The 'Sand is a beardies natural habitat' question

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foto69man

Hatchling Member
Where do people get this idea from that beardies are only found in the desert? Just curious since that seems to be most peoples driving force behind using sand in their enclosures. Everywhere i look and read, they come from semi-desert, arid woodland. To me that means some sand, mostly dirt...Am i wrong? Just curious... :study: :? :study:

'Bearded dragons live in the arid, rocky, semi-desert regions and arid open woodlands. They are adept climbers, spending time on branches and in bushes, even found on fence posts when living near human habitation. They also bask on rocks and exposed branches in the mornings and afternoons.' ""Melissa Kaplan""

'Bearded dragon lizards are native to Australia. They live in rocky and arid regions of the country and are adept climbers.'

'Habitat: Arid forest and desert '

'They occupy a variety of habitats including subtropical woodlands, scrublands, savannas, shore areas, and into the great interior deserts'

'Pogona vitticeps, the Central (or Inland) Bearded Dragon, is a species of Agamids, occurring in a wide range of arid to semi-arid regions of
Australia'
 

joeyb504

Hatchling Member
this goes in the category of selling calci-sand saying its good for them and my response is why should they eat the sand
 

junebug82

Hatchling Member
joeyb504":6ea34 said:
this goes in the category of selling calci-sand saying its good for them and my response is why should they eat the sand
My girls have a portion of their tank thats calci-sand. I bought it because it said it was fully digestable. they dont "eat" it but they do get a few grains when they snatch a cricket.
 

Gail

BD.org Addict
Junebug, those few grains they get with each cricket can build up over time and cause a fatal impaction. Calci sand is not digestible regardless what the package says.

I think a lot of people equate hot, dry habitat with deserts and sand without doing any research on the actually habit they come from.
 

citrusdragon

Sub-Adult Member
I don't care if it's natural. For me it conducts heat, dries out poo, and is easy to clean. If they come from wooded areas there's reason to believe there are many parts of other substrates that people have decided cause impaction also. While "calci sand" sounds like tummy cement to me, I have had no problems with clean sand, in fact I put all my babies on sand at 6 inches. They all take a little taste, some more than others, but as long as their basking temps are hot enough and they are well hydrated, they don't get impacted.

While I don't want to downplay a possible problem, we haven't had any problems having had hundreds of babies this year. If the temps are too cool, the food gets slowed and stuck. If there isn't good hydration, food gets stuck. If you add a binding agent combined with either of those 2 conditions, I see you would have the makings an impacted dragon.

For these reasons I like high temps for the dragons during the day. We bathe them a lot, keeping their metabolisms firing on all cylinders.

Just my 2 cents

Jeff
 

JeffSimpson

Juvie Member
citrusdragon":a9c5e said:
I don't care if it's natural. For me it conducts heat, dries out poo, and is easy to clean.
While I don't want to downplay a possible problem, we haven't had any problems having had hundreds of babies this year. If the temps are too cool, the food gets slowed and stuck. If there isn't good hydration, food gets stuck. If you add a binding agent combined with either of those 2 conditions, I see you would have the makings an impacted dragon.
For these reasons I like high temps for the dragons during the day. We bathe them a lot, keeping their metabolisms firing on all cylinders.

I shutter when I see posts like this... "I don't care if it's natural"... Shouldn't that really be the goal? Just because something makes it "easier for you", doesn't mean it's necessarily better for the BD. You walk into a petstore and see 6-7 babies in a 20 gallon tank. I'm sure it's easier for them, and they probably don't really care if it's natural. Does that make it right? :cry:

Also, I've seen a number of posts that state you should have the temps "hotter than normal"... in the 115-120 range because it helps the sand pass through. I don't know, again, if that's how it is in nature, great. But if it's not, and we are simply altering the environment because we assume it makes it safe to use sand, because we think it looks cool, or is easy to clean, it just seems like that is the wrong stance to take.

And for those that say sand is in their natural habitat.... well, I'm willing to bet that BD's get impacted in the wild and are simply consumed by predators. So again, not a valid argument IMO.

Sorry, didn't mean to rant... just in a crabby mood I guess. :(

Edit: I don't even have a BD yet, so I can't claim experience, but just taking everything I have read into account. Arguments can be made, but what makes things easier for us shouldn't be factors in determining whether or not it's safe. :study:
 

citrusdragon

Sub-Adult Member
I don't even have a BD yet, so I can't claim experience, but just taking everything I have read into account. Arguments can be made, but what makes things easier for us shouldn't be factors in determining whether or not it's safe

Having done my own research, as well as hatching more than 400 babies this year, I am talking with a little authority. While I generally don't debate this topic, and since I cannot control the husbandry of other people's animals. I think I understand what is safe through experience.

I know that tile is not in their natural habitat, but I know it is a very popular alternative. Of course, digging in the corner on a tile substrate is MURDER on the nails.

Anyway, I don't mean to rant either. There are a lot of accepted husbandry practices which I have tried and have discarded for various reasons, and mostly I recommend people research everything and find their own way to care for a dragon. I just don't accept the militant opinion on sand, that some try to espouse as absolute truth.

Google is your friend, but don't believe everything you read is the only way to keep dragons :study:

Jeff
 
Also.
Another thing with sand is that it gets stinky. Yeah its easy to clean, but after awhile it gets bad. I used sad for my two adults for awhile till my daddy got fed up with the smell and got tile slate for their tanks.

I like the slate personally.
It conducts heat and it is very easy to clean.
Take out the tile and was it off with some vinegar water and then rinse it with a hose. EASY :D

Another good thing about is that you can use slate over and over again and it more towards their "rocky" hbitat. Sand you have to buy over a certain amount of time.

I have 4 dragons now and no stinky room (unless they poop, but I get that out right away)

:blob8: YAY :blob5:

Stinky sand D:
 
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