For now my bearded dragon is on tile, in a custom enclosure that was meant to be added onto when (she gets older)/(I have more money), she's probably only 3 months old, 9.75in long. But I'm thinking maybe a year from now when she's all grown up I'll add a new "room" to the current enclosure that has excavator clay by zoo med on the bottom. So she'd still have a 4 foot by 2 foot tiled enclosure and then have a 2 foot by 2 foot enclosure with the excavator clay. I was thinking this because even though my beardis is young she really, really loves to dig and burrow. When I hold her while I watch TV she tries to burrow into my chest scratching at me and pushing into me. I stuck a pile of hand towels in her terrarium and she digs her way into it and snuggles there at night, super cute. I could hear her scratching inside her hide at night trying to burrow into the tile when she didn't have the pile of towels.
I was thinking the added room would be good for her when she's older because it can satisfy her itch to dig and if she really is a she then it will also act as a large dig box for if/when she lays unfertilized eggs.
Does anyone have anything to say about excavator clay? Is it going to risk impaction even if I only feed her in the tiled portion of her enclosure? I've been told absolutely no loose substrates for a dragon under a year old, but after a year the risk of impaction is minimal because the particles are small enough to pass properly
Is there any other substrate that may be better/less risky for an adult dragon that really wants to burrow? I just want to do all my research and mulling over possibilities before she's an adult and possibly needs somewhere to lay eggs. Suggestions? Comments?
I was thinking the added room would be good for her when she's older because it can satisfy her itch to dig and if she really is a she then it will also act as a large dig box for if/when she lays unfertilized eggs.
Does anyone have anything to say about excavator clay? Is it going to risk impaction even if I only feed her in the tiled portion of her enclosure? I've been told absolutely no loose substrates for a dragon under a year old, but after a year the risk of impaction is minimal because the particles are small enough to pass properly
Is there any other substrate that may be better/less risky for an adult dragon that really wants to burrow? I just want to do all my research and mulling over possibilities before she's an adult and possibly needs somewhere to lay eggs. Suggestions? Comments?