Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I believe my beardie "Drusilla" is impacted. She is bloated & has a "sand" substance coming out of her vent. We have been giving her warm baths, massaging the bowel region & enemas every night (yeah, try that for a fun time) and it seems to really be helping...the bloated look is going away & we're getting less & less sand with each enema. What should I use besides sand? Everything I read before getting my beardies (had Spike for almost 3 years & no problems) said use sand.

Please advise! Thanks

Sand is certainly one of the most popular substrates, but not always the best. If you have problems it is definately time to switch.

I think the absolute safest substrates you can use are paper towels or newspaper. They are easy to clean up and replace, too.

Another option that a lot of people including myself are going for is non-adhesive shelf-liner. It is just like a rubber sheet you can lay down, very easy to clean and it looks nice.... plus crickets can't hide under it like they do with paper. You can get it at Walmart, the brand name is Duck. Some people are concerned that it may cause problems because it's made w/ PVC, and PVC fumes have been known to cause problems in humans. However I've yet to hear of a beardie ever having any problems on this, but it's something that I think should be thrown out there so you can make your own decision.

Anyways, I'm glad your lizard seems to be doing better. Have you taken her to the vet?
-----
2.0 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)
0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)

I would get her checked out; take her to the vet.

But never use sand. I have been using newspaper for years and never any problems. It's easy to use and effective.

JadeFox