Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got a new beardie and everywhere I went told me to get the calci sand and that it is actually good for them, but now I get online and everyone is saying how horrible it is and how my lizard will get impacted and die. Is the sand really that bad? My lizard eats it sometimes when she is just cruising around the cage.

Also, I am worried that the temp is not high enough during the day. The cage that she is in is pretty big and it is quite tall. What can I do to make sure that the hot side gets hot enough? I already have a UVA/UVB flourecent bulb, a 75 watt basking lamp, and an under tank heater all focused on one side of the tank with the exception of the flourecent, which covers the whole length of the tank.

I only got her yesterday so any answers would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advanced!

Instead of telling you the pros/cons of sand, I'm just going to suggest you try using Bran. Much eaier than diving into such a heated debate.

-You can use it with younger beardies.
-Smells great, unlike almost eveery other reptile supply.
-Easy to pick poop out of.
-Incredibly cheap in bulk.

Don't get it wet, or it might mold if it doesn't dry right away. Instead, mist or bath your beardie out of the cage. My dragons love to dig and "play" in it. I have actually found them burrowed under the sand sleeping.

As for your temperatures, you'll need to get a digital thermometer. I bought a cheap on for $6 and a 3 foot long probe. It works wonders. Then you can regulate how close you have the heat light.

Don't melt your Florescent UV bulbs though... I did.
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1.1 Bearded Dragons
1.2 Maroantsetra Panther Chameleons
2.0 Long Tailed Grass Lizards
0.0.1 Giant Mellers Chameleon
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500 Escaped Crickets

First for the heating question for good answers we need more info first how big is your cage? we need mesurements!! for reffrence I have a 90 gallon widw tank that is 24 by 48 by 18 inches, I use a 160 watt UV heat bulb plus under tank heater and a second 100 watt Incandescent bulb for a second basking area, the hot end gets a round 100 and the cool end in low 80s to high 70s

the Cali-sand question, first I use it second I am not planning on using it much longer as I think regular sand is just as safe if not better (I have adult BD but I did raise one of my on cali-sand since 2 months old with not issue, but more i research i do not belive that cali-sand is any more digestable than regular sand and it is very dusty.