Substrate Question

Greetings all!

I'm currently using sand for Norbert's cage (and have been for the last 4 years), but its dust is starting to get annoying. I'm thinking of switching to a ground walnut shell or something similar.

Any thoughts? What do you guys use?

Maybe something like this:

http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/subs...pfm%3Dcategory

Is Norbert a BP? Or? :confusd:

This post is is in the Bearded Dragon section, so Norbert must be......

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Originally Posted by Reinz

This post is is in the Bearded Dragon section, so Norbert must be......

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A bearded dragon!

Sorry! Just had gotten up/kinda special in the "morning"..... :rolleye2:

My husband lost his first bearded dragon to a bad impaction due to walnut shell, which is absolutely NOT an acceptable substrate for bearded dragons. The best thing you can have your beardie on is going to be tile or reptile carpet, both of which can be used to very pretty visual effect and are super easy to clean.

This is what I've got my girl on right now, but we're about to switch her over to a custom terrarium with a sealed grout for "substrate".

http://i.imgur.com/SOs8Sxp.jpg

The bits are something my husband picked up today that I wasn't paying attention to.

I personally use tiles, and I love them, as they are visually great and awesome to clean. I suggest you get bigger tiles or tiles cut to fit, less cracks means less of hassle with clean ups. Here is an older picture of my setup I had, I have two 18x18 tiles cut to fit now for ease. But if you get a more natural tile and not ceramic, it can help file their nails as well and prevent poking when handling. Also I lay down paper towels on bottom to help glass on tile and if some does go between cracks

http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/...psttsdlmpf.jpg

"Reptile Carpet" is NOT the best thing to have any reptile on, it holds bacterial, it doesn't allow for burrowing, and it retains zero humidity, if it becomes wet and saturated it can mold. A healthy Bio-Active style soil mix that is a little on the desert side as far as moisture works great. I don't like hearing "its the easiest to clean" when it comes to substrates for lizards, lizards burrow, they dig, they don't just sit.

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Originally Posted by jclaiborne

"Reptile Carpet" is NOT the best thing to have any reptile on, it holds bacterial, it doesn't allow for burrowing, and it retains zero humidity, if it becomes wet and saturated it can mold. A healthy Bio-Active style soil mix that is a little on the desert side as far as moisture works great. I don't like hearing "its the easiest to clean" when it comes to substrates for lizards, lizards burrow, they dig, they don't just sit.

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I did not say it was the best, but it is certainly a better option than almost any substrate sold at big chain pet stores. Crushed walnut and calci or vita sand are well known by the bearded dragon community to contribute to high mortality rates in young bearded dragons, as these substrates are much too easily ingested. Burrowing is not essential to a healthy bearded dragon lifestyle, and dig boxes are only recommended for gravid females. The 3 top substrates ANY bearded dragon breeder will tell you to use are reptile carpet, tile, or paper towels/newspaper.

The holding humidity/saturation issue isn't a problem for bearded dragons, since the humidity is supposed to be very low anyway and misting is hardly ever required. A lot of keepers don't even keep water bowls in their tanks, since the daily (or every other day) soaking is more than enough to keep a desert reptile hydrated. Holding bacteria is only a problem if you let the carpet sit and gather poo for extended periods of time without washing it, which my husband and I do weekly.

Reptile carpet is a very safe substrate for bearded dragons, chosen for many reasons besides it's ease of cleaning.