sand substrate?

[bmmst1]

ok so i have a question about substrate. right now i am using repticarpet. but it stinks soooo bad!!!! i clean it every week ans still get the smell out. so i was thinking sand.....yea yea i know im gonna get a lot of rap for even thinking about it BUT i can clean it better, he dosent lick everything anymore. he gets fed his crickets in a completely different enclosure. and his worms get fed to him in a worm bowl, which gets cleaned out all the time, so no possibility of him accidentally eating sand when he eats his worms. plus it would be alot cheaper then tile right now. but ok so i know nobody is going to want me to use it so, give me suggestions then please.

 

[akingsley9000]

I dont think you will solve you smell problem with sand, it is going to smell just as bad.

have you thought about using tile?

It comes in a million diffrent colors & sizes and it will naturally file your beardies nails and there is absolutely no smell.

 

[bmmst1]

im going to be using tile on my new enclosure once its built. but i dont wanna use what i have for this enclosure,i dont really care about the smell, its not the horrible i just didnt think it was good fir firecracker. i clean the poop off daily but only wash it once a week. and i was thinking about changing the sand once a week on every two weeks so it doesn't smell that bad.

 

[akingsley9000]

What if you bought another piece or two of the reptile carpet so you could swap them out for cleanings that way you could wash them more often.

if you do decide to go with sand, the only sand that is acceptable is children's silica free play sand sold at home depot or loews or other DIY stores. I think you will find that cleaning the sand out is a bigger production then it is worth and very expensive.

 

[bmmst1]

why i and o harmful? i mean in the wild they live in the and and im sure they swallow some when eating.

 

[akingsley9000]

The sand that they live on in the wild is hard and compact, not the stuff that we have here. Its more like dirt. The calcium sand has an additive in it that makes it harden when it gets wet so if they get a mouthful it is going to harden in their intestines and cause a blockage (impaction).

 

[bmmst1]

oh,ok i don't want that happening to my baby! ill just stick with the carpet, can the smell hurt him?

 

[SunshineLollipop]

Hi. I go against the rules & have always used sand as my substrate. Didn't know u shouldn't until I got on here, have had no problems in 2yrs with 7 Beardies. I use a really thick layer of sand (so they can dig - the more u use the heavier the enclosure to move) & I only change the lot once every 6 mths or so.When they poop, it's easy to see what sand is soiled & needs removing. If you're cleaning up on a daily basis then smell wise is only when the poops still in the enclosure. I'd be real interested to know if u guys have a 'Sandy Loam' at Landscape or Sand & Gravel yards. We get ours from an area nearby where Beardies naturally live & it compacts better than sand (still slightly gravelly though) and not as hot on their feet - I've tried both. The playsand that they sell I'm guessing would possibly be a medium grain sand, where if you're using sand would be better to use a fine grain sand so lessens the risk of impaction. If u have a landscape yard nearby, give a ring & sus out your options, & whether they sell it by the bag - usually a LOT cheaper than pet or hardware stores.
If in doubt, just go with something else. If u do ring around, could u let me know what the deal is in your area, would be interesting to know - thanks , Kathy

 

[bmmst1]

ok. i might just look around and check on the sand thing to see if i can find a place, ill let you know

 

[Geoff22]

*cough* GO SAND *cough*

lol im like one of the only people on this site that still uses sand, but I luv it !

Ive trained my bd not to poo in his cage though, he only poos in the sink when I take him out so I dont have to worry about cleaning the sand, but when he did poo in the tank I just scooped out the fecies+the wet stuff underneath it with a paper dixie cup, and after the actual smell that has been lingering in the cage has gone, it didn't really smell

And there is different types of sand that you can use, Childs play sand is the most common, there is also some stuff made by
http://www.pets-warehouse.com/vpasp/shopexd.asp?id=125257&CAWELAID=237506688 Repti sand red No additives for coloring etc...good stuff, my local pet stores houses there 100+ beardies on this.


zilla Also makes some, I "think" this is whats in my tank lol
http://mayerspet.com/shoponline/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6_10&products_id=2

Now someone is going to come by with the walnut shells cause impaction + sharp pieces = bad, but to tell ya the truth this stuff is so SOFT lol its awesome. And Ive never had a problem with it and my beardie luvs it to. I mean you can be as cauious as you want I mean anything can happen ya know, what if !!

The beardie is chasing a cricket and bumps the tile it hits the edge of the tank, chips off a little piece and the beardie mistakes it as a cricket and eats it ?

I mean a bd can accidently eat the sand while feeding, *feed him/her in seperate rubbermaid tub*

But ya you don't want to put anything in there that expands when wet, thats your main concern.


*NOT Putting any of you with tiles/carpet down, these are just my thoughts and they way I do things, NOTHING more, Im not claiming one is better then the other. SO please take it for what it is.

Beardie hole!

My enclosure

 

[bmmst1]

yea, i wouln't have to worry about him digesting any because he eats his crickets in a different container and he eats his worm in a worm dish, so no worries there. i just have to look for a sand that dosen't clump so much when wet.

 

[Geoff22]

Either one of the sands I posted above this would work if your going to do sand as a substrate. And if your feeding him in a seperate tub you should be ok.

 

[Sp1ke]

I started using sand, but quickly realized that it would be a whole lot cheaper to just buy some tile. After buying two bags of playsand, I had payed the same as for tile. I'm not against sand at all as long as you keep an eye on your dragon and make sure they're not a "licker". I also use shelf liner in my juvies cage, and that is pretty cheap and really easy to clean.

 

[Sp1ke]

The beardie is chasing a cricket and bumps the tile it hits the edge of the tank, chips off a little piece and the beardie mistakes it as a cricket and eats it ?

What? LOL I'm not dogging the sand either, but....What? just saying that has to be the most illogical "what if?" I've ever heard.

 

[bmmst1]

im going to try the sand out.im going to go buy some today. im not gong to use that calcisand though....ill try some playsand