Crushed Walnut Shells

[dolphinsilversea01]

Oh and I forgot Puff - that is just the cutest!!! I did an instant aawwww when I read that name! Sorry for your loss.

 

[npedersen]

Thanks, my 4 year old picked the name.

Nick

 

[puppytoes72]

Even though crushed walnut looks nice it is VERY risky (for all the reasons already stated). If you want a nice looking substrate that is also SAFE try natural slate tiles. Not only are they pretty and safe but they are cheap.easy to clean,and they also keep their nails trimmed down
You can find 12x12 slate tiles at Lowes or Home Depot for about $2 each.Make sure they are slate and NOT glazed ceramic tiles because the glazed ones will be very slippery and your beardie wont be able to get traction :lol:

Ps: Slate is the most NATURAL substrate for beardies

 

[npedersen]

I recommend using slate, but also have an area of sand or something that the toes get a chance to "curl" or "dig" in. It prevents the toes from getting deformed, When I first got Sunny he was 1 1/2 years old and was on slate or repti-carpet and his toes were kind of bent up towards the sky. Also, if you put it in there den with tile kind of up on the sides the little guy will file down there nails while satisfying the natural digging.

The other thing it helps with is thermal regulation by allowing them to dig in to cool off or warm up and absorb alittle bit of moisture, what little bit is there, which is also a natural way of hydrating in the wild for them during times of drought.

Just my .02
Nick

 

[Cesar]

I recently got my first beardie, and the people who had him before me used to use the tile. when i bought him they gave me everything that he had and needed. when i got him home i fixed his cage and put him in an empty fish tank. when i put him back in his enclosure he loved the walnut shells! he started to roam around alot more than with the tiles.
Another thing i wanted to say was about the dragon who died from the walnut shells. To prevent that just keep his food from falling into the shells. My dragon only eats out of the shells if there is nothing else in his bowl. so keep food in his bowl and out of the shells. simple as that.

 

[cohiba4711]

Thanks for your input everyone! I do still feel that the crushed walnut shell substrate I'm using is fine for now, but when it comes time to replace it I will definitely consider something else. I think I would like to stick to some kind of particle substrate though because Zilla seems to like digging a spot under her log when she goes to sleep. Any particle alternatives to walnut shells will be noted!

 

[bmmst1]

well i use crushed walnut shells for the same reason.Firecracker loves to dig and make a hoe and sleep in it! you can try using sifted play sand? the white is better then the brown. that's what im going to use when i change it at the end of the month, i change every month for sanitary reasons, no such thing as too clean haha

 

[george101]

I had two beardies, Fred and George. I am a first time owner. The pet store employee said it was okay to buy sand. We had them living in sand for a year and Fred grew ill. We spent almost(And Think About This) $1,000 Dollars trying to save his life. In the end, he passed away anyway. George lived and we now have him useing paper towels. I know that walnut shells are not the same thing, but they are similar, hard, small and in the case of the shells, sharp. Its not worth the risk. Honestly, think about it, its for the sake of your dragons health, not the beauty of the cage or the easy clean up. I implore you to understand that.

 

[puppytoes72]

Thanks for your input everyone! I do still feel that the crushed walnut shell substrate I'm using is fine for now, but when it comes time to replace it I will definitely consider something else. I think I would like to stick to some kind of particle substrate though because Zilla seems to like digging a spot under her log when she goes to sleep. Any particle alternatives to walnut shells will be noted!

At least consider using a small sandbox(with playsand NOT calcisand) in the corner of his cage if he likes to dig,but use something safer for the rest of the flooring.

 

[puppytoes72]

I had two beardies, Fred and George. I am a first time owner. The pet store employee said it was okay to buy sand. We had them living in sand for a year and Fred grew ill. We spent almost(And Think About This) $1,000 Dollars trying to save his life. In the end, he passed away anyway. George lived and we now have him useing paper towels. I know that walnut shells are not the same thing, but they are similar, hard, small and in the case of the shells, sharp. Its not worth the risk. Honestly, think about it, its for the sake of your dragons health, not the beauty of the cage or the easy clean up. I implore you to understand that.

Im so sorry about Fred You are right,a beardie's health is much more important than how the cage looks.

 

[george101]

Thanks for the sympathy, and thanks for putting the warning against the calcisand. It happens to be what I had before Fred passed.

 

[cohiba4711]

At least consider using a small sandbox(with playsand NOT calcisand) in the corner of his cage if he likes to dig,but use something safer for the rest of the flooring.

I actually kind of have the opposite of that, with an upside-down shoebox lid on the opposite end of the cage as the basking side. It is about an inch and a half tall, and it keeps about a square foot area free of substrate. This is where I usually feed her.