Is Coconut Husk substrate a good upgrade from repti-carpet?

Hi,

I recently got a baby Beardie on the 26 of Jan and since then I have been using repti-carpet. Over the weekend I was cleaning her tank and thought it looked quite depressing in there so I upgraded to coconut husk. The guy at the pet store said it was fine but I just thought I should double check because I noticed she accidentally eats it with her woodies and crickets sometimes (her poop looks fine).

- Bailey

I am not sure about coconut husk but I have heard coconut dirt is bad--- if they are anything a like I would not--- if you want to go to something easier your best bet is to use non adhesive shelf liner or a ceramic slated tile--- the tile can be cut to your tank size - I would only recommend that if your baby is in its permanent enclosure -- meaning your not going to upgrade to a bigger tank -- the shelf liner is easier to cut and both are easy to clean w/ vinegar / water in a spray bottle 50/50 --- both are cheap and can be purchased at Home Depot or Lowes etc............. plus the insects cant get under neath the tile or shelf liner
Karrie

I wouldn't recommend it, especially if your beardy is eating it. I think if it is being ingested there is a serious risk of impaction. I personally use non adhesive shelf liner and recently switched from tile. You can get a very nice look with tile. The current liner I have looks like sand and also provides a very nice look. I stay away from the loose granulated substrates cause I don't want to risk impaction. If you want a natural substrate, I think that washed play sand is probably the way to go. If you do use a loose substrate make sure to utilize feeding dishes and possibly even a separate feeding container to reduce the risk of impaction. You may get some differing opinions on this, but for me I like to remove any risk of possible impaction.

Kyle

I would consider it a downgrade from repticarpet.

-Brandon

Yeah, I'm on the side of everyone else, reptile carpet is pretty great, whereas coconut husk has the risk of impaction if you have noticed some accidental consumption of it in particular...

That said, the guy at the pet store wasn't necessarily /wrong/ exactly. A lot of "loose" substrates are fine, provided everything else in your husbandry is spot on, however the chances of everything else always being spot on is pretty low. Loose substrate plus even slight dehydration (which could come just from skipping out on a salad or being a picky eater/drinker) is a recipe for disaster, and hardly any experienced reptile keeper is going to risk it.

If your main concern is it being boring or dull, I would focus more on getting new hides and places to climb for your dragon. They are semi-arborial, and Guacemole (my dragon) loves his different logs and hides! I have about 5 and I rotate which 2-3 are in his tank every week or so. Really seems to liven him up a little. Another thing I do is sew my own reptile enclosure liners out of fleece. I use remnants, but it comes in a huge veriety of colors and patterns that can make the enclosure more appealing. You need to make ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that what you're using doesn't pill or shed fibers and hem it (easy to do - if you have any friends with a sewing machine it will take them less than five minutes) but once it's done it's super easy to clean (because the wetness from the poop doesn't "soak" into it, just use paper towel for cleanup) and you can even through it into a washing machine to deep-clean it (I use a detergent with no scents or dyes for this, but you probably don't even need a detergent).

If you're specifically wanting to provide digging/borrowing opportunities, look into getting a smaller container you can put inside his main enclosure. I still wouldn't recommend it, but doing this reduced the risk of your beardie eating the substrate on accident.

Hope this is helpful!
-Ellentomologist

Coco husk is not digestible ( impaction risk) and holds moisture - OK for skinks , not a good substrate for dry region reptiles like central bearded dragons.

Hi,

Thanks everyone for their reply!

She seems happier with the coconut husk and no longer poops in her water with it and her poop looks fine so what should I do??

Get rid of it--- it's harmful to her health-- either go back to the reptile carpet or get the non-adhesive shelf liner-- or slated ceramic tile-- I think you will like either of those-- but I would recommend the tile if she's in her permenant enclosure if not the shelf liner-- some w/ a texture for non slippage-- you can put fleece in her hide for sleeping -- they like soft things
Karrie

It's not worth the risk. She might be a little stressed after changing things around (mine goes full emo mode for a bit), but she's safer in the long run if you go with something that doesn't come with the chance of impaction. Tile or shelf liner are also my recommendations.