Tiles

[drgonzo]

I keep hearing about viv tiles. What the heck are they :dontknow: And should I look into getting some for my little guy? I have some rocks in his enclosure so, what would be the benefit? :?:

 

[Barrettxx]

Well I dont know if there is "viv tiles" or not Im just learning about all this stuff too getting as much info as I can..
But I had the same question, I got told it is just A LOT better then sand because sand can cause impaction from eating the sand and kill your beardy.. Im guessing from what Ive been told its not something your beardy NEEDS or is required, but just for the fact that its;
1) Easier to clean (dont grout/glue to the tank floor)
2) Looks A LOT nicer (IMO + others Im guessing)
3) Just read in my post that it holds heat good
4) Files the nails
5) Easier to have then newspaper/paper towel (I had been using that but it got a REAL pain, got pooo on it quickly, had to keep changing it which took some time to just put it in and make it fit and make sure it was taped to the ground, my beardy got under the paper once and gave me a scare because I did not see him and when I did he was under there just lying down? :S) < thats my opinion though from having to go through it..
6) Obv as I said i was told before, doesnt hold bacteria or other bad things and can't cause impaction to your beardy.

 

[Youkai]

To my knowledge there are no specific "viv tiles" but most people are just referring to slate tiles.
You can get any kind of tile really but the best option is slate. Ceramic will also work but you have to make sure you get something textured or "rough" because normally ceramic tiles are quite smooth.

As Barrettxx said, there are many benefits to putting down tile as a substrate.
I got sick of paper towels and saw some posts where people had used and recommended slate so that's what I went for. Had a little bit of a challenge trying different sizes but opted for the 4x4 slate tiles in the end.

1) Easier to clean (dont grout/glue to the tank floor)
2) Looks A LOT nicer (IMO + others Im guessing)
3) Just read in my post that it holds heat good
4) Files the nails
5) Easier to have then newspaper/paper towel (I had been using that but it got a REAL pain, got pooo on it quickly, had to keep changing it which took some time to just put it in and make it fit and make sure it was taped to the ground, my beardy got under the paper once and gave me a scare because I did not see him and when I did he was under there just lying down? :S) < thats my opinion though from having to go through it..
6) Obv as I said i was told before, doesnt hold bacteria or other bad things and can't cause impaction to your beardy.

1) MUCH easier to clean and definitely don't stick them to the bottom of the viv! Some people do grout them though.
2) I absolutely think it looks much nicer
3) yes, they do stay warm for quite a while and my Sakura loves that. Whenever I have to put a "cool" tile back in her viv after cleaning it, she'll avoid it until it gets warm like the other tiles.. :mrgreen:
4) as long as you get slate or some textured tiles then yes it keeps their nails filed which is good because if the nails get too long their toes could curl and cut off circulation which could lead to toes falling off..
5) much easier, less expensive in the long run, but a little more involved to clean (not much though). Actually, any and all tiles can hold bacteria if you don't clean them properly. Some people say to soak the tiles in a bleach/water solution for an hour or so. Personally, for spot cleaning a few tiles I'll just spray them with bleach/water solution and use an old toothbrush to scrub them off, then spray/rinse/spray/rinse a few times. Once a week I'll take all the tiles and lay them out in my bathtub and let them soak in bleach/water for a while then rinse them off really well.
I've actually read that some people throw the tiles in their dishwasher to clean/sanitize but I don't know if it was ever determined that the water got hot enough to properly sanitize them.
6) if properly cleaned, no they won't hold bacteria

Hope that helps :lol: