Beardie eats rocks on sand mat, should I use sand?

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galaxxzy

Member
My 4 month old beardie has been eating the rocks on his sand mat and I’m debating just using normal sand instead. I know sand can cause compaction but I feel like rocks will make it worse. What do I do?
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
NO do not use sand ---------------- go get some textured non adhesive shelf liner from Home Depot or Lowes ----- it is easy to clean w/ vinegar/ water 50/50 in a spray bottle and insects cant get underneath!!! But NO sand!!! If you haft to go to paper towels for now - one rock off the sand mat is not going to hurt him but the sand will!!! If you want you can get carpet reptile from the pet store but its expensive to keep clean thats why I suggested the shelf liner even cut pieces of tile in the tank would be good
Karrie
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hi there,

My first thought would be, are you feeding him enough. They are curious and will try to rest things, occasionally. But if hes constantly doing if he might just be hungry.

Can you describe his daily diet for us?

Other options would be tile, linoleum, non-adhesive shelf liner, news paper or paper towels.

-Brandon
 

galaxxzy

Member
Original Poster
Hello Brandon, I am feeding him enough.Everyday I will give him 2 servings of kale and at least, at a guess 30 mealworms per day. Never heard of linoleum. Thanks.

-Your best mate, Nicholas Cronge
 

galaxxzy

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":9cibrd0j said:
NO do not use sand ---------------- go get some textured non adhesive shelf liner from Home Depot or Lowes ----- it is easy to clean w/ vinegar/ water 50/50 in a spray bottle and insects cant get underneath!!! But NO sand!!! If you haft to go to paper towels for now - one rock off the sand mat is not going to hurt him but the sand will!!! If you want you can get carpet reptile from the pet store but its expensive to keep clean thats why I suggested the shelf liner even cut pieces of tile in the tank would be good
Karrie

‘ello Karrie, I’m not that loaded. Only just got my 50 pence pay from last week. Whats a home depot? He eats lots of rocks and tiles will make them stink if they want in their poo.

- Yoor best mait, Nicholas Cronge
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
galaxxzy":3iuigozq said:
KarrieRee":3iuigozq said:
NO do not use sand ---------------- go get some textured non adhesive shelf liner from Home Depot or Lowes ----- it is easy to clean w/ vinegar/ water 50/50 in a spray bottle and insects cant get underneath!!! But NO sand!!! If you haft to go to paper towels for now - one rock off the sand mat is not going to hurt him but the sand will!!! If you want you can get carpet reptile from the pet store but its expensive to keep clean thats why I suggested the shelf liner even cut pieces of tile in the tank would be good
Karrie

‘ello Karrie, I’m not that loaded. Only just got my 50 pence pay from last week. Whats a home depot? He eats lots of rocks and tiles will make them stink if they want in their poo.

- Yoor best mait, Nicholas Cronge
50p ==> you are in the UK somewhere. Most the people here are yanks , and assume everyone else is also , so they think we foreigners have access to Lowes , Home Depot etc ,which don't exist outside the USA.

My suggestion is raid the pantry , you'll find a roll of absorbant paper towel there most likely, I'd take some squares off the roll and line the tanks floor with this ( I'd put down 3 layers ).

Throw out the sandpaper stuff.
If your dragon is eating stones off the sandpaper matt stuff, this is potentially very dangerous , if the stones can't be passed , there is a very high risk of GIT blockages ( very bad !!! ) and GIT impaction.
How big were the stones that were ingested ?

What are you feeding the dragon ?
How often ?
How many per feed ( insects ) ?
Guidence on feeders and feeding for a hatching / juvenile ( months old say ) .:This thread will offer some guidance on what to give a hatchling to eat , ie feeders that are best, feeding schedule , supplementation .
viewtopic.php?f=45&t=244111&p=1859195#p1859195
 

HippieLizards

Gray-bearded Member
Beardie name(s)
Daisy, Loki, Rocket, Phoenix, Mulder & Scully. Non beardie pets: Stan (Leo) Cayde (Hognose) Tillery (cat)
Solution: Toss out the sand mat, never use sand, put in paper towels, Boom. Problem solved.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Or find some on Amazon if you can order from them -- others on here have in the past - sorry we never ask where people are from we do assume they are from the states -- so if you have Home Improvement stores in your country you can check there or just use paper towels
Karrie
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
MrSpectrum":oz1efw5a said:
Here's an article on choosing the best BD substrate. Note the chart about 1/4 of the way down. :wink:

Unfortunately that source is too careful not to upset advertisers who market some very dangerous substrates ( as evidenced in their comparison table and brief discussions ) , therefore by way of improving on the table , I've added two columns to it that should have been included.

And be aware the last 2 columns in the original table are incorrect, many of the substrates do indeed permit pathogens to colonise the voids between the particles where moisture and dissolved nutrients (for the "germs" and molds) are adhering to the particle surfaces ( because of surface tension and the large effective surface area of the particles)
Rule of thumb : smaller particles ==> larger total surface area , so more surface for moisture to cling because of hydrogen bonding and surface tension effects , so better for pathogens to colonise .
Therefore I've made some corrections to the original table's last column.

POGONA-SUBSTRATES.png
 

ComicBookMama

Sub-Adult Member
galaxxzy":3humj3jl said:
My 4 month old beardie has been eating the rocks on his sand mat and I’m debating just using normal sand instead. I know sand can cause compaction but I feel like rocks will make it worse. What do I do?

Definitely remove the sand mat, but don't use normal sand, either. It will be a cleaning nightmare (sand can get bacteria-ridden very easily) and might cause impaction as your beardie injests it as he eats. If you can't afford tile or shelf liner, go with the paper towel solution - or even newspaper. Both are easy cleanup, at any rate, even if they don't look quite as nice as other substrates. (Or would ink from the newsprint cause a health risk? I've heard not, but I'm in the US.)
 

MrSpectrum

Gray-bearded Member
kingofnobbys":3skyv61r said:
MrSpectrum":3skyv61r said:
Here's an article on choosing the best BD substrate. Note the chart about 1/4 of the way down. :wink:

I've avoided mentioning Bioactive setups for bearded dragons because it's very hard to get these right for arid zone reptiles despite the claims of some.
I'm not sold on bio-active for BDs either. I was emphasizing the chart, which indicates bio-active (being basically loose substrate) is:

  • Difficult/Impossible to disinfect
    Can be ingested
    Hazardous to feed on
    Hiding for invertebrates (feeders)
YMMV
 
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