Sand :(

[MagillaGorilla]

so im using a substrate made out of crushed walnut shells and my beardie likes to pull each piece of food out of his bowl before he eats it. He loves strawberries and has a habit of dropping them, sand getting on them, and then trying to eat them. Im sure that the sand is not good for him, so what should i do?

 

[kmc5]

Remove all substrate. Use paper towels, tile or shelf liner. Then she can eat off the floor all she wants.

 

[MagillaGorilla]

okay thanks =D

 

[Tarkah]

definitley dont use walnut shells. they're bigger and easier to accidentally swallow.

you can use repti carpet too if you like. Right now im using tile for my dragons myself =)

 

[ErinMeetsMachine]

I use slate tiles. You can find them pretty cheap too. Also, it files down their nails which is beneficial to you as well! Did I mention how incredibly easy it is to clean???

 

[frank79]

Go with tiles i was not to keen on the idea at first but after i took out the sand and put them in i was glad i did it the viv dont smell easy to clean and he likes them as well and you can get them very cheap

 

[Matdragon]

definitley dont use walnut shells. they're bigger and easier to accidentally swallow.

you can use repti carpet too if you like. Right now im using tile for my dragons myself =)

why not walnut shells ?

i have bought some crushed walnut shells, and the store said they are easily digestible so if the dragon does accidentaly eat them it will be ok ?

cheers,

Matt

 

[AndyAMP88]

definitley dont use walnut shells. they're bigger and easier to accidentally swallow.

you can use repti carpet too if you like. Right now im using tile for my dragons myself =)

why not walnut shells ?

i have bought some crushed walnut shells, and the store said they are easily digestible so if the dragon does accidentaly eat them it will be ok ?

cheers,

Matt

They're not easily digestible. In fact I believe I read somewhere they are not digestible at all. Stores don't know what they're talking about. They don't specialize in reptiles. And some will tell you anything if it gets you to buy it. If you're currently using them, I HIGHLY recommend you take it out and use another substrate. The pieces are sharp and can get lodged very easily and scratch up their insides.

 

[frank79]

Here is what i think i think the stores tell us what we want to hear bet they told you that the reptiglo 10 is a good bulb and now your beardie is not doing a lot and probably shut his eyes a lot too.Now they say wallnut shell is good bet they did not tell you that after you beardie has pooped on it it seaps in to it so even after you clean up the poop your viv will still smell and there is a risk of impaction aslo your beardie could get it in his eyes.Why i use tile i only have to but it once which saves money and i no wallnut shell isnt cheap when i clean him out (poop)his viv dont smell and i dont have to worry about him eating something he should not.Also i bought a sandy colour which looks cool and he loves it.You can use what you want but a beardie home should be a safe clean viv which imo you get with tile but that only my opinion after using lot of different substrates.

 

[Matdragon]

ok thanks guys, ill take it back to the store and just use tiles, i havent got the dragon yet and so havent opened the packet phew...

cheers,

Matt

 

[MagillaGorilla]

yea i wasn't so sure about how much he would like tiles at first but ill get him some that are the same color maybe =D

 

[Freeie]

Oh i just started using tiles yesterday and i LOVE them so easy to clean! Oh and they keep your beardies nails trimed too if you get the tiles that are like rock not the slick stuff.

 

[jscott]

crushed walnut shells are a terrible substrate for bearded dragons. that stuff is made for tarantulas, scorpians and centipedes. that stuff is not digestable, infact it might get stuck in their gut like a log-jam leading to paralysis and eventually death.

if you have an adult dragon and you MUST use sand, then get quartz sand; not calci-sand or vita-sand. petstores will always try to sell you calci-sand claiming its perfect for bearded dragon but they dont really care.

big petstores dont give out the right info because they mostly dont care. "buy this bulb, or that one. whatever.", they dont even know what theyre talking about 90% of the time.

small petstores on the other hand, are only in it to make a buck. especially in these tough economic times. if a customer walks in looking for a product the store doesnt carry, theyll say anything they can think of to get you to buy a similar yet inferior product.

there are always exceptions to the rules. if you can find a good petstore with caring and knowledgable people, then SPREAD THE WORD!

other products to stay away from are:

Linear(straight) Fluorescent UV-B bulbs
ExoTerra ReptiGlo 5.0 - not strong enough
ExoTerra ReptiGlo 8.0 - o.k. but there are better bulbs for the $
ExoTerra ReptiGlo 10.0 - definitely stay away, possibly dangerous
ESU(energy savers unlimeted) brand bulbs - inferior product


Spiral or Compact UV-B bulbs
ALL ZooMed ReptiSun compact UV-B bulbs ~ bad phosphor, hazardous

ALL ExoTerra compact UV-B bulbs ~ dangrous spectrum, damaging to eyes

ALL spiral or compact lightbulbs in general are harmfull to BDs eyes


your better off using this bulb:
http://www.petmountain.com/product/fluorescent/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-uvb-bulb.html
alot of small petstores dont sell them because their from Germany. by the time they get to the petstore the price has been jacked up 7-8 times. if you can find them in petstores their 40-80 dollars but you can buy them from that site for less than 30 dollars.

anyhow, i guess my point is: dont believe what the petstores tell you. go home and research it. then, go back the next day with printed off info and rub it in their face :twisted: .

 

[ktizzle188]

use fine playground sand. it'll be fine. the risk of impaction is so low like extremely the only way its get impaction he the beardie site there and eats the sand nonstop.

 

[MagillaGorilla]

alright i appreciate your guys help, god damn pet co lol. Ill have to check up on my bulb, ill probably make a post at some point with all of the specifications of his living quarters so i can assure him the best home possible! =D