what sand and other substrates are great for beardies

[kirby]

:shock: did a forum discussion on a 'hot topic' just end in peace ????

we've lost the plot !!! :lol:

 

[RedInkAus]

Barbara,

its extremely hard to answer that question with an entirely accurate answer. considering its so hard to study/follow wild dragons.

considering their fast reductive nature, hardiness in conjunction with the harsh environment, human interaction (roads/feral cats/introduced species) and preditors, and their natural behavior and evolutionary defense (beard, blacken, flare, hiss)... the VERY few who make it to reproduction stage (~2 yrs of age) (technically we only need 1-2% survival) very few again would make it to the second season. there are ALOT of preditors who can prey on hatchlings and juveniles, and there is still birds, monitors, snakes and mammals large enough to prey on adults. they learnt there defence for a reason, as its mostly effective. but even still... a hungry preditor, is a hungry preditor.

I think the general consensus in the herpitological community in OZ is 5-8 yrs, that being said very few of them get to this age for the reason Kirby has stated. They live in a very harsh environment partly the reason why the outback is sparsely populated by people it's purely reptile country ou there. They do find individuals that they estimate to be around the 5-8 yr mark but mainly ones that are only 2-3 years. But unfortunately not a lot of field studies are done on this animals and the ones done are outdated now.

 

[kirby]

8? :shock: that certainly is survival of the fittest. i was gonna estimate 5 or so TOPS..

keep in mind everyone, for a dragon to live 8 years, his hatchlings would only need to have a one in 500 or so hatch rate, in order to repopulate equally. that is mind boggling.

 

[sparticus]

:shock: did a forum discussion on a 'hot topic' just end in peace ????

we've lost the plot !!! :lol:

I think maybe it did. I was told on i think day one that "The Argument is Over Look in old posts" Well it rattled on for 6 days had 62 replies and 587 views to date. Not bad and thanks to the boys down under for some interesting reading. Cheers.

 

[BEARDIE144]

thanks guys youalways answer and help me out :mrgreen:

 

[RedInkAus]

:shock: did a forum discussion on a 'hot topic' just end in peace ????

we've lost the plot !!! :lol:

I think maybe it did. I was told on i think day one that "The Argument is Over Look in old posts" Well it rattled on for 6 days had 62 replies and 587 views to date. Not bad and thanks to the boys down under for some interesting reading. Cheers.

LOL

No worries mate, Aussies are like that, they have a "blue" (argument for translation) and then off to the pub to be mates again.

 

[MALIBUSMOM]

S...WEET!!!!!
Here in the states we are off to the bar as mates only to drink & get "slip of the lip" & rehash it all...only to forget the whole issue the next day !!

 

[tontinos]

at the pet store I saw sand and clay substrates you can use and i'm guessing those aren't harmful for lizards

 

[kirby]

at the pet store I saw sand and clay substrates you can use and i'm guessing those aren't harmful for lizards

they carry the same risks, possibly more depending on the sands involved.

 

[VenomPrx]

these are always exceptionally interesting to read through. if it isn't too much trouble, could you post a picture of your set-up(s) RedInkAus? id love to see how the actual sands look in a captive setting.
thanks for your time :mrgreen:

 

[nissaah]

Hi,
I know I'm new here and all but I wanted to share a new substrate I discovered with you. It's millet. I love it. It's digestible so BDs can eat as much as they want (you know, if it sticks in their salad or on worms, doesn't matter ). You can even spray it with a little water in one corner of the enclosure and so your BD gets fresh grass which he can eat (and you don't have to spray that much for it to grow so the humidity stays good with proper ventilation). It seems comfy, mine likes to rub his belly down in it lol. Easy to clean, it sticks on the poo and it's not very expensive (like 22$ CDN for 22Kg). I know a few people who switched from sand/tile to this and they all love it. Plus my vet loves it too: no risk of impaction at all.

 

[fresnowitte]

Nissaah I see what your saying about the no impaction issue but the problem with millet is that it too can harbor bacteria which in return will make you spend more money at the vets office to get rid of the parasites.

 

[jscott]

the hulls of any kind of seed can stack up like cups and form a "logjam" in their gut. i dont think its a good substrate. anything that sticks to stuff is going to stick to your dragon too, id think hed rather be clean than covered in partical substrate.

btw, i used to use sand and eco earth. i thought my dragons loved it even though it stuck to them sometimes. after joining this site and reading about the possible dangers of partical substrates i decided to switch to rough tile and outdoor carpet. they love it and so do i :wink: .

 

[kirby]

Hi,
I know I'm new here and all but I wanted to share a new substrate I discovered with you. It's millet. I love it. It's digestible so BDs can eat as much as they want (you know, if it sticks in their salad or on worms, doesn't matter ). You can even spray it with a little water in one corner of the enclosure and so your BD gets fresh grass which he can eat (and you don't have to spray that much for it to grow so the humidity stays good with proper ventilation). It seems comfy, mine likes to rub his belly down in it lol. Easy to clean, it sticks on the poo and it's not very expensive (like 22$ CDN for 22Kg). I know a few people who switched from sand/tile to this and they all love it. Plus my vet loves it too: no risk of impaction at all.

f you do a forum search youll actually find its a horrible choice. it is NOT digestible, it may pass in small amounts, and it takes up space in a nutritious diet. its dusty, harbours bacteria, and isnt clean. it doesnt support their weight, hard to walk on, goes everywere, through water, food dishes, fecal matter clumps and gets all through the seed.

lastly, its bird seed. NOT a beardie substrate.