Substrate?

[TCRay_AAAa]

I want my beardie to have the option to dig, and I have an idea of what to get, just wanted to see any recommendations :]

 

[KarrieRee]

I want my beardie to have the option to dig, and I have an idea of what to get, just wanted to see any recommendations :]

topsoil w/ NO additives like fertilizer mixed w/ playsand

 

[xp29]

I want my beardie to have the option to dig, and I have an idea of what to get, just wanted to see any recommendations :]

Be really careful with the top soil. Most of it has either cow manure, chicken manure, or both in it. Not really safe for you or your beardie. Personally I use reptisoil and play sand mixed 50/50 .... be prepared for the dust though

 

[ChileanTaco]

I use real desert sand (I'm right at the source... Atacama desert might be hard(er) to get otherwise).
Another option would be soil without anything from animals (vegan, or directly made for terrariums) + play sand + burrowing clay (which is available from e.g. ZooMed).
What I wanted to have is a substrate that allows for digging and sculpting, so my dragon can shape his own burrow and also I can pre-shape some bumps and other structure in the enclosure. I spray the substrate almost each morning lightly (to mimic dew in a desert) and this hardens the surface over time just like found in the nature, so it keeps hard even (and especially!) when dry. Dragon can dig, but no dust otherwise, and even when he digs he's digging out rather large pieces. My dragon dug his own burrow for sleeping and brumation, and I've seen he also adjusted the substrate to his body shape actively at a place where he also likes to lie down since a while. (I saw him actively digging.)
The surface of the substrate is so hard that last week when I dug out a plant to replace it with another one, I was able to lift off the surface as one piece and place it back around the new plant.
The burrowing clay is also really nice for pre-shaping something, for securing smaller plants, and in general for having kind of a "modeling clay" that's safe for the dragon.

So, dusty isn't a must with such substrate, but could be differently for a dragon who digs heavily (females often). I have a male.