Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is "Desert Blend" reptile substrate that bad.What should I use he is about 13 inches long

13 inches is still rather small. The safest substrates will always be paper towels, newspaper, or non-adhesive shelf liner.... no matter what age. When he is full grown you can move him onto sand, but be aware there are still risks. You'll need to feed him insects outside his enclosure and put his food dish on a plate or something to make sure he doesn't swallow any of it, and if he is the type who likes to lick everything he comes across, you're far better off with no particle substrate at all. As for "reptile" sand, I can guarantee that ANY sand you buy marketed specifically for reptiles will be overpriced, possibly dangerous (calcium sand), and won't do anything a bag of sifted playsand from Walmart wont do.

As for now, you are best sticking with paper towels. When he is an adult then you can consider moving him on to something more "natural," but do your research and think long and hard about it first.
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2.0 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)
0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)

I mistakenly assumed you were talking about a type of reptile sand. I just looked up Desert Blend Lizard Litter and saw that it is crushed walnut shells. Yes, it really is that bad. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.

We have one poster who's beardie died about a week ago from ingesting it, and another one right now who may be going through the same thing. Walnut shells are extremely hazardous, not only to babies but to adults as well!

BigFil posted a helpful link the other day about substrates.
www.anapsid.org/substrates.html

This is what they have to say on walnut substrates.

Walnut Cob/Walnut Litter/"Desert Sand"
Many years ago, bird keepers became aware of the problem associated with using walnut shell litter for their birds: shortly after being wetted with water or feces and urates, a colony of bacteria started growing, often underneath the surface of the litter. So, what happened when the walnut shell recyclers found they'd lost a significant share of the bird market? Repackaged their crushed shells for reptiles, of course! One went one step farther and touted theirs as safer than sand. Given that I've never seen sand get moldy, that's a pretty odd claim to make. Why is walnut shell (and corn cob, for that matter) not suitable for reptiles? Aside from promoting bacterial and fungal growth (yes, even when they have been "heat treated" at the factory), they can stick to the hemipenes/cloacal tissue when it is everted during defecation and are thus retracted up into the body, causing irritations and inflammation. They also cause irritation, inflammation or injury to the digestive tract if ingested intentionally or accidentally - and no matter how closely you watch your reptile, you aren't watching it 24/7. If that reptile is an arboreal lizard who spends a great deal of time investigating new things with its tongue, ingestion is guarantee.
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2.0 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)
0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)

It is absoulotly amazing but by beardie has eaten some of it on his food and all he did was pooped it out and he is absoulutly fine but I am taking him off it, and putting him on sifted damp play sand.When you get it wet it gets hard lik natual sandstone they live on.

You're lucky, your beardie is a little bigger. Still, going through his system can be damaging on his insides, and you can see how it would be a problem if it happened too much.

Playsand is better. Be careful getting it wet though, it takes a very long time to dry and can raise the humidity and allow bacteria to form. I think leaving it dry is better, just make sure you feed him on a different surface so he doesn't swallow any. Remember there are risks with sand no matter how you do it, so if you choose that over something safer like unprinted newspaper, be very observative of your lizard with it and make adjustments as you need to.
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2.0 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)
0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)

Ifeed my beardie from tweezers so its all right.Do you think at night its alright to have a blue light on one side.he can escape the heat of the light if he wishes

Make sure the veggie dish is on something else too, they have a tendency to kick sand in the food dishes then eat it. Just setting it on a paper towel or piece of newspaper would help.

If your room doesn't go lower than 60-65 degrees at night you don't need any source of heat. If it does get cold and you need a secondary heat source, get a ceramic heat emitter. The blue, red, and "black" night lamps are not good for beardies because they can see it and it can disturb their sleep. Those are best for snakes, who cannot see the darker lights.

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

Half of the cage is pitch,but the other half is lighted.I am just giving him more options.

That's fine then, as long as he has places to get away from the light if he wants. My beardie would hide under the paper towels when he wanted to sleep and there was still light in the room. They're clever little critters.
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2.0 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)
0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)

If he doesn't poop tomorrow, you might try some mineral, vegetable or olive oil. Drop 2-3 drops on his nose, he should lick it up. This will help to move things along. Don't over do it, more is NOT better. Causing him to have the runs can also be very dehydrating.
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www.classylizard.com

n/p
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www.classylizard.com

Me. I was having the same sorts of decisions about substrate and someone, I think it was Jadefox, recommended against alfalfa pellets but nooooo I wouldn't listen. When I cleaned the other day I saw a spot I thought was clean, but underneath it was yucky and moldy. I am now using a substrate that is cheap, easy, and recommended by nearly everyone and that is newspaper.
I have birds also and the litters that have been made for them like crushed corncobs and crushed walnut shells cause digestive damage and mold quickly. There is a disease from mold by the way, aspergillosis, that humans can get. You do not get it from your pets although they can die from it, you generally get it from moldy stuff like substrates......