What substrate is safe for beardies to be on? Mine is on tissue paper at the moment, but I think it is time to move her onto something else. But I heard sand is a definate no-no because of the risk of impaction. But the beardies at college are on sand.... yet again, I am comfused!! :shock:
This is an endlessly debated topic and there are literally hundreds of posts about this already so I'll make this short and simple. Find the other, long posts if you want to know more.
Yes, there can be problems with sand or any particle substrate.
Substrates proven to be completely safe are:
Paper towels
Newspaper
Non-adhesive shelf liner
Reptile Carpet
Textured ceramic tiles
Sealed slate or natural stone tiles
I use indented Kraft paper. I buy it on 2' X 300' rolls for $16.12 each. Tang's cage is 5' x 2' so one roll lasts me a long time. I put a piece that covers half the cage then another piece that goes on the other half and they overlap a little. I end up only changing one side because he only poops on the right side of the cage. So I use pieces that are a little longer than 2 1/2' X 2' so one roll gives me a little over 100 paper changes. I only change his paper once a day because he only poops once a day. It soaks up pretty good, I have a little spray bottle of Healthy Habitat Cleaner and paper towels next to the cage so I can spot clean if I need to. Maybe this paper will work for you? I ordered 3 rolls at a time so I wouldn't run out and save on shipping. Here is the link where i get it: