Walnut Shell Substrate

[dragonclawz]

Hi! I’m new to this site, so I hope I’m posting this correctly.
I have a bearded dragon named Poseidon and his substrate is walnut shells, (which I did not know was dangerous until today!) and today when I was feeding him dubia roaches, he missed the tongs and instead got a mouthful of walnut shells.
This is my mistake, since I thought walnut shells would be a fine substrate since he wasn’t eating it, and I’d like to change his substrate to something else very soon.
I’ve read about beardies dying from walnut shells, and I need to know what I should do for him now, or if I should just wait for it to hopefully pass?
I’m very worried about him and I feel awful about this, so some advice would be much appreciated!!
Also, what substrate would you recommend instead? I was thinking repti-carpet but I’m not sure if his nails would get caught on it.
Thank you in advance!

EDIT: I gave him another bath this morning since he didn’t poop yesterday, but he went today and he seems to be just fine! I’ll be heading up to Home Depot in a couple of days to see if I can find any nice tile for his terrarium. Thanks for your help!

 

[Claudiusx]

Moved by Moderator from General to Health

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi there,

Since your question is largely about what to do now that your dragon ate a mouthful of shell, I moved it to the health section

Its really not ideal, since they are pretty jagged and rough, but they will pass as long as there isn't a bunch in there or other blockages. You can try warm baths until he finally passes his stool. It might be this one or the next poo that has the shells. Keeping him extra hydrated will help move things along too.

Is he a good salad eater?

For the meantime, you can dump the walnut now and just put down paper towels of newspaper until you get something more permanent.
Let us know how things go!

-Brandon

 

[dragonclawz]

Hi there,

Since your question is largely about what to do now that your dragon ate a mouthful of shell, I moved it to the health section

Its really not ideal, since they are pretty jagged and rough, but they will pass as long as there isn't a bunch in there or other blockages. You can try warm baths until he finally passes his stool. It might be this one or the next poo that has the shells. Keeping him extra hydrated will help move things along too.

Is he a good salad eater?

For the meantime, you can dump the walnut now and just put down paper towels of newspaper until you get something more permanent.
Let us know how things go!

-Brandon

Hi!!
Thank you so much for replying!
I’ve already given him a bath (which he did poop in) and I’ll be sure to give him another one tomorrow.
He loves his salads but since he’s going through a shed right now he hasn’t been super hungry.
I went ahead and replaced his substrate with some newspapers and I’ll keep you updated on how things go!

 

[Claudiusx]

Great!

Do you have any thoughts for what you are going to do for his substrate? I personally like tile, you can find some nice looking tile

-Brandon

 

[dragonclawz]

Great!

Do you have any thoughts for what you are going to do for his substrate? I personally like tile, you can find some nice looking tile

-Brandon

I will probably end up doing tile since it seems like the best option. I know probably nothing slippery, but is there a specific kind of tile I should be getting?

 

[Claudiusx]

If you have a home improvement store near you, I'd go in and look at what they have to offer. The way they are packaged usually allows you to feel the tile. You just want something with a bit of grip to it, like a floor tile as opposed to a wall tile or bathroom shower tile.

Some people like the natural slate tiles, I just like whatever tile catches my fancy the day I'm looking lol. I do tend to go with earthy tones though. And as long as it isn't gossy and slippery, it's good enough for me.

-Brandon

 

[dragonclawz]

If you have a home improvement store near you, I'd go in and look at what they have to offer. The way they are packaged usually allows you to feel the tile. You just want something with a bit of grip to it, like a floor tile as opposed to a wall tile or bathroom shower tile.

Some people like the natural slate tiles, I just like whatever tile catches my fancy the day I'm looking lol. I do tend to go with earthy tones though. And as long as it isn't gossy and slippery, it's good enough for me.

-Brandon

I’ll definitely have to look around! Thanks again for your advice

 

[KarrieRee]

I have tile as well here is a piece I have and use -- I got it at Home Depot for around $1.99 / piece

Karrie