Reptile & Amphibian Forums

is sand not a good substrate?
what do you use?

I use sand in all of my non handicapped enclosures. Personally I feel it's best. I've never had a problem. There is a difference between sand though. I get mine from Toys R Us it is Lighthouse brand. It is finer with no pebbles and far less dusty that what the home stores sell. The only downside is Toys R Us only has sand in the spring and summer so I have to stock up.

children's washed and sifted playsand is ok for adult dragons, or dragons at least 14" long (or around that length). Its safe as far as particulate substrates go, especially when compared to other options, such as calcium sand (bad), crushed walnut shells (very bad), wood shavings of any kind (bad to horrible (ie cedar)), rabbit pellets (or wood pellets..one molds and could have moths or other bugs, wood pellets could be ingested and cause choking or other hazard), other 'food' type substrates (millet, birdseed, hay or whatever...all have problems of one type or another.)

For non particulate safe substrates include paper towel, newsprint, newspaper, plastic table cloths, linoleum (tiles or sheets cut to fit), ceramic or slate tiles, non stick shelf liners and others.
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PHLdyPayne

I have used both sand and different papers...........and definately paper is the "cleaner" way to go. I never had a problem with the sand, but I prefer any paper over the sand. I have used an indented (textured) brown Kraft paper that you can buy from uline.com in rolls which worked awesome........you just have to pay for the paper. I am now using newspaper exclusively. It takes more time to clean a cage with paper, but when you clean the cage, its CLEAN! You can spot clean all you want, or change good amounts of sand every day, but the feces still gets worked into the sand. I like being able to disinfect my cages, and its easy to take the dragons out, take the paper out, then spray/wipe the whole cage down. On the other hand, it is easy to spot clean sand(much quicker) and you dont have to worry about bugs hiding under paper with sand. If the dragon is a baby or juvie, I would only use paper. Sub adults/adults I believe its your preference.

It really depends on your cages too. With mine paper would be very impractical. It would be very time consuming to cut paper for the hides etc. and soil could then get under the supports of the hides which would mean the hides would have to be taken out. I have 23 enclosures, with either sand, non-stick shelf liner, or tile. The tile and shelf liner are used for dragons with disabilities where sand would not work.

I am very meticulous about cleaning, but have limited time since I work a 11+ hour day. It's just faster to scoop than wipe or replace. I know a breeder that uses no substrate at all but they are there full time, constantly on watch, to get the poop before the dragon gets into it and spreads it around. The biggest advantage with sand in my opinion is it tends to stick to the soil so it doesn't get all over the dragon or the cage.

I also think an animals enclosure needs to be clean but sterile is really not required. I guess it really comes down to time and how many animals you have to care for.

when it all comes down to it, choosing a substrate is your choice...speaking about choosing a substrate or which one is best is usually very debatable but in my personal opinion i feel that non particle substrates are the way to go...ive used many different kinds of substrates particle and non particle and have found that textured ceramic tiles and newspaper work the best for me...i like how tiles look in an enclosure, they absorb heat fairly well and are easy to clean and more sterile and sanitary...tiles are also a 1 time purchase where all other substrates are not...i spent $5 tiling my largest enclosure for my beardie but for the others i use newspaper since they are more messy than the one dragon...eventually im switching them to tile when i build my multiunit enclosures but for now its easy and cheap to maintain...i personally dont like risking a chance of impaction so i stay away from particle substrates...i would rather provide a safer home for my lizards than a prettier or "more natural" one
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1.0.0 Frilled Dragon - Frank
0.0.1 Rhinoceros Iguana - Mo
2.1.1 Bearded Dragons - Magellan, Galileo, Lizzy, & Machiavelli

Tile being "safe" is really relative to the keepers experience level. I keep my beardies on dirt which is safe for my beardie, because I have a basic understanding of reptile husbandry.

I also believe that "sterile" environments compromise the beardies immune system and actually do more harm than good.

Beardies are one of the easiest lizards to keep and breed in captivity. The very fact that they can be kept on tile (unnatural) shows their hardiness. It has been proven that tile works. Its also been proven that sand and dirt works. So it comes down to keeper ability and preference. I choose a deep dirt because it allows for the most instinctual and natural behaviours. Tile prohibits some behaviours. I have more fun watching lizards behaving like lizards.

As I have stated I use tile (have a tile cutter) and non stick shelf liner (duck brand from Walmart) and sand, but only one of them meet the needs of the pic. below. It's their choice not mine.

It's just too hard for me to consider not allowing a 1.2 enclosure like this the ability to dig in as they have. It just seems too natural.

Great post and pic BDlver! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe those are pics of brumating beardies. I see similar behaviour in my enclosures.

I'm switching over to a soil mix too. A real smart guy shed some light on using soil for me a few days ago. Think about a few of the benefits your dragon will have - different levels of moisture and the ability to dig and nest. On soil they will be able to carry out their ancient and instinctive behaviors.

I've tried soil. Don't use it anymore. Not even in my nest boxes. It hides dragon soil too well and makes my "pets" too dirty.