sand as substrate?

[Minke]

Should be soon, you've had some top bloke helping you. :lol:

Everyone i would like to make a public announcement - a huge thank-you goes to... can't remember the members name... but he is a top bloke and all newbies should PM him with all their innane and stupid questions, as he is more than happy to help :lol:. Will post the name when i can remember... LOL

 

[falconboy]

Everyone i would like to make a public announcement - a huge thank-you goes to... can't remember the members name... but he is a top bloke and all newbies should PM him with all their innane and stupid questions, as he is more than happy to help :lol:. Will post the name when i can remember... LOL

Wasn't me. :shock:

 

[lemonz]

omg guys i just have to say i finally got my central bearded dragons! i got 3, 5 week olds. there beautiful. just thought iid share. and btw. sand is no good for young ones. not till there over a year ive been told. im using paper towel on mine

 

[notechistiger]

My central netteds and my spotted all live on sand, and have for ages. There's never been any problems at all. Not one.

People say that beardeds etc will eat sand and get impactions, but that doesn't seem to be a problem in the wild...

Eating sand doesn't guarantee an impaction. I use sand for snakes, but not for my bearded. Dragons are a whole lot more active, and I imagine they can get very bored during the day- a perfect time to eat and destroy their home (as suggested by the destroyed branches in my dragon's enclosure).

i was reading some were that if the beardies eat the sand they can have problems in there digestive system

Yup. The sand can particially or completely block the digestive system. This is often fatal.

Lol I use sand for my juvie. I just use the washed play sand and I've never had any problems. Safest bet tho is prob newspaper, astro turf stuff or tiles.

You probably won't have any problems until your dragon is dead. If you think newspaper, astro turf and tiles are safer, then why are you risking your dragon?

Tiles that "have grip" are a problem also, usually being unglazed therefore porous
and extremely difficult to clean.

That's what I was thinking.

 

[Minke]

That's what I was thinking.

The sealer i used is (reading off the can...)

Sureseal - worlds first aerosol grout and tile sealer
quick drying
blocks moisture penetration
durable, invisable, stain resistant protection
voted industry's best

Seals and protects all masonry surfaces - Marble, Granite, terra cotta.

Hope it works :lol:

 

[daniel1234]

When are people going to realise that in the wild beardies DO NOT walk around on loose 'beach' type sand that people purchase for enclosures. Anyone would think half of you think they live their whole lives on the beach!!! For starters the sand is often compacted so they don't ingest it and they wander on a variety of ground, including hard dirt and rock.

Whether people use it without issues or not, the fact is it IS a major impaction risk, in particular if one feeds their beardies in the enclosure rather than in a seperate tub since they can't help but ingest sand when feeding. The simple fact is beardies cannot ingest tile, its easy to clean and doesn't get into sliding door tracks like sand can.

Any one flames this they have rocks in their head (or is that sand in their bowls?!)
This makes alot of sense and as falconboy was saying, better to be safe than sorry, as you can find people saying yes to everything if you search long enough but that doesn't mean it is a tried and proven method, it just means it worked (possibly only once) for them.

 

[Tsubakai]

Several vets I know have had to operate on beardies with gut obstructions due to sand. Surprisingly they have never once found newspaper, tiles or marine carpet blocking up a beardies guts. Fancy that!

 

[falconboy]

I actually started with tile, then wanted a more natural look, added half red sand. A week later, one dead from impaction, one close to dead (pulled through after a lot of warm baths and massaging lots of sandy poo out of its system). Tiles it is!!!

 

[harmac]

Just found the following on the web. It seems to explain the situation very well and shows x-rays of an impacted beardie. http://www.petadvice.com.au/reptile-impaction/

We currently house our adults on 1/3 desert sand and 2/3 washable turf squares but are planning to convert the fake turf to tiles because it is too hard to clean and my vac keeps getting clogged up with sand that gets spilt everywhere. I like the idea of just using an F10 wipe to clean up the tiles..

We plan to house our hatchlings due in Dec on butchers paper or paper towel - I personally don't like the idea of newspaper because of the thinners and chemicals used to print the paper but that's just my opinion. Cheers.

 

[notechistiger]

Thanks for the link, harmac. Very informative.

 

[TheBoga]

My Adult beardie's on the sand from Bunnings, I've seen him lick it, grab a woodie that's gotten wet and had sand stuck on it, which he's then eaten.

I'm about to change but I personally reckon the adults don't ingest that much and what they do seems to pass through OK. Juvies, I won't risk it. I don't dispute that their is a risk with Adults though.

The main reason for me about to change to tiles or fake turf is the fact that the sand seems to really stink and clump below where he dumps his waste. It is easy to scoop the mess up and the good sand just sifts through. I'll probably change the sand out by the weekend.