hey i'm just looking to get myself a couple beardies, and i was wondering what the best sand to buy is?I was at the pet store and they sell these little bags for like 15 bucks, just wondering if theres an cheap way to go, i've read about using newspaper but the sand looks nicer and more natural.also any tips on lighting and heating would be great. thanks
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substraight?
shhhteve
Aug 01, 2005 06:59 PM
Replies (2)
newguy598
Aug 02, 2005 06:46 PM
The cheapest way to do this is to go to home depot and buy their bags of playsand. Just make sure there is no silica. Before you put it in the enclosure make sure you rinse and bake the sand, then sift it. All the sand in my lizard tanks is playsand and no problems.
PHLdyPayne
Aug 04, 2005 03:49 PM
hatchlings and young bearded dragons should not be put on any type of sand, especially that overprised stuff at petstores which claims is perfectly safe and digestable (it's not, it doesn't even break down in acid, in fact it nutralizes acidity and causes impaction). Washed playsand is the best way to go if you do want to use sand. Wait till your dragon is at least 10" long before putting them on sand. Its also a good ideal when using sand, to feed either in another tank or put down a papertowel underneath to keep the dragon from accidently injesting sand.
For hatchling dragons (or for the entire life of the dragon if you want to avoid any risk of impaction) use papertowel, newsprint, reptile carpet, nonstick shelf-liner or plastic table cloth. Ceramic tiles can also be used as well, as long as they fit tight together (or are sealed with chalking)
Bearded dragons need both a basking spot and a UVB producing light in their cages. A regular household bulb bought at walmart, Canadian Tire or HomeDepot (or any similar store) is perfect for the basking light. The wattage will depend on the size of your tank and how far away the basking site is. 75W for a 35 gal tank with basking spot appr. 12" away from the basking spot is good. The basking temp needs to be between 95-115F with temps reaching closer to the high end for young dragons. The UVB tube will have to be bought from a petstore or online pet supply store. Exo-terra's 8.0 or 10.0 are perfect.
