Substrate

[KDAYouNeek1]

Hi! I am new to this discussion board and would like to introduce myself. My name is Kristy and I am a proud owner of a 10month old female bearded dragon. I am also choosing to do my research paper on her and have a question that I would love for someone to answer for me. Could you please tell me what the best substrate is to use for her? Or does it depend on the dragon? I have received so many different answers to this and at this point, I don't know what to choose. Right now we are back to the reptile carpet until I can figure this out. I want to make sure that impaction is not an issue.

 

[Mildew]

Impaction is only really an issue when the animal is dehydrated or underheated. A dragon which is offered plenty of temperature and humidity gradients will have no problem passing natural substrate particles.
I personally use bio active sand/ soil mixtures for all my reptiles with great results.

 

[DovahDad]

Sand: My understanding is sand will not usually pose an impaction problem for beardies over about 14", as they can pass the particles okay. Smaller dragons are at greater risk. Sand also looks nice. However, sand is not preferred by many owners and breeders as it is more difficult to ensure all fecal matter is removed from it than other substrates, and it can be somewhat dusty for the dragon. Also, even if they can pass the sand, why make them pass the grains through their system if you can avoid it? And if anything goes amiss with husbandry and the dragon gets dehydrated or underheated, the sand poses an increased risk of impaction. There are many reasons well-kept pet dragons have much longer average lifespans than wild dragons exposed to many more risk factors.

Calcium Sand: Calcium sand can be digested, and therefore poses risk of impaction. However, some feel there is such a thing as too much calcium for a dragon's liver/kidneys. Also, the sand will also hold bacteria and parasites from fecal as with regular sand.

Paper Products: Many people use paper towels or newspaper. These are cheap and easy to replace, and won't hold bacteria/parasites from fecal like sand if replaced often enough. They don't look as aesthetically pleasing as some other options though.

Reptile carpet/artificial grass: In my experience reptile carpet is a decent option, though it can be on the pricier side and does tend to absorb feces. They can be washed, but to ensure bacteria/parasites aren't lingering in the fibers, it's best to replace it which gets costly. The looped fibers can also snag dragons' toes/nails, possibly hurting them. Artificial grass/turf has similar issues with microorganisms, but would be less likely to snag.

Walnut shells/other shells: The consensus is that you should NEVER use walnut shells, as they are very likely to be ingested and cause impaction.

Tile/Slate: I just switched to this for my new setup. It's a bit of a hassle to make sure it's cut to size (Lowe's does it for free), but once it's in place it's very easy to keep clean, and can look very nice. It also helps file down their nails. It can be removed for cleaning, or left in place. My tiles are very large (just 2 fill the 40 gallon viv), so I plan to leave it in place to clean unless fecal gets under it somehow. The tile is on a layer of paper towel to protect the glass. Here's a pic:

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. Do not use any loose subtrate. Calcium sand will turn into concrete if digested. I use ceramic tiles. Love them they are easy to clean, keep their nails filed and it looks way better then sand. I use to use sand hated it. Hard to clean, dusty and messy.

 

[Taterbug]

Impaction is only really an issue when the animal is dehydrated or underheated. A dragon which is offered plenty of temperature and humidity gradients will have no problem passing natural substrate particles.
I personally use bio active sand/ soil mixtures for all my reptiles with great results.

^this. Impaction is a symptom of other problems - not strictly a direct result of loose substrate. Substrate is a personal choice - it's a balance of how much work you are willing to do, safety, hygeine and enrichment. I use bioactive soil/sand as well and like it a lot. But I've also used tiles and that has its uses too. Tile is incredibly easy and you can still be clever with it to make hides and interesting enrichment

Mildew, Do you have any pictures of your setup? I'd love to see it

Particles are part of life for many wild animals - they have evolved over thousands and thousands of years to pass them just fine. I could ask the same question about why deny the animal the chance to engage in natural behaviors? The potential psychological benefits of something like a soil substrate shouldn't be entirely discounted, really. Like I said, it's not for everyone but it's not horrible either.

 

[DovahDad]

Interesting points, Tater. I had only thought of sand in terms of the health risks, rather than in terms of the psychological benefits it could have. Have you noticed your dragons acting differently at all with sand than other substrates? Do they burrow or dig in it or anything?

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Enclosures

 

[Mildew]

Taterbug, I'll try to snap some photos this evening . His enclosure is 5 x 3 x 2.5 (ish) sealed wooden box with inside mounted lights. He has humidity gradients from 95%-30%, and temp ranges from 78F ambient to 160F surface. He is extremely active and spends most of the day digging, running around, or climbing and jumping off the branches. He also eats like a pig and usually polishes off a whole bowl of veggies and some bugs every day. I'm considering building him a taller enclosure as he's a big climber.

Nice to see someone else using a bio active setup . I'm of the mind that it's best to offer a wide variety of temps and humidity and that the animal will seek out the microclimate that it needs at any given time.

 

[Taterbug]

Interesting points, Tater. I had only thought of sand in terms of the health risks, rather than in terms of the psychological benefits it could have. Have you noticed your dragons acting differently at all with sand than other substrates? Do they burrow or dig in it or anything?

It's worth noting that it's not "sand" like play sand but has sand in it. It's more like forest soil - a bit loamy and little damp. He is more active (in part because he has more space) but he does get around and investigate things, he hunts the dubia I use as cleaners, digs burrows and in the previous enclosure really liked to dig out the space up under his basking rock into a little cavern. In the taller cage he prefers to spend more time up high (I think becuase of the cat) but as mildew points out - the damp soil gives them a humid retreat if they want to conserve moisture, a chance to dig away from the heat into the cool soil or to make a snug warm hide to "bask" out of the sun. Some dragons are more enthusiastic diggers than others.

 

[DovahDad]

Interesting. I think I might consider providing some kind of a digging area or box for him to enjoy, but not use it throughout the entire enclosure.

@Tater and Mildew: What brands of soil/sand mix do you use? How often do you wet it, and how much? I'm slightly concerned about humidity, but it could probably stand to be a bit more humid in there.

 

[Mildew]

Most people use plain topsoil mixed with playsand (70% soil, 30% sand is a good place to start). You can also dig some up from outside (by river creeks is the best) if you are sure it is free of pesticides or harmful chemicals.
You want the sand/ soil to be moist, but not wet. It should clump into a ball when squeezed, but fall apart if you poke it with a finger. It also needs to be firmly packed down (as if you've walked on it). It's best to have at least 6 inches deep (although more is better). This way the top inch or two is dry, but once the beardy starts digging down it gets into the moist soil which is great for burrows. Adding soil will raise the humidity for a few days, but it should quickly settle down and remain constant once the top section dries out. Beardies experience humid periods in nature, so an overall humidity spike for a bit won't cause any problems if your basking spot is hot enough.
My enclosure is almost fully sealed, with just a small vent at the top, so I only need to water my soil once a week (I don't spray, just dump a bucket of water in there). Watering depends on how much soil is in there, and how much ventilation you have.

I love my bioactive soil as I never have to clean out poo . I havn't cleaned poo from my monitor enclosures in over 3 years now, and it still smells like fresh dirt when I open the doors. The poo is gone within a day.

 

[DovahDad]

Thanks for the tips, Tater. So you never have to clean out poo, because the dubias eat it?

Edit: Oops, sorry Mildew - thought I was responding to Tater for some reason. Thank you for the tips. How many dubias do you need to keep the space clean?

 

[Taterbug]

I got the majority of my soil form rural northern Michigan, already a sandy blend but I've since had to use topsoil + sand + coco husk. You have to be careful collecting around rivers/creeks as contaminants can come from up stream. The wild soil comes with inverts (worms, spring tails, pill bugs etc) that do the cleaning but feeders can be added as well. There are superworms and dubia in my setup as well. Pepper likes to hunt them too. Together they eat the poo, sheds, veggies that get thrown around as well as fungus and stuff that grows on the soil.

I have a big space so humidty isn't a problem but even in my smaller enclosure it's actually easier to regulate humidty than on other substrates. The soil holds moisture to add to the air or if you let the top dry out it stays dry. I use leaf litter and flat stones to help make a barrier for humidty as well. Between that and ventilation you can adjust it as needed. Dragons have a huge wild distribution from very arid areas to ones that experince much more humidty. Stagnant, cool, humid air is a problem though. Just like us, being too dry for too long can lead to respiratory problems as well.

 

[DovahDad]

Interesting. I think I was operating under the misconception that, for beardies, the dryer = the better. But of course you're correct they come from all over Australia and live outdoors in a range of climates, and therefore it must sometimes be slightly humid for them in nature.

I think we'll give him a digging box with a sand/soil mix for starters, at least. I don't think we can use cleaners, as he'd probably just eat them since there will be no leaves or foliage for them to hide in! But at least he'll have something to dig in and cool off if he likes.

 

[Mildew]

I currently don't have any dubia's in there as they can climb the walls of the enclosure and out the vent. Once the new one is built I'll be able to throw some in there.
At the moment I have some superworms, darkling beetles, woodlice, spingtails, and soil mites.
If you do dig the soil from outside, make sure to remove any centipedes and millipedes before adding it to the viv.