Millet for bedding

[im2tired2dance]

I was recommended to use millet as a substrate for my beardies, however I have not seen it brought up as such. Does anyone know anything about this. It is not supposed to cause impaction, it feels really good to the touch, cleans easily, and they seem to love it. The reptile store that I frequent is owned by a man that is licensed by the state to house any and all reptiles, venomous and otherwise, and he is a wealth of information. Just thought I would run this by you guys as another knowledgeable opinion or opinions is always greatly appreciated.

 

[Gail]

Millet is a terrible substrate, it can mold, harbor infection and cause impaction. Just because someone is licensed by the state doesn't mean they know proper care. We had a house of death pet store here that was licensed and they had reptiles dieing daily. They also used millet for substrate.

 

[diamc]

Moved here from General Discussion forum since it is about an enclosure discussion.

Any loose substrate can be an impaction risk if ingested. Also, when they poop, there is always a liquid left behind that makes it impossible to clean all up so it can cause bacteria to grow which can be very dangerous for a beardie. Anything left behind can also cause a bad odor.

Hope this helps.

 

[littlesavedgirl]

Bird lady here :roll: ,
Millet is an everyday food source for my parakeet, two cockatiels a two finches and I can testify That it will mold easily. Infact, millet will swell just from humidity in the air, however low it is. Millet is also very light weight and air born with very little troubling. In my opinion it could very well smother a young beardie but could also make it's way into the upper respiratory system of an adult as well.
It will also sprout up quickly with a tiny bit of water and clump up like kitty clumping litter. :study:

 

[im2tired2dance]

Ugh! Thanks for the help, have to change that NOW!

 

[im2tired2dance]

Thank all of you. I have changed her over to a carpet for now. My sons are going to start building a 3 level cage this weekend for the beardies and the python. I'll use tile as the flooring in that, maybe 1/2 carpet.