Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've been reading a lot of contradicting information on substrates. A lot of people swear by using sand and say its the best, while others say it is bad and harmful. Which type of substrate is the best to use, and how harmful can sand be? Also, what happens if the dragon accidentaly gets some sand in its mouth while trying to eat? Is that a serious problem?
Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

The best sand to use would be fine, sifted playsand. You can find it at Home Depot for really cheap. However, I don't using sand as a substrate at all. It's messy and the primary cause of concern would be impaction. When the dragon eats, it can ingest some sand and that can cause impaction. It's generally recommended that the dragon be at least 12-14 inches before being placed on sand, although full grown would be best. The safest and easiest to keep clean substrate is non-stick shelf liner. You can buy it at Wal-Mart (Duck Brand). It comes in many different designs and is soooo easy to clean. You can also use paper towels, butcher's paper, newspaper, or indoor/outdoor carpeting. The carpeting looks nice, but it's a pain to keep clean. If you do decide to use sand....make sure it is playsand only....never use calci-sand or anything similar. It is NOT digestible. I'd still go with the shelf liner though....it's the best!
-Nicky
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Knocked down but I have enough hate
to breathe, down your throat and steal your energy
You took everyting but my will to be
Now the loss of your god won't make me bleed
I am alive
ALICE IN CHAINS!
1.1 Bearded Dragons: Gordo & Chiquita
2.2 Cats: Zeus, Remi, Kiki & Delilah
1.0 Betta

My Cheeky Girl

I completely agree. Shelf liner is sooo much easier to keep clean. Sand can be harmful and is extremely messy. I had orange sand once and it would leave a orange film on all my stuff including my beardie. Also the sand can get stuck in there nose, ears, eyes, and private place. =)
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1.1 Beardies (Pedro and Honey)

The shelf liner sounds like a good idea, but how do you go about cleaning it, and how often?

Just spot clean it daily. I use Novalsan...or more specifically the generic form of it, Chlorhexiderm, which I get from my vet. The generic is A LOT cheaper and just as good. You can also find it online. I use a mini broom/dust pan to sweep away any debris and just spot clean it daily with the novalsan solution. I also take the liner and all the decorations out weekly and soak it in the same solution. You can also use a water/vinegar solution. You can also use a bleach solution...1 part bleach to about 20 parts water I believe if you rinse VERY well. I just like the novalsan because it's so safe, there's no need to rinse. There's a thread further down about it's benefits I believe.
-Nicky
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Knocked down but I have enough hate
to breathe, down your throat and steal your energy
You took everyting but my will to be
Now the loss of your god won't make me bleed
I am alive
ALICE IN CHAINS!
1.1 Bearded Dragons: Gordo & Chiquita
2.2 Cats: Zeus, Remi, Kiki & Delilah
1.0 Betta

My Cheeky Girl

Thanks for the information. I'll look into that.

No offense to anyone, but i don't like the look of Shelf liner and wanted to go with something more natural. I went with Eco-Earth/Terra stuff. It comes in a brick and you soak it in a bucket of water and it fills up the whole bucket! i had enought fo a 55 gallon! it's fine Cocoa-nut fiber and totally digestable. My beardie loves it and will dig and burrow in it. It's great to set pieces of driftwood in and hide plant bases (i have Aloes). I have never heard anything bad about it and it looks great. I've seen my beardie 'taste' it and even eat it and nothing has happened.
-Sara

I don't think the cocconut fiber is a good substrate for dragons. It can still cause impaction, as the fibre isn't digestable and it tends to hold water and swell up. I have heard of created geckos chocking and dying from this stuff several times. Also, it holds moisture, creating alot of humidity in a cage, which isn't good for bearded dragons. Also when dry, it tends to be dusty.

Washed sifted playsand has it's risks as well but in general, it is the safest loose substrate available for bearded dragons. It has it's cons as well, as if injested in quantities, it can cause impaction. Also, it can harbor bactria, as it's vertually impossible to scoop up all the soiled dirt when they poo.

Though shelf liner isn't as natural as other substrates, it has teh benefit of having no risk of impaction and is easy to clean thoroughtly.

I know of other dragon owners who have made 'sandboxes' for their dragons to play in, with the rest of the cage shelf liner or papertowel. Thus, there is a place the dragon can dig and have fun in, while greatly reducing the risk of sand being eaten, either accidently while hunting for crickets or during dragon 'tasting' of their territory.

What it all comes down to is what you decide is the best substrate for you. Make it an informed decision based on what you like, the risks each substrate poses and what you want to spend on substrate.
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PHLdyPayne

Thank you for the redundancy. And cocoanut fiber is digestiable, its plant matter. Sand is basically glass.

Easy there, there is no need to be rude. PHLadyPayne is a good contributor to this website with years of experience in herp keeping, she really knows what she is talking about. If she says animals have died from digesting coco-nut fiber then they have. Not that i have any personal experience with it. How long have you had your beardie on the coco-nut fiber? If this is your first beardie to be kept on it and it hasnt been years and years it might be a bit soon to jump to the conclusion that it is safe. Some people have kept their beardies on sand, and even calci-sand for ages without problems...that doesn't mean its safe, right? Just remember to stay open to everyones opinions and take everything in stride It might be a subject worth delving into though...are there any really good herp vets in your area? Or herpotologists? Maybe they would have some good input/ideas?

To the original poster, everyones advice so far has been really good. It basically comes down to this: Babies and juvie beardies should be always kept on a non-particle substrate (shelf liner, paper towels, indoor/outdoor carpeting..etc) adults are safest when kept on these substrates as well, but if you really like sand you can try the fine grain play sand. The idea for a sand box is good as well. If you do house them on sand then your cleaning practices must be meticulous(sp?) as it is pretty much impossible to get all the bacteria harboring in the sand out after the beardie poops. Very frequent complete substrate changes and cleaning of the enclosure (probably weekly or bi weekly) is probably the best way to go. Also, feeding in a seperate tank if the animals are housed on sand reduces, but does not eliminate, the risk of impaction.

Good luck!
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0.1 Bearded dragon
0.1 mexican Black kingsnake
1.1 Leopard Gecko's
0.0.1 Tokay Gecko
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink
0.0.1 Reverse Okeetee Corn
0.1 Anerythristic Corn
0.0.1 Red Tegu
0.1 Bullmastiff
4.1 Cats

Although i haven't had a bearded dragon for very long, i have had many other reptiles in my family and i talked to all of them before getting a lizard on my own, including the guy i bought Feng from. She is almost 4 months old. I'm not trying to be rude, i'm jst defending what i think is a very good substrate.
-sara

Hey. Just wondering how your beardie is doing?
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Knocked down but I have enough hate
to breathe, down your throat and steal your energy
You took everyting but my will to be
Now the loss of your god won't make me bleed
I am alive
ALICE IN CHAINS!
1.1 Bearded Dragons: Gordo & Chiquita
2.2 Cats: Zeus, Remi, Kiki & Delilah
1.0 Betta

My Cheeky Girl

Its ok Sara, im sure you werent trying to be rude. I just wanted to point out because i think sometimes we may come across as rude and not mean to, ya know?

Bleedthefreak: Hanny is doing better, I think anyway. She had urate stones, and during palpation two of them came out and she defecated a lot! We drew some blood and sent that out and the results came back in the other day...everything in her blood looks right where it should be. We took some xrays and couldn't see anymore stones. So...all that is good.

Since then i have been soaking her every other day to keep her hydration up (she formed urate stones cause she wasn't drinking enough), the second time i soaked her since having her back home she pooed a little more but since then she hasn't pooed. Its only been a few days and i have only fed her a teeny bit (I wanted to empty her system before filling her again) so im not super worried yet. She also had pinworms, which can lead to constipation, she was dewormed once and needs to be dewormed again on the 17th. This may help her a lot. If she isn't pooping on her own again by then we are going to take another xray to make sure we didn't miss any stones.

Thanks for asking. I have been ridiculously worried about her!
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0.1 Bearded dragon
0.1 mexican Black kingsnake
1.1 Leopard Gecko's
0.0.1 Tokay Gecko
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink
0.0.1 Reverse Okeetee Corn
0.1 Anerythristic Corn
0.0.1 Red Tegu
0.1 Bullmastiff
4.1 Cats

Just because it is plant matter does NOT mean it is digestable. For example you could not go grazing in your back yard and expect to digest the grass you ate. You do not have the proper enzymes to do this. Certain creatures can break down certain types of plant matter. It varies greatly. I have no dragons and am not trying to put down your choice of substrate. I just wanted to let you know. As far as substrate choices go, I have many leos that were raised and lived on sand. They were all fine, then one day one of my favorite blizzards fell ill and died a short while later from sand impaction. Since then I do not use and loose substrates for and of my animals. (well cept for the hedgehog who loves the woodchips For my leos most are on paper towels, for the ones who are on display slate looking tiles from homedepot.
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1 hedgehog
10-20 leos (varies from one hatching to the next)
1 Pug
4 Firebellied toads
2 gold dust geckos

Hi,

Bearded dragons have been kept for years/generations on a variety (many) of different substrates including sand. The substrate is not as important as maintaining an environment for the animal that allows the animal to do well. This includes providing a range of temps, adequate humidity, whole foods and veggies etc.

Suitable environments can be accomplished using many different substrates. We use sand/dirt with many of our dragons and paper towels in some cages too. It may also be about what is convenient for you and even what pleases you. Sometimes being convenient for us ultimately means better care for the animals.

Ingesting substrate during feeding is common and not a problem in and of itself (with many substrates). Impaction is often the result of other problems (dehydration for one).

Pick something, try it and if your dragons do well on it then you can choose to continue or try something else if you are so inclined.

Good luck,

Ian

Thank you!