what type of sand? help please

[samathena]

hi all. can someone please give me some advice. is it ok to use sand pit sand for my beardie? sam x

 

[KairaandTaz08]

I don't recommend sand at all. But if you want to use it, how old is your beardie first?
Abi

 

[nesta's mommy]

i'm not sure exactly what pit sand is...


but you can use washed/scrubbed playsand that has been sifted.

how old is your beardie though? most recommend repticarpet/tile/paper towel/newspaper until they are older

 

[samathena]

she is nearly 1 yr old.x

 

[KairaandTaz08]

i'm not sure exactly what pit sand is...

I think samathena meant a pit "box" of sand...like a separate spot just for the sand.

I think it's 6 months and under that most people really don't recommend sand, so she should be all right. I agree, washed playsand. I still won't ever use it but that's just me. :wink:
Abi

 

[nesta's mommy]

haha thanks for clearing that up for me! i was a little confused!! keep in mind though, sand can be a bacterial breeding ground - even though you pick up the poop, the bacteria has no sifted itself into that sand...

have you thought about tile?

 

[samathena]

what kind of tile? i bought her as a baby. kept her in a snake viv but bought a 4ft tank for her today. thought id put sand in it, strip light,and uv bulb one end and night bulb the other.also log, rocks etc. does that sound ok? sam x

 

[nesta's mommy]

a lot of people use slate tile.. thinking about it? do you have a therm? what kind of uv?

 

[KairaandTaz08]

haha thanks for clearing that up for me! i was a little confused!! keep in mind though, sand can be a bacterial breeding ground - even though you pick up the poop, the bacteria has no sifted itself into that sand...

have you thought about tile?

LOL it was early :wink: .
I agree, sand isn't "safe" in many ways. I don't want to start an argument (just my opinion).

Make sure it's unglazed (sp?) tile though. Do you mean a tube UV light or just a normal strip light? The UVB light should really stretch across the length of the enclosure and like nesta's mommy asked what kind? Also, what do you mean by a night light?
Sorry for all of the questions. :?
Abi

 

[samathena]

hi. queations are good! strip light goes all the way adross, its an exoterra 5.0. night light is a blue bulb, sam x

 

[npedersen]

You should have no light at night. Even the blue night bulbs can keep them up. As far as sand being a breeding ground for bacteria, tile that isn't sealed is ALSO a breeding ground, it is porous (sp?) and will soak up any fluids. There is no perfect substrate as hard areas can cause problems with the feet and sands can cause impaction, if you don't feed correctly and provide the right temps for basking. I prefer to use different areas in the enclosure, like in the den area I use sand so that he can dig in to bed and tiled areas in the "common" areas and more sand areas through out. I also don't feed in the enclosue, just to minimize the remote possibilty. Remeber alittle sand will get in there but don't they live in the dirt and sand in the wild? It's amazing that they can survive, LOL.

Just my .02

Nick

 

[nesta's mommy]

You should have no light at night. Even the blue night bulbs can keep them up. As far as sand being a breeding ground for bacteria, tile that isn't sealed is ALSO a breeding ground, it is porous (sp?) and will soak up any fluids. There is no perfect substrate as hard areas can cause problems with the feet and sands can cause impaction, if you don't feed correctly and provide the right temps for basking. I prefer to use different areas in the enclosure, like in the den area I use sand so that he can dig in to bed and tiled areas in the "common" areas and more sand areas through out. I also don't feed in the enclosue, just to minimize the remote possibilty. Remeber alittle sand will get in there but don't they live in the dirt and sand in the wild? It's amazing that they can survive, LOL.

Just my .02

Nick

the thing with sand vs. tile in my opinion is that if you think of it like a pooper scooper for your cat, except not having the chemicals in kitty litter to disinfect and crunch.... the tile you can clean/put in the dishwater/completely disinfect whereas with sand, you are scooping the poop out but are you scooping out where all of the bacteria has gone? just a lot of effort in my opinion to have to dump out sand all the time.
my .02

 

[npedersen]

You beardie walks around and you will never get all the bacteria. Using proper "hygene" for your cage means disinfecting. You shouldn't put sand in and just scoop out the poo and put more sand in when it gets low. You should replace the sand. Again, I use sand in select areas, not the entire enclosure. He has never pooped in his den just on the tile. I use slate tiles that I have sealed with a nature stone anti-fungal anit-bacterial type sealant. It is non-toxic unless of course you ingest large portions.

Again, there is no perfect substrate. And not to get into an arguement, but a tile floor in my house can just be wiped up, but I still disinfect it once a week. You have to maintain what ever substrate you use. This is not a place and forget, and it should not be an attempt to fing what is easiest for you. We as care takers should look to provide as close to the natural habit as possible. That's not to say a captive bred beardie should only have rocks and sticks and dirt, but needs to have a place to climb and bask, have UV lighting to simulate the sun, as we all stress so much, and have a place they can feel protected, a den. They don't know that a shoe box or a cool natural looking background is what they beed to hide they just know they need a place to hide.

Nick

 

[bigmonkeyjoe]

we use wheatbran for all our adult bds

 

[samathena]

morning all. ok so basically either sand or flints ok as long as its kept clean and my day lights are ok but ditch the night light! oh and im not allowed to ingest too much slate! (damn pregnancy cravings) lol. sam x