Might Re-Do Tank.. Have VERY IMPORTANT Questions First

[Barrettxx]

Hello guys,
So... im still here, still trying to get my beardy to love me off lmao.
I have gotten really fed up of the tile in my dragons tank because it is SUCH a pain to clean, as because I do go to work and when I come back my lizard has taken a HUGE crap atleast once throughout the day and while I am out with friends or at work, it has dried to the tank .. <_< & It is a pain to have to remove three peices, clean then and scrub them in the shower..

So I was looking at other enclosures and I seen SO much with sand and the set up looked perfect, and I said to myself "That is so much easier to clean, in my opinion it looks A LOT nicer, and I can put up some of the logs that I have that wont go in with the tile because it just slips.. OH! & I HAVE A POOPER SCOOPER, A LOT EASIER!" but I keep hearing about this impaction deal..
I would like to know what is the cause of it? like, i know its because they eat the sand but is it because they just... eat it? :S, or because they get some while running after a cricket?
If so I have the cricket keeper thing (Put the crickets in the rock looking thing, and they come out of the hole, but by the time they are visible my dragon gets them asap anyways)
So should I be fine?

 

[Valex]

If you decided to do this just make sure it is Playsand that has been sifted through to remove small rocks and larger grains of sand. Young beadies tend to lick everything so they lick the sand and accidently eat it if they try to get a cricket, which is why if you use sand you should feed in a seperate tank. Impaction is caused when they eat it, and their bowels become metaphorically(sp) a clogged artary(sp). It is a personal choice but it is much safer to use tile.

 

[Barrettxx]

So I would have to do that stuff myself? Removing all the small rocks or are you saying the Play Sand has that done already?

 

[rachelnmelsmom]

We are using paper towels as a substrate for our little gal. It has been extremely easy to maintain. Do you think it would help to put some paper towels down while you are away so that clean up would be easier once you return home? That way you wouldn't have to worry about the possibility of an impaction.

 

[peera]

As already stated, babies will taste anything making sand an impaction risk, but there's also the fact that sand harbors bacteria pretty badly. Think of it like you're making your dragon live in a big litter box- no matter how hard you try, short of emptying out all the sand every time he poops, a bit of liquid gets left in the sand.... Not only unsanitary for them, but putting YOU at greater risk for salmonella when you handle him.

 

[Barrettxx]

Well she is about 7 months..
But you guys are all making very good points

 

[Valex]

You have to sift through the sand yourself.

 

[KUdragonGirl]

Does your beardie alway go in the same spot, 3 of my 5 do, i just rearranged their cages so that where they always poop is something that is easy for me to clean up. That way you don't have to take everything apart everytime.