Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Can you keep bearded dragons on sand or that " lizard litter" stuff?
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My Ball and Corn rule
Boda 3' normal ball
Snow 15" Snow corn

Personally I use Desert Blend Lizard Litter (the crushed walnut shells). I had been told previously by several reliable sources, including the herp reserchers at the uni where i work, that sand was not recommended because the fine particles could aggregate and cause impaction, whereas the larger walnut shell pieces would pass through without problem.

However, most breeders on this forum seem to prefer sand, as they think it will cause less impaction, and that the walnut shell may have sharp edges (which I havent seen yet).

Its worth bearing in mind that a 25lb bag of walnut shell runs for about $18 where as a similar bag of play sand is about $3. The other thing I like about the walnut shell is that its absorbent and clumps around poo like kitty litter making cleanup a breeze.

I'd wait for further posts because I'm as interested as you in how this one pans out. Sorry for the ramble......
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Ross

1.0 Bearded Dragon (Fuego)
2.1 Roommates (require more cleaning up after than the dragon)

My son recently lost 2 lizards that were kept on fine calci-sand. The first was a nigerian uro and the second was a Collard lizard. We have had no problem with the coarse sand but the lizzards kept on that are sub-adult and adult beardies. On the whole it depends on the size of your Bearded dragon.

Many people on this forum prefer the Duck brand shelf liner (non adhesive kind) from Wal Mart. It is easy to clean so it looks nince all of the time. Besides the risks of impaction sand is difficult to clean and can harbor bacteria. Plus I hate trying to sift out all the dried greens pieces and pellets every day! Just sweep them up and your enclosure is clean. If you look back at old posts you'll see pictures people have posted and it looks really nice.
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Stacey

i would strongly discurage you from sand or lizard litter. i tend to think tom and jackie used a sort of lizard littler but i dont think it was the crushed walnut shells...also the sand is super contraversiol...wich means there is a risk..or at least people somewere thinks there is a risk were as there are alternatives with no risk...not a real big choice if you ask me i am using sun, and mon newspaper right now i suggest that lol. i use to have a pic of a beardie that had been kept on sand and then had the sand removed and put into a jar its very interesting i no longer have the pic mabey some other old scholl forum bug does and can share for me...welp thats my 2 cent
yeller

The best thing you can use in my opinion is unprinted news-print. Go to your local paper and ask for an end roll. They will more than likely let you have one for free and there will be a ton of paper left on it. You will be set for a long time, and the paper looks nice and clean in the enclosure compared to printed newspaper. I work at our local paper, so this is what I use for all of my reptile cages. It looks more like disposable cage liners than newspaper once you get it in place. If the guys at your paper are really generous, you might even end up with a roll big enough to last you forever! There is so much debate over what is good and what is bad to use as substrate. If you use the paper, you will never have to worry about any of the possible problems associated with sand, bark, or mulch.

Kyle Walker
Python Fever...There is No Cure!