Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi, right now, im doin alot of research on beardies before i get one. id like to know if sand is ok. i know for leos, it really isnt good, but some ppl say it is, and that is why i want a lot of responses. if alot of ppl say it is ok for beardies, the ill know. thanks alot!!

From what I understand, sand (playsand, NOT calcium sand) is bad for young beardies, but lots of people use it for adults with no problems.

Personally, I always play it safe, so I don't use it at all. I use non-adhesive shelf liner. It's easy to clean and there is ZERO risk of impaction, no matter what age your beardie is.

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1.0.1 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)
0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)

I agree with kephy on the sand. I play it a little more cautious and use newspaper, not the prettiest stuff, but 0 chance of impaction. A lot of people really like the shelf liner. I'm a little leary of it because of the pvc and plasticizers it's made of that have been linked to sterility, birth defects, spontanious abortion, cancer, etc. in humans, so who knows what living on it 24/7 is going to do to beardies in the long run. I suspect that we will see little to nothing come from it, but I don't want to chance it either.

Sean
Heart Mountain Herps

n/p
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Denise (Mom) and/or Jared (son)
Take care!

1.0 Ball Python - Roy (name change)
1.0 Bearded Dragon - Merlin
1.0 Pixie Frog - Pixel
2.0 Chinese Fire belly Newts - Fred n' Ed, and Ed n' Fred
1.0 Black Cat - Shorty
1.0 Anery Kenyan Sand Boa - coming soon (completing brumation with present owner before joining our home)
0.0.4 Tanks waiting on us to decide what is going in them! LOL

n/p
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1.0.1 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)
0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)

OK for adult Beardies, Juvie's and babe's should be on shelf liner or paper towels

IMO, sand is OK for adults, but not 100% safe. Any particulate substrate can cause impaction if ingested.
There are some precautions you can take to lessen the percentage. You can feed your dragon in another container,ie; a Rubbermaid bin or something similar. You can also elevate the food dish by setting it higher up on a rock/brick so sand is not kicked in to it. You can also put crickets in a slick sides bowl or ashtray for feeding so they aren't running in the sand.
**incase you haven't read that rogue crickets can hide in the tank, come out at night, chew holes, and even kill your dragon, it's true. Another good reason to feed in a seperate enclosure.
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www.classylizard.com

I have had my adult on both sand and newspaper. I ultimately descided to stick to the sand 'cuz my dragon seems to have a better attitude on it; she slipps 'round on the newspaper and is unable to dig in the paper.

The previous posts are acurate that there are some chanlenges w/ sand and that you'd have to pay attention to some things if your dragon is on sand but for my 'fluffy' I felt that I could put in the extra work to keep her alittle happier.
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Russ

so basicly, its ok for an adult beardie to be in sand, if i feed it in a different container? what are the chances then?

wheat bran. It's gives them something to dig in and also slows down the crix. Poop pretty much clumps right up in it (it doesn't soak in at all). AFAIK there's virtually no risk of impaction as it's digestible.

It can be a little dusty, though, and a digging beardie is commonly a dirty beardie. Not the best if you like taking pics without having to bathe them.

your are going to get alot of different responses to this.play sand is ok as long as it is SIFTED THROUGH A SCREEN.i have never lost a dragon on playsand.people that have lost dragons on sand usually did not sift it.go to www.dachiu.com and read there caresheet.
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later,mike