Loose Substrate

[salvatorethebeardie]

hello! i have been thinking about redoing my beardies cage and i want to have half of his cage be loose substrate but i am afraid he will get impacted. is there anything i can do to prevent that ? I have been doing a lot of research on the topic but I am not getting the answers I am looking for. I definitely want to mix a few different substrates together but im not sure which ones are the safest. i was thinking maybe some excavator clay and bioactive soil but i don't know if that's good. if i didn't put too much water in the clay could he still dig in it ?

 

[itsTigereye]

From what I have heard excavator clay is very hard to clean and tends to crumble easily. It's more so used as a lining than a substrate. I've heard the best loose substrate is Zoo Med Reptichips, you can get a bag for $12 on Amazon and I am currently testing it for my beardie. She has a 48x24x24 tank and one bag filled it up to the proper height for the entire tank. I've read good things about it and that it's the safest loose substrate to allow beardies their natural instincts, which I believe is incredibly important. I haven't seen anyone offer a solution for this when advocating for tile, carpet, etc. The first day she was licking a lot so just keep an eye on them when you try a loose substrate. She had pooped once so far in her bath and has had it in her tank since the 19th, so I am monitoring for signs of impaction to know if this is not a good option for her. She has absolutely loved digging in both of her hides multiple times a day, though!

This is the best article I could find on substrate, which may be beneficial to you: Bearded Dragon substrate. A fact-based guide to the best and worst options. - Beardie Bungalow

 

[salvatorethebeardie]

From what I have heard excavator clay is very hard to clean and tends to crumble easily. It's more so used as a lining than a substrate. I've heard the best loose substrate is Zoo Med Reptichips, you can get a bag for $12 on Amazon and I am currently testing it for my beardie. She has a 48x24x24 tank and one bag filled it up to the proper height for the entire tank. I've read good things about it and that it's the safest loose substrate to allow beardies their natural instincts, which I believe is incredibly important. I haven't seen anyone offer a solution for this when advocating for tile, carpet, etc. The first day she was licking a lot so just keep an eye on them when you try a loose substrate. She had pooped once so far in her bath and has had it in her tank since the 19th, so I am monitoring for signs of impaction to know if this is not a good option for her. She has absolutely loved digging in both of her hides multiple times a day, though!

This is the best article I could find on substrate, which may be beneficial to you: Bearded Dragon substrate. A fact-based guide to the best and worst options. - Beardie Bungalow

thank you so much! i will look at that website and research reptichips!

 

[Claudiusx]

I can't remember the last time we've seen a dragon suffering impaction due to loose substrates. We used to see it a lot back when crushed walnut shell was popular, and before we knew as much about proper husbandry.

If your husbandry is up to standard, and your dragon isn't a hatchling, you don't need to worry about impaction IMO/IME.

Impaction is much more likely from a combo of food items being too large and basking temps being too low.

-Brandon

 

[salvatorethebeardie]

I can't remember the last time we've seen a dragon suffering impaction due to loose substrates. We used to see it a lot back when crushed walnut shell was popular, and before we knew as much about proper husbandry.

If your husbandry is up to standard, and your dragon isn't a hatchling, you don't need to worry about impaction IMO/IME.

Impaction is much more likely from a combo of food items being too large and basking temps being too low.

-Brandon

okay, that makes me feel a lot better. 95 degrees is appropriate for a two year old right ?

 

[Longfellow777]

I can't remember the last time we've seen a dragon suffering impaction due to loose substrates. We used to see it a lot back when crushed walnut shell was popular, and before we knew as much about proper husbandry.

If your husbandry is up to standard, and your dragon isn't a hatchling, you don't need to worry about impaction IMO/IME.

Impaction is much more likely from a combo of food items being too large and basking temps being too low.

-Brandon

I agree and if your just tossing food in there yeah that van be a problem bit if your controlled feeding and mindful I think its alright. I also have been thinking of this zoo med chip. Frey'jas 2 years old now and I'm waiting for her to start all the egg stuff and digging etc. I think that would be good for stimulation and natural behavior.

 

[itsTigereye]

I can't remember the last time we've seen a dragon suffering impaction due to loose substrates. We used to see it a lot back when crushed walnut shell was popular, and before we knew as much about proper husbandry.

If your husbandry is up to standard, and your dragon isn't a hatchling, you don't need to worry about impaction IMO/IME.

Impaction is much more likely from a combo of food items being too large and basking temps being too low.

-Brandon

Unfortunately it seems like chips aren’t working for my beardie, Sunny. I agree that proper husbandry = no impaction, but I feel like I’m doing everything right and this is just something that doesn’t work for her. She’s not eating in her tank and her temperatures are completely fine (measured with a temp gun), is getting her calcium supplements, balanced diet, has a proper lighting and UVB mounted inside her tank— but she keeps running around and licking her substrate while she digs and ended up with a small impaction that caused her to poop (with effort) out a lot of chips after some olive oil and squash. I feel horrible because she is absolutely obsessed with digging when she had the opportunity but it’s too much of a risk for her since she won’t stop licking everything and ingesting it What would you suggest? I considered a dig box but would that not just have the same issue as before where she just keeps accidentally eating it?

 

[Longfellow777]

Yeah i feel like she would lick alot so maybe i wont