what sand and other substrates are great for beardies

[tazmybd]

i got my bd at 2 month's old, and he was 5in long, and is now 4 1/2 month's old and 12in long and i have always kept him on well sifted playground sand and have never had any problems, he eats like a champ and poo's nice and healthy every morning, with that being said i always make sure he eats his worms and veggies out of his bowl so that chance's of impaction are less, i could not see myself putting him on tile, as he seems to love to play and dig in the sand like a kid in a sand box, and i guess everybody is entitled to their own opinion

 

[sparticus]

i got my bd at 2 month's old, and he was 5in long, and is now 4 1/2 month's old and 12in long and i have always kept him on well sifted playground sand and have never had any problems, he eats like a champ and poo's nice and healthy every morning, with that being said i always make sure he eats his worms and veggies out of his bowl so that chance's of impaction are less, i could not see myself putting him on tile, as he seems to love to play and dig in the sand like a kid in a sand box, and i guess everybody is entitled to their own opinion

Well said Tazmybd thats exactly how i feel about it. I'm in the middle off training mine to ride a motor cycle and jump though hoops of fire. Glad he's on sand though because when he falls off he don't hurt himself so much as if he was on tiles. :wink: :wink: :lol:

 

[jscott]

really, what kind of person am i? definitely not someone whos willing to take a chance with sand or rocks just so the tank looks more like a "desert" :roll: .

if you have to come on this site and make this big protest for sand, you should at least use the sand your promoting. why are you using carbonates when you suggest using silicate sands?

all im saying is this:

you come on this site saying "i await the flack", but thats not what your doing. your trying to goad us into arguing about sand.

look in the old posts and youll see that this argument is OVER.


tazmybd, its good to hear that your actually using silica sand instead of calcium sand. jus make sure to change it out often enough so it doesnt become a bacteria trap. also, make sure theres no heavy objects he could dig under. he could possibly compromise the stability of the object hand have it come down on him.

 

[terabith]

o sorry i meant can i use repti carpet my bad

definitely, just make sure to keep it clean. carpet ends/scraps from a carpet store might be cheaper. make sure to clean items before putting them in the enclosure as well =D

he seems to love to play and dig in the sand like a kid in a sand box

sorry to derail the thread but i saw this and i really want to ask you (or others!) about the digging. mine moves piles of sand around as well but only in the morning. i thought he was just making a fuss or was unhappy with something but could he be...playing??

 

[tazmybd]

i clean and stir the sand around every day when i take him out to go poo, because he does not poo untill i take him out in the morning and put him in the tub, so there is no chance for bacteria to grow and i make sure that the sand is always dry around his water dish

 

[Ashleabdlover]

haha i get what you mean with the sand being a natural part of a beardies life...

when i got my first beardie when i was 8 years old, i used sand from him being a hatchling until he died.. and he, not once, got impacted.
i guess i got lucky. i really didnt know better at the time. but now i do.

i understand that beardies in their uncaptive life would be in the desert, on sand.
but mine are captive and they've always been, and because i can, i want to make life safe and easy for them. even if it takes driving down to homedepot and buying tile.

 

[jscott]

tazmybd wrote:
he seems to love to play and dig in the sand like a kid in a sand box

hes probably trying to create a burrow, but regular sand wont hold one. ive seen alluvial sand mixes that will but ive heard bad stories about those too.

 

[fresnowitte]

I have to agree with Kirby on better choices for substrates.

Not just because partical substrates can cause impaction...look at it from this angle...
like a "Litter Box."

Would you house your beardie in the cats litter box? Of course not!
So why would you choose to house your beardie in his own litter box?

EDIT:
I want to say take it away Kirby! (Because he is Australian)
Australia is not sandy as you may think. It is actually more hard and harsh than most are aware of.
True there are sandy areas but you will not normally find beardies living there, only passing thru.
Check out their natural soils; http://www.freewebs.com/kirbydragons/naturalsoils.htm

 

[LillyandRuby]

Right on Barbara that is what my Vet just told me! he was real happy I use cheap papertowl and a few tiles

 

[jscott]

wow, kirbys page took the words right out of my mouth :shock: . thats the kind of stuff i was trying to get across.

thank you kirby for explaining that in a way that anyone could understand. the pictures were a big help too :wink: .

 

[vickson420]

Hi Folks
Just a gentle reminder,this is one of those "hot button"topics so lets try to keep it cool and have a good discussion.No mudslinging or name calling please.Its gone ok so far so lets keep it that way.

Thank you

 

[kirby]

So your saying that Australia is more like tiles and theres no sand and loose particals. H'mm i must have gone to the wrong continent when i was there last. You are exactly the type of person i was reffering to. Oh and they do skid around when you put two pairs of roller boots on them :wink: :wink:

Sparticus, you clearly dont know what on earth you are talking about. and for that reason, i wont bother writing much.

were in Australia did you go? and when?

ive been to both Alice Springs, Uluru, have read more then enough Soils data and research on soil collaboration and consistancy, and know my own country well enough, to throw you and your outdated, incorrect and unknowledgable opinions in to the dust. quoting a book, almost 9 years outdated by someone whome i doubt has even been to Australia, let alone the central Australian desert, quoting what you think is natural and rubish that you've fluffed into yourself, isnt what i call knowledge, back up or even evidence.

Australia's Deserts are NOT the Saharah! Gosh, how thick can people be?

yes sand is evident, but it isnt dunes. its hard packed soils and clay pans. there is 'the traveling dunes' although little life flourishes there for the reasons that it doesnt sustain water, plantation, life including food (insects) so why would a dragon sit, unprotected, without food or life resources in a massive sand dune waiting to be eaten by a preditor. you dont know what your talking about, either a knowledge of these animals, there behaivour captive V wild or even there natural soils. FLAWD!

P.s. Barbara, i have a surprise! im moving the site to here... http://www.kirbydragons.synthasite.com as the url's easier, and the layouts even simpler. still has some glitches, but its refreshing my enthusiasm.... lol.

 

[fresnowitte]

:wink: Cool thanks Kirby for keeping me updated. I'll check it out! :wink:
I added it to my favorites. :mrgreen:

 

[RedInkAus]

G'day mates,

Hi I'm Australian as well, the issue of sand as a substrate is always going to be a hot topic some people like it some people don't. I am one of the people that do use it, and no dis-respect to kirby (and i do really mean that mate ) his website is great and he has a wealth of information; but the photos on the site are a bit misleading for people. Its a misconception on what the arid lands of Australia is made of (and yes i have driven through the Nullabor and been to the Simpson as well as the Malle regions where the dragons are commonly found), yes it is clay but it has high sand particles through it. Yes it goes hard when baked by the sun but if you pick up a chunk of it and crush it in your hands guess what it turns to? yep, fine sand. I'm not trying to argue I'm just saying what i know from first hand expierience crossing the Australian outback (two month trip from Melbourne to Perth for the Australians reading). What i can tell you guys for sure is that it is not the sand you find in the sahara or the beach or any fine dry particle substrate. You can not compare it to tile cause it's not that either. It is sand with fine powder clay mixed into it kinda like the clay mixed in to make bricks is my closest approximation to what it is. The clay mixed in is so fine that it kicks up like dust when you step through it this is the reason why it clumps when wet and bakes hard when dry.

Just my two cents.

 

[RedInkAus]

So your saying that Australia is more like tiles and theres no sand and loose particals. H'mm i must have gone to the wrong continent when i was there last. You are exactly the type of person i was reffering to. Oh and they do skid around when you put two pairs of roller boots on them :wink: :wink:

Sparticus, you clearly dont know what on earth you are talking about. and for that reason, i wont bother writing much.

were in Australia did you go? and when?

ive been to both Alice Springs, Uluru, have read more then enough Soils data and research on soil collaboration and consistancy, and know my own country well enough, to throw you and your outdated, incorrect and unknowledgable opinions in to the dust. quoting a book, almost 9 years outdated by someone whome i doubt has even been to Australia, let alone the central Australian desert, quoting what you think is natural and rubish that you've fluffed into yourself, isnt what i call knowledge, back up or even evidence.

Australia's Deserts are NOT the Saharah! Gosh, how thick can people be?

Mate, I don't know how we can explain it enough for them. They seem to make assumptions on what they see in photos or books written by people that have never been here.

For everybody that doubts what Australians say about their country and what it is made of, come down under and see for yourself and you'll understand when we say its clay/sand mixture. It ain't pure sand and it ain't pure clay. I sound like a bloody tourism ad LOL. It's not loose particle sand but it ain't tile hard clay either.