Reptile & Amphibian Forums

has anyone heard of this? its walnut shells crushed finely. it was recommended to me at the reptile show. it is supposed to be very digestable. any feedback would be great.

Horrible stuff, does not digest.

Sean
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Heart Mountain Herps

I agree with Sean. I used it for adults and didn't really have any problem but I know some poeple who used it for babies and they actually died from impaction. Wouldn't recommend this stuff at all.
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A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,
adored by little statesmen, philosophers and divines.
Ralph Emerson

I agree , get rid of it It's not worht the risk.

Claymore

Hello,

I prefer this stuff. I have used sand as well, but the sand is very dusty and hard to keep clean. I have seven bearded dragons and have raised nearly a hundred bearded dragon babies and have had NO problems. Everytime I see this question someone always says they "know" someone who has had a beardie die from impaction due to eating this substrate. I don't believe it. I like the stuff.

Jason

Crushed Walnut bedding can be good or bad.

Walnut shell is available in several sizes. The material is sorted through different mesh screens. It can be very coarse or as fine as dust. It is produced at only a few facilities in the U.S. These crushing facilities are usually found close to the Nut producing Orchards. The material is used in womens makeup cleansing creams, abrasive hand soaps, gun cleaning products and even as a material to sandblast the paint off airplanes. Only small grained crushed Walnut shells should be used as bedding.

A good test is to rub a little of the bedding into the palm of one hand with a finger or thumb of the other hand. This simulates the peristaltic action of the intestines. If is feels sharp or hurts, it may also hurt the animal.

If the bedding is sharp, the edges can injure the walls of the intestine. These walls them swell and effectively close off the intestine. Impaction is probably a poor way to describe the problem. As it implies that the bedding blocks the intestine. While what has most likely happened is that the intestine has been damaged and the resulting injury is blocking the intestine. Either way the animal is in trouble.

One side effect of this is the paralysis of the hind legs. This is usually seen in baby or juvenile dragons. This is caused by pressure on a nerve ganglia or plexus just above the pelvis by the swollen intestine. Some times this may br brought on by the animal arching it's back in response to some stimulus (spraying with water). If this paralysis is permitted to last for a long time (several hours) it can result in permanent damage and paralysis. If you see your juvie dragon begin to arch its back when you spray it, I suggest that you stop spraying immediately. As the animal grows this becomes less of a threat as there is more room in the abdomen of the animal for the intestine and its contents to expand.

While Dragons are usually very hardy, babies, like all babies, are delicate.