Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone used it? It seems like it is mostly used for rodents, rabbits etc.

I have used it for both snakes and (a long time ago) for beardies. It molds quickly when soiled, not worth messing with, not to mention the beardies eat it all the time.

Phil

Definitely not good for bearded dragons...

Its better as bedding for rodents, it is absorbent and never had it mold at all, with my rodents and they can splash water around. if really wet perhaps it will mold.
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PHLdyPayne

Then why do you say it's not good? One of my reptile vets uses it with her dragons.

Its dusty, hard to clean, the big chunks of dried pulp can hide poops, not to mention it absorbs moisture quite well so you may not even noticed soiled pieces which can allow odor and bacteria to grow. Some pieces are quite big and could cause problems if ingested. Swell up in the stomach or intestines etc.

Not the most attractive stuff either... and I don't know how safe the colored and bleached forms are, even for rodents. Never used them myself (mostly because they cost more than the plain grey stuff).

Maybe your vet who uses it never had problems...but I just don't see it being safe to use for most lizards. I have tried it with my blue tongue skinks...and its a real pain to clean as its hard to find their droppings, so only way to really clean it, is to change it weekly, which becomes expensive. Aspen is better to spot clean for them (or just layers of paper towel).

Then again I don't find any particulate substrate 'safe' for bearded dragons, though washed children's play sand is probably the least risky particulate substrate compared to others, such as calcium based sands or crushed walnut.
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PHLdyPayne