Dragon demands different substrate...

[dolcedragon]

Hello,
All of my beardies are currently on tile over shelf liner. It does good b/c it doesn't harbor germs and cleans up very easily, EXCEPT that Harlee loves playsand. I had to switch her from the sand to the tile when my illness worsened a couple of months ago, b/c it is just too much work to keep sand clean and parasite free. Harlee seems to miss her sand though, she loves to burrow and can't on tile, I feel bad for her.

So my question is... how can I somehow get even a little playsand in her house and keep it easy for me to deal with??
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[Catalyst]

You can give her a removeable sandbox by filling a container partially with sand and putting it in the enclosure for her to dig in if she wants. This way, if she poops in it, you can just dump the whole container out in the garbage and wash the container out, and you won't have a big mess to clean in the tank.

 

[LJean]

I bought a small cat litter box from Wal-mart the other day. I plan to use that as a sandbox for Calypso. This way I can just dump the whole thing, clean it out, and replace the sand. I also have a shop vac on hand to vacuum up any sand that gets around the tank.

 

[dolcedragon]

Thanks, that sounds like a reasonable solution. Here is my concern: What kind of container would I use? I'm afraid that any sort of plastic would be a breeding ground for parasites. Also, how would she get into it? I'm not able to build anything... I have a log that would work except I'm afraid she is too um.. shall I say not the brightest bulb in the bunch.. to actually figure out how to climb it and get into it.

 

[LJean]

Is she a handicapped dragon? The cat litter box I bought is only 3 1/2" deep. When I clean out the sandbox I will soak it in some hot water with a bit bleach. Should help keep out bacteria.

 

[dolcedragon]

Not exactly handicapped, though her growth was stunted and she hardly reaches 7in snout 2 vent... she's just a bit umm.. (can she see me from here, no) dumb. :shock: She will try to hide her head in the corner to sleep away from the light instead of going into her giant hide... Crickets can be dancing all over her head and she will just stare at me like she's hungry.. Yesterday she tried to climb the fake plant, and of course it kept falling over under her weight, and she kept trying for like an hour! And there's a lot more where that came from. (Oh she's looking my way now) Harlee I LOVE you just the way you are!! I want it deep enough to really burrow into w/out sand flying everywhere and made somehow that she can figure it out. How often would I need to bleach the box?

 

[LJean]

hee hee hee
We weren't talking bad about you, Harlee.

How often to bleach would depend on how dirty the box is. If she doesn't poo in or on the box a quick wipe down may do. I'm sure she would figure out how to get inside the box, LOL

 

[kmc5]

Can they did in a box with shredded papertowels? I was just wondering.

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Can they did in a box with shredded papertowels? I was just wondering.

Yes, they can dig in papertowels(great idea), although it won't be half as fun.

dolcedragon...As far as getting into the litterbox, could you put a rock or brick next to it for Harlee to climb on to get in? Just a thought...

Dawn

 

[beardie1434]

docledragon.. I my Gabby also loves to climb her fake tree and would spend awhile with doing it everytime I picked it up so I didn't pick it up one time and she happily laid on it as it was laying down itself. I decided to brace it up with her basking stand and now I don't have to worry about her falling repeatedly anymore. Now Gabby enjoys tree climbing and basking at the same time. Gabby is a rescue from Gainsville and is still undersized and not the brightest either, lol. Best wishes.

 

[dolcedragon]

Ha ha glad I'm not the only one with a not-so-bright dragon... OK so maybe I was being overly concerned about cleanliness (silly overprotective mother that I am :roll: ) so I went ahead and put in a plastic container with sand in it that takes up about one-third of her house. I put a large sloped rock next to it as an entry/exit point. So far Harlee doesn't seem to notice it at all (again it takes up 1/3 of her viv!) and she just stays on the one side. I put an extra basking bulb above the "sandbox" to entice her into it, but by that point she was ready for bed. She is not going to make this easy for me is she?