I recently got a beardie from a friend. He is 3 years old and pretty big. He was always on a felt mat thing. I put him on sand because he was definitely big enough. The sand is all purpose sand purchased from home depot. Very quickly after we put him in, he started likcing the sand and eating it. Is this safe? I know sand can cause impaction, but is it very dangerous? Will he stop?
Remove the sand ASAP! I reccomend using Zoomed reptile carpet or an ExoTerra sand mat. I have an ExoTerra sand mat in my 50 gal. setup and it looks really nice and realistic. You can put your beardie on paper towels for the time being.
Personally I would not use sand at all. Some who use it say nothing bad has happened but the potential is there. The sand can build up in the intestine over time. You can use non adhesive shelf liner as well. Which is what I use. They come in different designs and easy to clean.
Update: I have removed the sand, recleaned his tank, and I'm going to put a green felt mat (I don't know what it is called. The previous owner had it in the tank) but for now I am using paper towels. Thank you again for the responses.
Update: I have removed the sand, recleaned his tank, and I'm going to put a green felt mat (I don't know what it is called. The previous owner had it in the tank) but for now I am using paper towels. Thank you again for the responses.
I'd stick with the paper towels - they are an excellent option for most lizards , and make spot cleaning extremely quick and easy (remove the soiled sheets and replace with new sheets). Actually a better option than so called ReptiCarpet.