creating a new home for a beardie

[lilith13]

I am wanting to get a new bearded dragon, but I thought I should have a home ready for them. The one I used to have always seemed happy with the calcium sand but I know lots of people are against it. I thought tile would be good, but will they really be comfortable on that hard surface all the time (even with the inclusion of climbing rocks and such)? Also, do some types of tile get too hot from the heat lamps?
Does anyone have any pictures of what they have done? That would be helpful.

 

[Claudiusx]

Tile is ok. If you want to use sand use playsand. Calcium sand is very well known to clump and form hard masses in a dragons system when ingested. Playsand doesn't have this issue due to the particle size and shapes.

Setting up your enclosure first is always the preferred method. Allows you to dial in your temperatures first before bringing your dragon home. This section of the forum you are in has a stickied thread where people post pictures of their enclosures, you should be able to get lots of good ideas from there.

-Brandon

 

[xp29]

I have been using the Zen habitats mat for a little while now, that is hands down the best 45 bucks I ever spent. It doesnt leak through, it has just a little cushioning built into it and it's the easiest of all my setups to clean poop off of. My boy also gets pretty good traction on it.

 

[lilith13]

I have been using the Zen habitats mat for a little while now, that is hands down the best 45 bucks I ever spent. It doesnt leak through, it has just a little cushioning built into it and it's the easiest of all my setups to clean poop off of. My boy also gets pretty good traction on it.

I'll look into that. I used a mat before it was green, and I guess was supposed to look like grass... Quagmire hated it! His feet would get stuck & he'd get so mad.

 

[Chris.]

Personally I am a fan of loose substrate as my dragon does like to dig a lot and he has build his own burrow for hiding. I use granite based sand for this purpose as it holds burrows really well.

 

[DallasStorm]

I am wanting to get a new bearded dragon, but I thought I should have a home ready for them. The one I used to have always seemed happy with the calcium sand but I know lots of people are against it. I thought tile would be good, but will they really be comfortable on that hard surface all the time (even with the inclusion of climbing rocks and such)? Also, do some types of tile get too hot from the heat lamps?
Does anyone have any pictures of what they have done? That would be helpful.

I would suggest no loose substrate. Non adhesive self liner or a Zen Mat is best. If you plan on getting a baby/juvenile you might want to use paper towels for a little bit since they will potty alot at first.