Hulled Millet as a substrate?

[Cheline101]

So i am very very tight on money right now and I've been using sand as a substrate for my lizzard. (I know that's bad.. you don't have to tell me) I have a 125 gallon tank that he lives in, so it usually takes anywhere from 80 to 100 pounds of sand to cover it, and I can get 100 pounds of it for 6 dollars. That's why I've been using it. Today, I went to this small Pet store that I like because the lady seems to know what she's talking about and she doesn't try to rip me off like certain other small pet stores like to try to do... anyway, she said that she uses Hulled Millet for a substrate because ifthey eat some of it with the cricket, It actually has some nutritional value and he'll poop it out normally. She told me where she gets hers and said that it costs about $15.00 for a 25 pound bag, which is a lot more expensive, but not as bad as it could be, and i'll do pretty much anything for that little guy. He's only a year and a half old, and I've definitely spent way over a thousand dollars on him. But now I don't have all of the money I used to so I need to be extra cheap until I can find another job. I was just wondering if anybody else has used this as a substrate, and if so, would they recommend it? If not, I need something cheap, other than sand. I'm not putting lineolium flooring in the tank, and I'm not using newspaper. Anything else is fair game. I've got things for him to trim his nails on, and I clip and file them every couple months, so that isn't really a problem. let me know.
9I'm sick of the dust that somes with the sand too... that can't be good to breath!)

 

[spurlee01]

I wouldn't use any type of loose substrate. It is a breeding ground for bacteria. I use paper towel in my girl's tank and my boyfriend uses repticarpet with his beardie. You could also put tile down.

 

[Jess]

What are the dimensions of your viv? You can get a 2' x 4' role of non-adhesive shelf liner for $5. I put velcro tape in the corners of mine to keep it stuck down, and it works awesome! 2 roles of shelf liner (Unless your viv is bigger than 8' x 2') plus velco tape (this is optional I guess, but it works SO well) should be under $20. If you take good care of the shelf liner, it should last at least a year or so. It also happens to be the easiest stuff to clean ever!

 

[everhood13]

A cheap, permanent answer is tile. The average tile cost for individual tiles is about $1-2 per tile and they would be easy to clean, put in and take out Just wipe them down, put them in bleach or vinegar water to deep clean. It isn't anything that needs to be replaced all the time. I have enjoyed it. You can also use paper towel, but that is a constant expense and doesn't look as nice. If you want aesthetics and durability, go with slate or tile. Trust me, is it much better than sand and doesn't get even close to being as nasty as sand can get.

 

[DragonsNDoodles]

When my dragons were babies, they got paper towels which are pretty cheap. Then I moved them up to slate when they graduated to the bigger tanks. Two are in 5x3x2 wooden enclosures, one is in a 4x2x2 wooden enclosure, and one is in a 55 gallon tank. They all have cheap black slate as their floor and all of them love it!!

 

[Cheline101]

ok... so I ordered some of the hulled Millet to try it out, then I was thinking if I didn't like it, then I'd move to slate... well... when I got back from the store, He did a nose dive in the sand (on Purpose! I don't know if there was a cricket in there or what) anyway, when he came up, he had an ENTIRE mouthful of sand! I ran up to him to get it out, and he swallowed most of and got mad at me tor trying to open his mouth! (He couldn't wait 2 days!) so now I'm misting his veggies to try to get some more fluids in him, and I'm going to be giving him baths and rubbing his tummy everyday, which I don't normally do because the bath kind of scares him, is there anything else I can do for him to help him to pass the sand?

 

[Jess]

Apple sauce really cleans them out! LOL. Olive oil and canned pumpkin work too, but I usually just use apple sauce.
If he is eating substrate like that, you should REALLY consider keeping him on something non-particle.

 

[Cheline101]

He normally doesn't eat it... I don't think he meant to eat it, but the nose dive was on purpose... I think he was diving for a cricket or something... I want a substrate that he can grip though... news paper and paper towels don't really do it for him... he doesn't like the kitchen floor either because of that... if I don't like the millet, I'll probably try reptile carpet. That's what he had when he was a baby, but every time you drop a cricket on it or he poops, It leaves a mark... and I have a 6 foot tank with like a 40-50 pound stump in there that he basks on... it's a pain to move!

 

[Jess]

Like I said before, the shelf liner works REALLY well! Its nice and squishy and grip-able, and it wipes off really easily, so you don't need to take it out of your viv for cleaning (unless you want to bleach it). It doesn't stain either, unless you have poop sitting on it for days or something.

 

[Cheline101]

What's a shelf liner again, I thought It was just one of those things than you stuck on a shelf to make it look cute, (I always thought shelves looked dumb with those things on)... but I think that's different than what your talking about because they arn't swuishy and have no texture...

 

[SE7EN57]

Tile is the best substrate if you ask me. I picked up some 16x16 pieces from home depot for only 99 cents a piece. They look nice and have good grip for him as well. Easy to clean as well.

 

[Jess]

Yeah, you are thinking of the adhesive kind! Non-adhesive is much different. It is this stuff, except get the kind with out little holes in it:

It is very cushiony and squishy. Here is what it looks like in Dudley's viv:

 

[Cheline101]

Your vivarium looks good... very clean... do you think it would work just as good if I put it there in a couple of pieces? I have 40 or so pound stump on one side of his tank that is a pain to take out... and he always poops in the same 2 spots on the other side of the tank... well after the hulled millet, I will think about it... that stuff does look easy to grip... I don't know of many tiles that are easy to grip though... hemm... I just cleaned it out and I have newspaper on the bottom

O by the way, I used to have that same background on my tank, except my tank's so big it showed the measuring lines on the bottom plus another few inches. Right now I have christmas rapping paper taped to the back and 2 sides. (I decorate for the holidays... he even had ornaments hanging from his stump)

Thanks for your thoughts

 

[Jess]

Thanks! I'm a tiny bit of a neat freak, so I like to keep his cage looking nice and tidy LOL
Yup, that would work fine. You can put velcro in the corners to keep it stuck down, and just pull out the section that he poops on.
I've used paper towels, reptile carpet, and slate and ceramic tile, and shelf liner is by far my favorite! It comes in a bunch of different patterns and colors too.

LOL, I think that background is pretty popular XD I've had that one for forever, and I just bought a really pretty new one that I still have to put on. Wrapping paper sounds like a good idea though! You can make it sparkley.
And no prob. Glad I could help.

 

[Cheline101]

I think once the lights shut off, I'll move them and change it to sparkly.... I think I've got silver, red, and a blue/purple type color... It's so much cheaper than background pictures... I've also thought of taking butcher paper (because my dad just happens to have a roll that's the perfect height) and drawing something on it... like "Puff the Magic Dragon" and a bunch of dragon pictures... Or I could make a collage... But I need 6 feet of pictures, so the collage might be a pain... decisions, decisions...