Substrate Question

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HippieLizards

Gray-bearded Member
Beardie name(s)
Daisy, Loki, Rocket, Phoenix, Mulder & Scully. Non beardie pets: Stan (Leo) Cayde (Hognose) Tillery (cat)
SydneyGaia":3hnhbbh2 said:
HippieLizards":3hnhbbh2 said:
Well I honestly love my tile, But if your dragon likes to dig you could use something like Linoleum or Paper towels, And then if he still misses digging, Add a small Dig box for him so he can still dig in part of the tank, When I used a dig box for my Beardie I used Coconut fiber substrate and it worked well for them to dig in. So that way he could still dig but with less of a chance of Health problems.
My last beardie liked tile, my current one doesn't. He is 18+ inches and growing - a dig box is going to take up half of his enclosure! (4'x2'x2') Lol
Well I had a 3.5x20x20 Tank for Cisco and she liked digging the most so I just simply put a 12x8 Bin and filled it with coco fiber and Cisco used it all the time.

I think Your Beardie would benefit from the solid substrate but also be very happy with a little dig box, Even if you were to make one side of the cage a dig box that could be where you Put his hide and such so he Can Burrow into it every night.

Just a little idea. :)
 

SydneyGaia

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
True. I will see what I can find at Wal Mart and may fill it with a sand/dirt mixture. He loved the sani chips, but would also ingest them too often when he was smelling/tasting around and they stuck to his tongue. Probably a bit too paranoid of something bad happening to him --- wouldn't his stomach acid be able to break down little pieces of wood without a problem??
 

HippieLizards

Gray-bearded Member
Beardie name(s)
Daisy, Loki, Rocket, Phoenix, Mulder & Scully. Non beardie pets: Stan (Leo) Cayde (Hognose) Tillery (cat)
SydneyGaia":1zjbcmaz said:
True. I will see what I can find at Wal Mart and may fill it with a sand/dirt mixture. He loved the sani chips, but would also ingest them too often when he was smelling/tasting around and they stuck to his tongue. Probably a bit too paranoid of something bad happening to him --- wouldn't his stomach acid be able to break down little pieces of wood without a problem??
No Because Beardies lick everything and it could get stuck in their gut, and Bearded dragons weren't made to digest wood or sand, It's an unnatural substance for their environment and beardies weren't made to digest Wood chips or sand, Then there is ALWAYS going to be the risk of bad bacteria and impaction or most other problems.
SydneyGaia":1zjbcmaz said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqCcYr0hZjA

I think that I will switch to Desert Snow in another year or two because Sydney would look stunning on a white substrate! (I trust LLLReptile -- if I am familiar with a reptile store 3,000+ miles away, ya know that they are knowledgeable!)
Hmmm... I'm Still skeptical about that, Is Desert snow Calcium based at all? If it is, Then no. Any calcium based substrate is the absolute worst thing you could get for a Beardie.

Personally I don't Trust LLLReptile as much, but That's mainly because I'm not the biggest fan of huge super scale breeders like LLLReptile, but that's only my opinion.

Could you post a few pics of How Sydney's tank looked like with the Sani chips?

I mean if it worked fine with you and your dragon seems happy and healthy, Then Kudos to that. But still please be aware that there always is a higher risk of health problems with a loose substrate.

Again, this is only my opinion. :)
 

SydneyGaia

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
HippieLizards":2569jp8l said:
SydneyGaia":2569jp8l said:
True. I will see what I can find at Wal Mart and may fill it with a sand/dirt mixture. He loved the sani chips, but would also ingest them too often when he was smelling/tasting around and they stuck to his tongue. Probably a bit too paranoid of something bad happening to him --- wouldn't his stomach acid be able to break down little pieces of wood without a problem??
No Because Beardies lick everything and it could get stuck in their gut, and Bearded dragons weren't made to digest wood or sand, It's an unnatural substance for their environment and beardies weren't made to digest Wood chips or sand, Then there is ALWAYS going to be the risk of bad bacteria and impaction or most other problems.
SydneyGaia":2569jp8l said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqCcYr0hZjA

I think that I will switch to Desert Snow in another year or two because Sydney would look stunning on a white substrate! (I trust LLLReptile -- if I am familiar with a reptile store 3,000+ miles away, ya know that they are knowledgeable!)
Hmmm... I'm Still skeptical about that, Is Desert snow Calcium based at all? If it is, Then no. Any calcium based substrate is the absolute worst thing you could get for a Beardie.

Personally I don't Trust LLLReptile as much, but That's mainly because I'm not the biggest fan of huge super scale breeders like LLLReptile, but that's only my opinion.

Could you post a few pics of How Sydney's tank looked like with the Sani chips?

I mean if it worked fine with you and your dragon seems happy and healthy, Then Kudos to that. But still please be aware that there always is a higher risk of health problems with a loose substrate.

Again, this is only my opinion. :)
Desert Snow is not calcium-based. I'll see if I have a photo of when I had sani chips. He LOVED them.

I am honestly wanting an answer about substrates and stomach acid though. Wouldn't stomach acid take care of most substrates, like aspen?
 

HippieLizards

Gray-bearded Member
Beardie name(s)
Daisy, Loki, Rocket, Phoenix, Mulder & Scully. Non beardie pets: Stan (Leo) Cayde (Hognose) Tillery (cat)
Ok good that it isn't calcium based. :)

Well Bearded dragons don't always have the best digestion and Aren't as capable of digesting things like that, Also you don't really want wood chips to get into your beardie's system Because Obviously wood has very little to no nutritional value for a Beardie.

Regarding Aspen, That is more commonly used for snakes and other reptiles, Animals such as Beardies or leopard geckos Don't do as good on a thing like that. Snakes have much stronger digestive systems because they're adapted to eat hard to digest things like rats and other small animals, So I believe they would be fine with getting some aspen.

But there is more dangers to loose substrates Other than Impaction and such. Such as:
•joint issues,
•cuts (wood chips aren't always that soft and I bet living on them would be pretty painful eventually),
•Bad bacteria problems,
•Rather difficult to clean,
•prolapses (If they were to acclimate too much into their systems),
•Possible fungus spores Could be in it,
•Eye issues (if it were to get into their eyes I bet it would be really irritating).

Those are just a few of the problems that come with something like that. But if you have used it before and your Beardie is happy and healthy and without issues, then Kudos to that. :)
 

HippieLizards

Gray-bearded Member
Beardie name(s)
Daisy, Loki, Rocket, Phoenix, Mulder & Scully. Non beardie pets: Stan (Leo) Cayde (Hognose) Tillery (cat)
Quick question; What exactly is a dremel? :)
 

SydneyGaia

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Well, I need to get a new attachment tomorrow for my dremel to cut my plastic box, so I'm using cardboard for the time being. Once my images upload, I'll post them. My habitat is a work in progress
 

SydneyGaia

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
Here we go. I will also give him a log tomorrow to climb up to his box tomorrow once I take my foster to school tomorrow.

I'm not sure what I thing of this set-up, it really does cut the layout up and makes the enclosure seem smaller than it is.

100764-7631020578.jpg

100764-4199568238.jpg
 

SydneyGaia

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
He is now borrowed into his hide for the night. I'd consider sticking a small bulb over the dig box for him, but that would really mess with the temps since it would be at the far end of his cool side. Right now his temps are thermostat regulated and perfect.
 

HippieLizards

Gray-bearded Member
Beardie name(s)
Daisy, Loki, Rocket, Phoenix, Mulder & Scully. Non beardie pets: Stan (Leo) Cayde (Hognose) Tillery (cat)
Hmm, That does make the enclosure look a bit smaller. ? But hopefully it will work out well? :)
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
The enclosure looks great. :) The only thing I would add is a taller basking log, beardie's love to climb and it adds space to the tank. BTW, what did you put in the dig box ? I just want to assure you that sand and sand/soil mix are safe, I've used them for over 25 years. People have generally had a negative view of sand because of the few bad stories they've seen which are usually from dragons that are kept in tanks with improper temps. , lack of hydration and impacted from other things they've eaten and/or eating calcium sand which turns in to a sludge like substance in the stomach. Sand is a very natural part of their wild environment, along with dirt, clay, grasslands, woodlands, etc. Somehow people started saying they only live on hard packed dirt + rock and this info is just passed down over + over.
 
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