So confused :?

[nightnero253]

So I've been Looking into some substrates for my beardie. I came across this huge debate on another bearded dragon forum about Pine shavings. Now let me explain about this. Pretty much what was said is that the oils in the pine can cause beardies to get really sick, Which I know about. But, There was a lot of talk about people using dried out pine shavings with no issues at all. Is this true? If I use pine that has been dried out for over a year, it would be safe?

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. On here its not recommended to have lose substrate as it causes impaction and harbors bacteria. I use to use sand( big mistake) and it was hard to get it all cleaned and hard to clean the cage. Plus I started to notice that daizy would get sand in her mouth from chasing food and just licking in general. So now she has ceramic tile and she loves it, I love it. Its so much easier to clean and keep clean.

 

[nightnero253]

I wish I could find that kind of tile out here. None of the hardware or home improvement stores by me sells it I've just been looking for something better than reptile carpet.

 

[Brezzy99]

You can order tile online or maybe find a home under construction and ask to buy a few pieces. One thing I use along with tile is fleece. I cut it to the size of the viv and it's easy to toss in the wash.

 

[KarenInCA]

We started with loose substrate, and then after reading some posts here, we realized not only is tile easier to clean out of ALL substrates, just pretty much wipe and go with a good nontoxic disinfectant spray, but it's also cheaper. We purchased 6 large tiles from Home Depot, for (I think) $3 each. We purchased 6 so that we could replace them as needed to do a more thorough cleaning than wipe and go, and also so that we could move the basking spot up or down as needed for warmer/cooler basking spots as he grows and needs to be lower in the enclosure for his body to warm up.
Sooo easy and so cheap. Never have to replace with loose substrate, never have to worry about bacteria, and never have to pay for substrate again. And we got to choose the color and texture. We might do it again and get some with a lot more texture, so we can file his nails as he walks.
That's what I call a good Two-fer.

 

[destiny1998]

Yeah we got the tile from home depot in the clearence Isle. I spent like 6$ for a box.

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Enclosures

 

[nightnero253]

Thanks for the info guys. I guess I'll just use the pine for my cousins pet rats bedding.

 

[CooperDragon]

Do you use crickets in large quantities? If so, wood shavings make a great substrate for the cricket tank. It keeps the smell down and makes it easy to clean because you can just scoop out the substrate and replace it with fresh shavings.

 

[nightnero253]

Do you use crickets in large quantities? If so, wood shavings make a great substrate for the cricket tank. It keeps the smell down and makes it easy to clean because you can just scoop out the substrate and replace it with fresh shavings.

I do not. But that is a great idea!