Hmmmm.... a little confused :/

[Southern_Breeder]

Okay so Im really interested in getting a beardie and Im trying to do as much research as I can on them before taking the plunge.

Im kind of thrown off by this though...

" DO NOT use sand, shavings or any other loose substrate for Beardies." (Written in the "Caresheet" on beardies on this forum)

I guess Im just confused cause everyone I know, or have seen pictures of others.... everyone seems to use sand.

Whats goin on here? What should I use?

[Ashleigh91]

A lot of people are against sand because it is extremely easy for a Beardie on sand to become impacted. A lot of people use slate tile or repti carpet. Or newspaper.

[nimblykimbly]

I used paper towels for my beardies when they were small. There is a lot of controversy on using sand, but personally I don't see a problem with it, and have read about a lot of people using it and not having any issues. Supposedly they talk about impaction, but don't they live in sand in the wild? So I'm not sure..... I would imagine it'd be harder to keep from smelling, as the sand would absorb some of the waste, and beardie waste STINKS... lol I have read that if you DO decide to use sand, use play sand (the kind for sand boxes) from a home improvement store, NOT calci-sand or other sands from the pet store, as they have a higher chance of clumping, and therefore impaction.

And yes ^^^ slate tiles are good as a bottom, too, because they are easy to clean, look nice, and absorb heat, making for nice basking....

[jbabybulldog]

I use slate tile for my Beardie because it's easy to remove and clean. However I know some people that don't feed their beardie in their enclosure, but rather a seperate feeding tub use sand. Keep in mind any of the colored sand could potentially rub off on your beardie and get the color on them

[Trackstrong83]

Sand is just a hassle. When people hear that beardies are desert animals, they think sand desert. In reality desert just means there is little rainfall. They're from Australia and its sand there, but it's more like Arizona desert, there is still vegetation and what not. I use slate tile because its super easy to clean, and it looks good!

[sorraia]

My husband uses reptile carpet for his beardie. He likes it because he can just pull it out, wash it off, and then re-use it. He has two sheets of the stuff so he has a spare while one is being cleaned.

[Trackstrong83]

My husband uses reptile carpet for his beardie. He likes it because he can just pull it out, wash it off, and then re-use it. He has two sheets of the stuff so he has a spare while one is being cleaned.

I used carpet when my beardie was in his 20 gallon long. Now that he's in his permanent home, a 90 gallon PVC cage, I use tile. I got 3, 4x2 sheets for about 30 bucks at Home Depot.

[Sita]

My husband uses reptile carpet for his beardie. He likes it because he can just pull it out, wash it off, and then re-use it. He has two sheets of the stuff so he has a spare while one is being cleaned.

This is exactly what we recommend doing at our clinic!

Every dragon we've ever seen for "not pooping" issues was because it was impacted with sand. Most of them we've saved with an enema and substrate change, but there's been 2 that the owners waited too long and they were already too sick to recover.

Sand also traps the bacteria and yuck when they urinate/poo and it's nearly impossible to disinfect.

[Herpenthusiast3]

Slate! Easy clean up, simulates natural rock environment , holds heat and there's no risk of impaction

[Sita]

I like the look of tile as well, very nice cage. And holy cannoli! That is the fattest beardie I have ever seen,