New beardie mommy with a substrate question

[Catalyst]

The main problem with ground walnut, as far as I know, is the sharp edges that pose a risk if your dragon does ingest any of it. An alternative loose bedding you could consider is something called bed-a-beast or eco-earth. It's been a while since I dealt with it so I'm not sure if that specific brand is around, but I used it with my girl once she was an adult without problems. It's made of coconut fibers and comes in a block. You add water to it to get it to return to a loose form and then leave it out to dry before you put it into the tank. I then put the feeding dish up on a tile so that when she was eating there was no risk of her ingesting any of the bedding (just to be on the safe side). Just another option for you to look into as you're doing your research

 

[Catalyst]

Thanks Catalyst! I'll definitely look into that also
(Just trying to be 1000% certain that the fiance and I are doing everything we can for our amazing new beardies <3)

It's a tricky thing, especially when there are so many very strongly held opinions out there All you can do is research and research some more and go with what works for you and your dragons.

 

[jsnsan]

Congrats on your new family addition!
I just wanted to share my experience with using ceramic tile as a substrate. Love it Love it Love it!!!
So easy to clean, it is amazing. For instance, If a cricket drops poop in the tank on sand...good luck finding that. If you find cricket poop, beardie poop, or any dust, or hair, or fuzz, or you name it on the tile...You can just wipe it up with a paper towel.
I've changed out all my reptile tanks to ceramic tile. The reptile carpet is ok too...you can take it out and wash it. But it's not as fast as wiping up tile.

 

[Catalyst]

Nope, doesn't matter what colour the tile is really, other than for your own personal aesthetics. I would venture to say that most dragons are probably more comfortable on a substrate that is in the range of "natural" colours since they may feel that they stand out on other colours (predator / prey kind of thing) but that still covers a pretty wide range. I personally loved the look of the natural stone slate tiles.