ( i wanna see that creamy white belly), then news paper is out too.

See where I am going ?

I would personally avoid any wood substrate that is particulate, as well as any medium that can swell in size when exposed to moisture, or clump when exposed to moisture.. other than that.. it's your call.
Janie

 

[ferris2f]

Janie i have beautiful setups in my tanks i use playsand for the bottom but i also have slate rocks which they love to lay on because it collects the heat im sure loland i have like rock bridges for them to climb on and of course there logs. my mom also has a beardie it was actually ment for my nephew but being 8 he doesnt take care of it so my mom grown attach to him. she keeps him in a 36 inch tank with rock water dish and sheuses that reptile carpet. she loves hand feeding him but she doesnt get into decorating the tanks and all that..well when she seen my 4 tanks last night she was in awww lol it made me feel so good to have someone actually see and realize how much i am into and love my beardies.then she said could you help me do something with rex's tank LOL I think my beardies are happy in the sand i dont see them not moving around or discomfort i guess ill just stay with the playsand and keep close eyes on them lol also 2 times a day i clean the 4 tanks with a small metal strainer i notice the sand in kinda clumpy when its wet so the strainer gets all that ad as soon as i see the poop in there i grab it..not pretty to check out the beardies and see a huge poop in there and my beardies love to poop my first male is a huge green eater he loves the collard and mustard greens and hes my biggest pooper lol i been calling him "piggy" he eats everything like it may be his last meal lol thanks again for the advice!

 

[zebraflavencs]

Janet.. Substrate is one of those "heated" issues.. I have my personal choices, others have theirs... I and others offer the best information so those new to this reptile keeping can make their choice, based on facts. Nothing wrong with that.
Janie

 

[egg 80]

substrate is a issue on here as is advised to use slate tile or repticarpet etc, i personnally always had sand in my vivs until i joined this forum and waqs told the issues so i added some retile clay substrate to the sand and replaced half of the sand with tiles and raised rocks and since i did that i noticed they were digging more as the clay allowed them to dig their own hiding spots as they would in the wild and they seemed alot happier, as with sand other than impaction issues you might find beardies can get lazy and drag themselfs around rather than standing when on a sand substrate
paul

 

[fergie]

We use playground sand and change it out often (3x/month), but what we do is take our beardie out for feedings now. When we got Cleo, her diet consisted mainly of silkworms as the owner thought they were doing the right things on the advice of a "knowledgeable" owner. What we know, is that silkworms are like french fries, nice to have as a treat, but REALLY bad for your system!

So...she now has a diet of dark green veggies, red peppers (loves em), minerals, superworms on occasion and she is fed outside of the viv. I know some will not agree with that but what it has done is create a very strong bond (wife & beardie), she likes to roam after eating on the carpet and then she likes to cuddle on my son, on the back of his neck for the heat and then she sleeps for as long as my son is playing his PS3! She Eats once per day and eats allot! OMG, she can pack the groceries away for such a little beardie, we've noticed that she is now gaining weight at the right amount and is far more healthy than when we got her. Also shedding too so lots going on!

All the best!

 

[lexi]

We use playground sand and change it out often (3x/month), but what we do is take our beardie out for feedings now. When we got Cleo, her diet consisted mainly of silkworms as the owner thought they were doing the right things on the advice of a "knowledgeable" owner. What we know, is that silkworms are like french fries, nice to have as a treat, but REALLY bad for your system!

Are you perhaps thinking of wax worms? Silkworms can be used as a staple and are actually quite good for them, probably the best of the bugs for daily feeders.


Here's my take on substrates (from my website):

The good, the Bad, and the Ugly

'Substrate' is a fancy word for the flooring or bedding in your Bearded Dragon's enclosure. There are many options sold (and even recommended) in pet stores which are not appropriate and even dangerous for beardies (are we seeing a trend here? While there is controversy over some of the options, there are a few in which everyone unequivocally agrees.



Never house a baby or juvenile dragon on Sand!

Baby or juvenile Bearded Dragons have a kink in their intestinal tract. This is something which will resolve as they grow, and should not pose a problem. This kink, however, or curve makes digestion a more complicated process. For this reason, they should never be housed on sand of any type. Pet stores sell things like calcium sand or other types of sand which they will tell you is safe. A month later, you'll have a very sick baby beardie with a digestive system full of sand, who is now unable to defecate and most likely will die. Sand (all types) causes impactions, in both babies and adults, when ingested by the beardie. While adults may have the capacity to pass it through, a baby or juvenile, because of that curve in their intestinal tract, cannot. Despite what a pet shop employee may tell you, calcium sand is no more digestible than regular sand, and will cause impactions just the same. In fact, there is evidence that some Bearded Dragons will purposely ingest calcium sand, in order to replenish their calcium reserves, and then end up with impaction. Babies and juveniles should be always be housed on a solid, non-particulate substrate, such as newspaper, paper towels or slate tile. Reptile carpet may also be used, though it can get caught in their nails and cause injury.

Adult Bearded Dragons are often housed on paper towels, newspaper, and slate tile. Reptile carpet is not recommended for adults as their nails are larger and there is great potential for injury due to their nails getting caught in the material. Another available (but very dangerous!) substrate is walnut shells. No Bearded Dragon, of any age, should be housed on or exposed to walnut shells. They are small enough to be ingested but large enough to cause impaction, and they are also not comfortable for your beardie to walk or lay on. Walnut shells can also cause internal injuries, beyond impaction, due to their sharp edges. In short, never, ever, ever use walnut shells, no matter what that guy at the pet store tells you! Likewise, you never want to use corn cob, alfalfa pellets, kitty litter, or wood shavings.

The Sand Controversy

There are many who use sand as a substrate for adults, though the practice is controversial. You will have to weigh the risks and decide for yourself whether you feel sand is an option. If you do decide to use sand as a substrate for your adult beardie, you will want to purchase washed, sifted play sand from a home improvement supply store such as Home Depot in America. You may want to resift the sand yourself once you get it home, to remove any large pebbles that are often present, which could harm your beardie if ingested. Calcium and other pet store sands are not appropriate (and are often much more expensive, to boot).

Problems that have been cited with sand include impaction (which does happen to adult beardies), and the very daunting task of keeping it clean. Unless you are able to completely replace the sand every time your beardie eliminates, there is great potential that bacteria will be left behind. The scoop method generally used is fine for things like a cat litter box, as the cat will urinate or defecate in the box and then leave. A Bearded Dragon lives in the sand in their enclosure. They crawl around on it, lay on it, walk on it and even potentially ingest some of it. Bacteria that is present in the sand always has the potential to harm your dragon, manifesting itself as skin infections, mouth infections, cloaca or vent infections (the area which your dragon uses to defecate) bacterial infections and internal parasites. Sand can also be irritating to their cloaca, which to be quite blunt is comparative to when a human gets 'sand in their crack' at the beach. It isn't comfortable for us, so why would it be for our dragons?

But don't they live on sand in the wild?

Bearded Dragons are exposed to a variety of things in their natural habitat, not all of them good. Some of the negative aspects of being a beardie in the wild include impaction from ingesting sand, garbage or plastic particles left behind by humans, and insects too large for them to digest, and being prey for other, larger animals. The sand which beardies are exposed to most often in their natural environment is a packed, hard type of sand, very different from the loose sand often used in captivity. Not everything that happens to beardies in the wild is positive, and our job as their caregivers is to replicate the positive aspects of their natural environment, while mitigating or removing the negative ones. In short, just because it happens in the wild, doesn't mean it's good for them.
My personal opinion on sand is that it is an inappropriate substrate for Bearded Dragons, of any age. There are too many risks, too many 'what-if 's and too many better options available. In addition to those concerns, sand is a substrate that has to be continually replaced, and therefor, continually purchased, throughout your dragon's life. I use slate tile, which can easily be washed and disinfected, and never has to be replaced or repurchased unless it breaks. It is not only safer, but more economical as well.