Reptile & Amphibian Forums

alright, i need to get down a permanent type of substrate for Z but everything i read about every kind is different. now i'm wondering about bran. how good is that? where in the world would i get some?

do any of you use bran?

I use Bran, but only while they're young. It's good cause they haven't got the greatest aim at this age, and if the swallow any while catching crickets, it won't hurt them. Once they get a bit bigger, i'm moving them on to non-toxic wood chips. The bran isn't good for humidity, as they'll go a bit mushy, and start to smell, so they need replacing quite frequently

i have Z on wood chips right now. i'm hearing all these horror stories about them though. he's still small...about 10 1/2" snout to tail.

What stories? i have a Blue Tongued Skink on them and he's doing great.

Hi
i use wasched playsand even for my just hatch babies .
i know many breeders who have also on wasched playsand and never got problems !!!
i not got one dead from 75 babies i got on sand .
i freez my cricks til they just stop moving 30 sec to 1 min check every 20 sec and put them in a swalow dish.
byeeeee

i use it....i love it!!! but wood chips arnt the best, especially for young dragons!!!!! they can easily get lodged in the intestinal tract, and although you might not see them eat it, they will!!!!!! its a bad idea....bran works for me!!!
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~David
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what about wood chips that are bigger than the dragons mouth???
Z seems to be doing fine on those. my five-lined skink is on bark and it is so much nicer now. i think he's even more sociable now that he doesn't have moss to hide in...lol

do you all recommend NEVER using any kind of sand for beardies? i of course won't use it if it's harmful but it does look so natural and beautiful. Or what about the crushed walnut shell stuff they call "desert blend"? you guys heard of that?

oh yeah....and how in the heck do you post a pic???
i need step by step instructions here people...lol

amy

The common consenus is not to place young bearded dragons on any kind of sand. Wait till they are at least 10 inches long. Before then, use just newsprint or paper towel. Once they are older, you can use washed playsand or indoor/outdoor carpet. Some who use playsand as substrate feed the dragon in another cage, to avoid any accidental intake of sand while eating.

That crushed walnut stuff is a no no. The walnut tends to be quite sharp when crushed and can cause injuries to the intestines. It also tends to get mouldy when wet (I believe). Calci sand is not worth the money charged for it. It is NOT digestable, nor can dragons absorb calcium from it. Those fibre/bark type substrates are also not good for bearded dragons as they can be injested and cause impaction as well as harbour bacteria.

Bran or wheat bran that others use here...I don't really know if it is good or not. To me it seems that stuff would rot and perhaps harbour bacteria if it gets damp. Not to mention it could be hard to digest too as there is a fair bit of 'husk' to bran. Probably give the poor lizard the runs if he eats alot of it. I don't have any research on bran/wheatbran as substrate...it just seems a bad choice to me..call it a gut instinct. I do remember others comment that it would stick to any moisture around the dragon's vent and dry into a hard crust.

In summary, the most popular substrate seem to be washed play sand for juveniles and adult dragons with paper towel or newsprint for babies.