using sand as a flooring???

How long should I wait until I use sand in the bottom of my tank for my dragons???

I've been told by many Bearded Dragon keepers in the past that you shouldn't use sand for them, it's like making them live in a litter box. Even when you scoop out the poop, all that bacteria is still floating around in there.
I think most people either use newprint, paper towel, tiles, and linoleum, things like that that don't have a granular quality.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MisterKyte

I've been told by many Bearded Dragon keepers in the past that you shouldn't use sand for them, it's like making them live in a litter box. Even when you scoop out the poop, all that bacteria is still floating around in there.
I think most people either use newprint, paper towel, tiles, and linoleum, things like that that don't have a granular quality.

---

Those are great points! Also consider that the beardies could ingest the sand when they eat and become impacted....which is a serious problem, often leading to death in very young beardies...:(

Sent from my H866C using Tapatalk 2

Calcium sand is fine to use because it is almost completely digestible. There is little to no risk of impaction, and as long as you scoop/sift the dirty places down to the bottom of the cage there shouldn't be any remaining bacteria to cause a problem.

Calcium sand is the worst thing you can use.

To be honest, I'd play it safe and actually never use sand as a substrate - it just totally eliminates risk. Sand can be dangerous in a number of ways, anywhere from running impaction risks to causing bacterial issues with your dragon. I use reptile carpet, it's the easiest substrate to use and Leyla doesn't mind one bit. I vacuum it out every time she goes to the bathroom and wash it once in a while, piece of cake. No scooping, no changing sand. Plus, sand can actually 'stain' their feet and bellies, I'd personally rule against it. A lot of people who really get into the vivariums also use ceramic tile or linoleum, you could play around with those as well.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TJeno

To be honest, I'd play it safe and actually never use sand as a substrate - it just totally eliminates risk. Sand can be dangerous in a number of ways, anywhere from running impaction risks to causing bacterial issues with your dragon. I use reptile carpet, it's the easiest substrate to use and Leyla doesn't mind one bit. I vacuum it out every time she goes to the bathroom and wash it once in a while, piece of cake. No scooping, no changing sand. Plus, sand can actually 'stain' their feet and bellies, I'd personally rule against it. A lot of people who really get into the vivariums also use ceramic tile or linoleum, you could play around with those as well.

---

Carpet is far worse than sand. It harbors far more bacteria. Vacuuming your carpet does not clean it.

Use sand if you like sand, don't use it if you don't. How many babies, and I'm looking for an actual count, does anyone know of, in person, that have died from impaction because of sand?

I house 2 beardies together. For the longest time, I used ground walnut shells. I do not recommend this, as it is extremely dusty. As juveniles, they survived any possible ingestion and are doing just fine.

So when I made the switch, I read up on the dangers of sand. The Pet store sands are all crap and calcium sand was said to be the worst.
If you go with sand, the consensus was to use Children's Play sand. (4$ at Walmart).

The new thing is to use ceramic tiles.

So I did mine 75% tiles, 25% children's play sand from Walmart.

I guess there is no sand or loose soils in Australia. Or all the bearded dragons must be dying from impaction.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by eatgoodfood

I guess there is no sand or loose soils in Australia. Or all the bearded dragons must be dying from impaction.

---

It happens, more often than you probably think. And of course they live on sand, but nobody ever notices if one dies out in Australia somewhere. But we're talking about pets here. It happens in the wild, and it's very possible for it to happen in captivity. Just head to BeardedDragon.org and check out stories, they're everywhere.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wilomn

How many babies, and I'm looking for an actual count, does anyone know of, in person, that have died from impaction because of sand?

---

You'd be surprised.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TJeno

You'd be surprised.

---

Doubtful, but that is not an answer to my question. Care to try again?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by eatgoodfood

I guess there is no sand or loose soils in Australia. Or all the bearded dragons must be dying from impaction.

---

From what I read they live more on packed clay than sand.

I have 2 beardies and would try to sway you away from sand. I use a indoor/outdoor carpet I have 2 pieces cut for every enclosure (1 inside and 1 replacement). I swap them out every Sunday and boil the one removed in a broiling pan for 5 minutes then store it until the next change out.

Tiles are a great way to radiate heat and easy clean up if they are smooth and grouted right.

Just my 2 cents.

Here is a link to what I use. A few colors available.

http://www.menards.com/main/flooring...600-c-6542.htm

I work at a vet clinic that sees lots of exotics, and in the year I've been there, I've seen about 15 beardies come in for "not pooping". Every single one of them was on sand, age ranging from juvies to adults. I think all of them were new pets; maybe one had it a year already at most? And these are just the ones that I saw, so who knows about the days I didn't work.

We did enemas on most of them, and every one had a very hard gritty poo that was blocking them up. The ones that we didn't do enemas on was because the Dr. didn't feel a blockage, so we sent them home on meds to help move things along, and I know several of the them passed a similar stool later on when we followed up with the owner. I think 2 of them eventually died because the owners had waited too long to get them seen.

While tile is probably the best option, if you don't want to do that, we recommend using the reptile carpet, having at least two pieces cut to fit so you have a clean one ready to go in. Every time they poo, take it out, wash it in disinfectant, and hang it to dry so that it's ready to go for the next switch out.

The difference between wild BDs and caged ones is that wild ones are not living in pure sand like people put in their enclosures. They're on dirt and clay, with some sand mixed in. Wild BDs are also WAY more active than pet ones, and the extra movement helps things move along.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sita

The difference between wild BDs and caged ones is that wild ones are not living in pure sand like people put in their enclosures. They're on dirt and clay, with some sand mixed in. Wild BDs are also WAY more active than pet ones, and the extra movement helps things move along.

---

And this is one of the issues I've seen with beardies over the years... People tend to keep them in a very sedentary lifestyle which isn't healthy in any way, honestly. They need space to run, climb, hunt, and move. My girl, while in a tank now, gets time out daily where she runs the house, quite literally. If I don't, she'll climb right out and do it on her own. Every beardie I've owned has been on sand and not once have I seen impaction despite my male having the worst aim ever when it came to cricket hunting (think eating mouthfuls of sand). I don't recommend sand for babies as they can be touchy enough without the added possibility of impaction. Yes, in the wild they are on clay with sand but with the right setup and care, it's not nearly as detrimental as many people make it out to be. Then again, most people aren't willing to give their dragon the run of the house either which I can also understand. To me, sand looks nicer and is easier to clean as I sift any poop out right away. If I didn't give her the amount of exercise I do though, I would probably look into tiles which are easy to disinfect and hold heat well. It comes down to how much time and space is your dragon going to get and weigh the pros and cons from there.

I use linoleum tile and I LOVE IT. It looks awesome,plus when he poops I just wipe it up, spray some disinfectant, and I'm done. Every few months or so I take it out and disinfect the whole thing. My cage is 4'x2' and I got 3 sheets hat cover that area for about 40$ at Home Depot.