Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, I was contacted and asked if "Bed a beast" and similar coconut substrates were safe for beardie use. I have never used this stuff and honestly said I didn't know. I suggested shelf liner like I use, but they keep writing back and wanting to know about the "Bed a beast". They also sent the following info.....

"Bed A Beast is odorless, non toxic, nonabrasive to skin and eyes, highly absorbent and 100 percent harmless if ingested. Used and recommended by zoos nationwide"

So, the question is.........

Is this a suitable substrate for beardies???? I know that nothing is 100 percent harmless if ingested as claimed by the manufacturer, but I wanted some opinions from "real people" not a company

Then I can write back to this person and say
"yes, because ..........."
OR
"No, because ......."

LOL

Thanks all who bother to respond
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Lisa
Cricket free babies!
www.beginnersbasics.com

It is GREAT for frogs because you just spritz it once-twice a day to keep it moist and keep humidity up. You have to soak the block in warm water to get it to expand, then to use it for a beardie you would have to let it dry out completely to avoid humidity problems. In old tanks with no frogs the dry stuff gets really dusty. I do not think it would be too good for beardies. I am not sure why you would want to when there are a lot of better alternatives out there. It is designed to retain moisture, so why use it in a desert set up? Just my two cents, others may have different opinions.
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Stacey

well, the thing with bed-a-beast is its incredibly absorbant, and very hard to dry, so yea, it could cause a problem with humidity and respitory infections....
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1.1 leopard gecko (goliath, gebco)
0.1 hypo red bearded dragon (puff the magic dragon)
0.0.1 schnieder's skink (ghandi)
1.0.1 white's dumpy treefrog (buddha and un-named)
1.0 house gecko (geico) (finally found him)
1.0 rabbit (oreo)
0.1 dogs (kristy)
1.1 cats (joey, tinkerbell)
2.0 goulian finchs
0.0.2 red eared sliders (banquo, kenpo)