Reptile & Amphibian Forums

im thinking to switch my bearded dragons from sand to nonstick shulf liner
just some questions

can they walk on it with out slipping?
is there anyside affects from it?
where do you get it?
anyone have any cool patterns on theres and would like to show?

thanks for your help
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Zero to 4 legs
1.0 Black Rough Neck Monitor
1.1 Bearded Dargon
1.0 Ball Python
1.0 Argus Monitor
0.0 anything else people give to me

I was a firm believer in using play sand. But, I went a head and tried the shelf liner switch...hey, you can always go to walmart and buy another bag of sand for $3...

Well one day i was at target and i saw a shelf liner there that looked pretty cool....it actually looks and feels like cork but is in fact some synthetic material like plastic. Down sides of the shelf liner i use is that it's the sticky kind, so it can't be removed. And it costs a lot more than the plain white or tan non stick kind.

So, if you switch to shelf liner from sand...the first thing you will notice is that shelf liner absorbs absolutly NO SMELL. It is quite a pain to clean too. BUT, you don't have to worry about injection of substrate.

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a free range dragon is a happy dragon

The non stick shelf liner does provide traction. It is typically made of a vinyl like material. Though I havent' used it myself, I do know it comes in a variety of colors and patterns. Just take a look at the selection at your local walmart or other kitchen supply store. I have seen them go from tans, whites with flowers, plaid and other patterns. Find one that you like and use it.

Another option is plastic table cloth. You can buy it at large party supply stores by the roll. I paid about $18 CDN for a 3'x100' roll which last me well over a year (then I sold my dragon as I had to move, and still had a good half of the roll left). I usually put it over a layer of papertowel, used a bit of scotch tape on the ends to keep it from moving around (and the dragon digging underneath it, as well as crickets). THe extra 'padding' from the papertowel gave better traction for the dragon and absorbed any spillage that either worked t hrough the holes the dragon's claws made in the plastic or leaked around the cracks. Cleanup is easy, I just spot cleaned where the dragon pooed that day, used a bit of anti-bacterial soap and wiped the area dry afterwards. No problems with smell at all, though I typically cleaned up a few hours or less after my dragon pooed...most times she will poo jsut before I woke up, so it didn't sit very long.
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PHLdyPayne

I actually just did this today to both of my beardie tanks.. if you get the actuall non-stick stuff its got plenty of grip on the top side for them to walk and run around fine.. both of mine are kinda getting used to it still, but are running back and forth with no problem. I got a brand called "duck" or "ducky" or something from walmart for like $3.99 and it was huge enough to do a ~100 gallon and another 48 gallon with no issues..

I'm really glad I did it now as the sand just got to be too much with the smell and dust so they will have to get used to this for now

Lol, that's the same stuff I got in my beardie tank, except mine has sea shells on it, but same brand. My girlfriend wanted the sea shells, and I think it actually looks pretty cool. I think that stuff is great nothing gets absorbed into it so the poop and spills are easy to clean with toilet papper.
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Lizard Smoke

yea my gf picked up the palm trees design for my baby girl, but I couldnt do that to my big boy so he has a more traditional design

I have those cute little palm trees in my cage. It's great all around, the shelf liner that is. No smell, no mess, no bacteria multiplying out of control. When you pick out what ever desing you like look for something that doesn't have holes in it, or you'll be working really hard trying to get out whatever leaked thru. Get something that thick enough and not too bumpy for easier clean up.
Irina

I'm thinking about going this route, but if I get the NON stick stuff, how does it stay in place without the crickets getting underneath it?
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Ciliatus 2.0.0, Auric 0.1.0,
Oedura 0.1.0, AFT 1.1.0,
Viper Tail 1.1.0, Beardie 0.0.1