How to appease a dragon that likes to dig?

[redwood]

Hello!
I've had my 4 yr old male Jupie for about 2 yrs now, and I've always kept him on newspaper because I've seen so many people swear that loose substrate is the devil incarnate. I've come around to the idea of sand substrate, only because the herpetology lab that I volunteer in has an ancient beardie (seriously, I think she might be over 12 yrs old :shock: ) that does just fine on playsand and doesn't eat it or get impacted at all. I've done my share of research, and it seems like the main causes of impaction with sand come from a calcium deficiency or from sand near the feeding area. I always feed my fella insects outside of his tank, and his salad bowl is on a shelf away from the cool side/his "burrowing" area.

Jupie loves to dig on his cool side, especially when it's lights out and he's settling in for the night. I used to supplement the newspaper with rodent paper litter (not the garbage stuff, don't worry), but I was worried about being lint-y for him and getting in his nose. Now, he's just had the shredded newspaper, but he sounds unsatisfied with the digging opportunities that this gives him.I've seen suggestions that a sand/dirt mixture would be good for a dig box, but I think that since he likes to dig to settle in for bed, a dig box wouldn't really address his need. SO: would it really be so terrible to use that zoo-med vita sand in his bedding area? I wouldn't use it for the whole tank, just the area he scratches in when he goes to bed.

And just for summary
zoo-med vita sand, the sand-colored one (not worried about it dyeing him) on ONLY his sleeping area (less than 1/4 of tank area)
[x] doesn't poop in "bed" area, so low risk of the stinky-germy-sand problem
[x] eats all insects outside of tank, salad is on a shelf away from bed area
[x] gets lots of calcium, not worried about him being deficient and eating sand
[x] digs specifically in bed area, so dig box wouldn't help him

 

[MrSpectrum]

Hello!
I've had my 4 yr old male Jupie for about 2 yrs now, and I've always kept him on newspaper because I've seen so many people swear that loose substrate is the devil incarnate. I've come around to the idea of sand substrate, only because the herpetology lab that I volunteer in has an ancient beardie (seriously, I think she might be over 12 yrs old :shock: ) that does just fine on playsand and doesn't eat it or get impacted at all.

I'm sorry, but I can't say I agree with your logic there at all. It's kind of like saying, "I'm not worried about getting coronavirus because I know a guy who did and he was asymptomatic."

To put it another way, puppies who get into trouble usually do because they're left unsupervised to get into trouble/be destructive--usually out of boredom. The best solution I know of is crating, and most dog experts/trainers/veterinarians agree with that.

Similarly, a BD kept in captivity is more likely to get bored and do things like ingest whatever is available. I know mine does with the plants in his enclosure (all proven beardie-safe). He doesn't dig because the planters are all up high and covered with stones large enough that he can't swallow them.

True, you might get lucky and have no problems, but what if you do? Are you prepared for the possibility (I didn't say probability or likelihood) of surgery or heartbreak? To me, it's just not worth the risk--I like my little guy too much. Ultimately it's your choice.

 

[redwood]

Mr.Spectrum, I don't mean to undermine your enthusiasm for the animal or disregard you on the basis of inexperience, but it seems like you've just recently acquired your bearded dragon, and that he is your first. Perhaps I should have been more specific, but the intention of my post in this forum was to garner information/solutions from experienced owners about the different ways they address their lizard's natural inclination to dig. I respect your opinions on how you want your animal cared for, but it seems like you have not ever used sand (which is totally understandable, as your pet is still a juvenile) and your pet "doesn't dig", so I don't see how your experience with your lizard thus far is applicable to the situation I have posited.

However, congratulations on your bearded dragon! They are wonderful creatures and I have worked with them in professional and research settings since I was 17, so feel free to let me know if you have any questions!

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi there,

Little backstory first.

I've had dragons nearly 20 years. When I first got into the hobby, everyone was using crushed walnut shell, sand, etc. As time went on we realized the potential dangers with some of these substrates (some significantly more than others) and eventually, I jumped on the train of thought that many people have "better safe than sorry"
I think that's a train of thought many can get behind. Why risk it?
And like many others, I switched to a solid substrate once I was told, and learned of the dangers. I lose my first dragon, he was housed on crushed walnut. Was it because of that? It probably played a part. But back then we didn't know nearly as much as we do now about lighting, diet, temperatures, etc. He died mainly from my ignorance.

Fast forward many many years, and I'm still using tile and paper towels as my main substrates in all of my enclosures ( I have 5 ).

However, this is where my opinions start to defer from the masses. And I think this is where more advanced herp keeping comes into play.
One of my girls was very very lazy. Wouldn't move at all, would kind of just exist. I felt bad for her. However I noticed that everytime I let her out, she would liven up a bit. She just didn't like her tank. Another thing I noticed, is she didn't like to support her body while in her tank either. She would just lie on her belly. I started wondering if she just didn't like the feeling of the tile. Was it too cold? Too hard? Too rough? Not rough enough?

I'm someone who likes to let experience guide my way. I decided I wanted to test out using sand again in at least one of my tanks. Now that I am more experienced, and more in tune with my dragons, I can make a better assessment on the situation. My own assessment as opposed to everyone else's. I do want to interrupt real quick and say though, I only think this is responsible to do as a more advanced keeper. When you are new, and not as experienced, it makes sense to listen to the masses and listen to generally accepted advice.
Anyways, my girl (her name is Moro by the way) was the perfect candidate for this test. She was the one who spurred the idea.

So the day comes, I take Moro out of her tank, I remove her tiles, and I dump in a 50 lb bag of play sand into her home. I put all her decor back where it generally was, and I put her in. Instantly, she was a new dragon. She was roaming around, climbing on things, and basking, which was something she hadn't done for awhile. But of course, this could just be chocked up to a new environment causing some stress and excitement.
I come back a few hours later, and she is digging away. I was thrilled to see her exerting energy. This is all I wanted, for her to move around and be active!
The next day, she dug herself a cave under some of her logs, and slept in it for a few days. A bit disappointing, but I was happy she at least put out the effort to dig a large cave for herself.
Much to my surprise, a few days later, she was back out, had dug a new hole on her warm side, and was up basking on her rock.

Since then, Moro has been a different dragon. She is happy, she is eating, she is moving around. The only thing that changed with her is the substrate she was on.

From the outside looking in, you can argue that it could have been many different reasons for the change in behavior. But I have been around dragons long enough, and I know my dragons well enough. For Moro, her behavior change was specifically from the substrate change.

All that is to say, general guidelines are great. But you get to a point where you know your dragon, and you make the best decision for your specific dragon. I have 1 dragon on sand and 4 on tile. None of my other dragons need to change their substrate. They are all doing just fine. Moro needed special attention to her substrate, just like some of my other dragons need special attention to other husbandry needs.

Guidelines and general recommendations are just that. You get to a point where you know your dragon, and you know (or at least think you know) what is best. At what point can one consider themselves a more advanced keeper? I'm not sure. But as long as you are in touch with your dragon, and are able to pick up on changes in behavior, you should be able to make the best decision for your dragon too.

I don't know your experience level or how in tune you are with your dragon, but it doesn't take an expert really IMO to try something and come to your own conclusions about it. Just have some common sense.
If you see your dragon constantly licking and eating sand, well it might not be a good choice.
If your dragon seems stressed for awhile at the change, it might not be a good choice.
If your dragon starts suffering other health issues related to it, it might not be a good choice.
But for some, it is.

If I were you, I'd probably just add a dig box into the tank if your tank is large enough, or provide sand on one side perhaps with a barrier so it doesn't go everywhere.
However, I would NOT use a vita sand or calci-sand. That stuff really does clump up tight together when wet. General ol' playsand that you can get from home improvement stores is the way to go IMO. And it's loads cheaper.

Sorry that was such a long post. I've been wanting to get that down in writing into it's own thread to share my experiences, so I guess you are my rough draft. Lol.
Good luck, hopefully my insights can help you come to the right decision for your dragon.

-Brandon

 

[MrSpectrum]

Mr.Spectrum, I don't mean to undermine your enthusiasm for the animal or disregard you on the basis of inexperience, but it seems like you've just recently acquired your bearded dragon, and that he is your first. Perhaps I should have been more specific, but the intention of my post in this forum was to garner information/solutions from experienced owners about the different ways they address their lizard's natural inclination to dig. I respect your opinions on how you want your animal cared for, but it seems like you have not ever used sand (which is totally understandable, as your pet is still a juvenile) and your pet "doesn't dig", so I don't see how your experience with your lizard thus far is applicable to the situation I have posited.

However, congratulations on your bearded dragon! They are wonderful creatures and I have worked with them in professional and research settings since I was 17, so feel free to let me know if you have any questions!

Some of that is correct, and some is misconstrued. My dragon is not the first reptile or lizard I have owned; he is only the first of this species. My experience with reptiles and their digging goes back over 50 years.

My dragon is 7 months, and definitely attempts to dig/scritch, so I do have some personal experience addressing his inclinations, as well as advice & council of several veterinarians (2 herp vets) in my family/social circle, several breeders I've met and remain in contact with, the local herpetological society, and I would say--from my experiences on this and other BD/reptile forums--more reading/research than the average bear--all of which have added to my experience, as I'm sure learning from others has added to your own.

I went into this question at some length--months before getting my dragon (My research into keeping the species began a full year before getting one), whilst looking at/into the suitability of bioactive enclosures/environments for bearded dragons, as well as general investigations of the best/safest substrates for BDs in captivity.

The consensus of all sources I find credible is, male BDs in captivity don't need to dig, any more than dogs do, despite natural inclinations/proclivities. And particulate substrates are not advised, e.g.:
The Best (And Safest) Substrates for Bearded Dragons
Choosing The Best Substrate for a Bearded Dragon
Choosing the Best Substrate for Bearded Dragons

So why would I needlessly subject my dragon--regardless of whether I had kept him 6 months or 6 decades--to what's considered by the vast majority of credible sources to be the least-preferred, riskiest substrate? :? Now if he were a she, or living in the wild, it would be a different matter.

Now to the point, the way I deal with digging is to eliminate/reduce the opportunities (as I've always done with all my pets to prevent their harming themselves). The enclosure is floored/lined with rough tile, slate, and brick, all which help maintain his claws/nails. Despite not being bioactive, the enclosure has 20± plants, which help provide enrichment, regulate humidity, and they don't look bad, either. To prevent too much humidity, the bulk of the plants are succulents, along with some herbs, and covered over with river pebbles to reduce humidity through aspiration. The pebbles also dissuade digging. Some plants (Hens & Chicks, Tillandsia) grow out of the slate backsplash, and are out of reach. About 10 more are in faux lava rock planters--difficult for him to dig in to begin with. I don't expect perfection; in 6 months, he managed to pull out exactly one, and it was from pulling--not digging. The herbs are planted in what I call the "basil forest". It is likewise covered over by large river pebbles. He likes to crawl/run through it and hide, but he's dissuaded from digging by the pebbles--despite digging/scritching at the floor and/or near where the doors slide open, and/or occasionally in corners of the enclosure.

I'm sorry if my experience & opinions don't agree with/validate your change of heart. With all due respect, it still seems to me--from your own words--based largely on the case of ONE dragon and anecdotal evidence.

It's also been my experience that some people tend to agree with sources that agree with the answers they've already decided on or want to hear. I'm not saying that's the case here; only you can know your own mind.

In my own case, when I did my research, I had no preconceived ideas of the best substrate for a male in captivity. In fact, I liked the idea of a bioactive enclosure, but the more I learned, the less enthralled I became.

So it's still your dragon and your choice. I have no stake in this other than concern for the health & safety of an animal. If I'm accused of being overly concerned, I can live with that; it's better, IMO, than ambivalence. Keep him safe.

EDIT:
I should have added the possibility of behavior modification--something I'm more experienced with in dogs, but have applied some to my BD, which is partly how he is paper-trained.

I haven't worked on this for digging; with the other protective measures it hasn't been necessary, but I think it's worth considering if one has the time. patience, & inclination.