stangbanger":32fmmmf6 said:as for the mice not being a natural food souce....neither are dubia roaches for beardies
heres a big debate if youre interested in the topic
http://www.herpcenter.com/leopard-gecko ... -mice.html
Skymall007":2pec9vwn said:I keep reading about impaction problems with having sand? How do beardies deal with the sand naturally? In the wild, there is sand. Perhaps the sand is just hard packed so they don't eat it? I am confused about why sand is dangerous for them.
Skymall007":1lc06n81 said:Since I am so new to beardies I can't say my opinion. I def. think it looks pretty awesome looking though and your beardies are so cute!
The one thing that comes to mind is just some of the bugs that could come in with the soil. I read that beardies can't eat fire flies and will do so because they don't have them in their native habitats. I would worry about them eating something that could potentially be harmful and the beardie won't know it because that particular invertebrate is not native to their homeland.
I keep reading about impaction problems with having sand? How do beardies deal with the sand naturally? In the wild, there is sand. Perhaps the sand is just hard packed so they don't eat it? I am confused about why sand is dangerous for them.
esn":1lc06n81 said:I just offered my beardies an option to get closer to the basking lights. Tempgun says 120-130 degrees depending on how high they sit. Both my dragons have been basking in this hotter temp immediately after changing it. They're also eating more, which I like. I like the idea of giving them their own choices to get hotter than "recommended".
Do you think that higher basking temps will make it easier to digest the chitin in darkling beetle larvae (meals/supers)? I'm wondering if it is easier for them to digest that prey, considering that hotter temps allow reptiles to digest whole prey, like large mice. I'm going to do some research on that. I don't always like my adult beardie's digestion of supers, which is why I offer earthworms too if I feed supers instead of roaches. The only downside of that is the absolute rankness of earthworm-filled poo. I balance my monitor's digestion of mice and supers with earthworms as well, so that was the reasoning behind it. Any ideas on the chitin?
Floof":1lc06n81 said:Skymall007":1lc06n81 said:I keep reading about impaction problems with having sand? How do beardies deal with the sand naturally? In the wild, there is sand. Perhaps the sand is just hard packed so they don't eat it? I am confused about why sand is dangerous for them.
This is exactly it. If you research their native range, you'll find the ground is generally hard packed dirt, not loose sand. There are other factors as well, I'm sure, that effect probability of impaction, but a bearded dragon in the wild isn't running around on several inches of sand like many people use in captivity.
If I decide to mimic the OP's housing method, I'll personally be using a dirt/sand mix with MUCH more dirt than sand. Dirt, at least in theory, should be much easier for them to pass if ingested, which is my reasoning behind it. I'm still very concerned about the risks of sand and other loose substrates with beardies; even a dirt mix will be a stretch for me, should I choose to go through with trying it.
I threw a 75 watt bulb over my beardie this evening to start off by boosting his basking spot temp. I'll be adjusting things tomorrow to see what kind of range in basking temps I can get. We'll see what he thinks...
Skymall007":30mqntw4 said:Thank you ubers guys =) I shall stick to the repti carpet.
I had no idea about the millepedes and ladybugs. I wonder what it is about these particular bugs that are so lethal.
I shall also love to see the pictures of beardies in the trees =) That is so cool to me =) Land hermit crabs also love to climb trees =)
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