Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My parents wanted to know if cat litter would be okay for a substrate. I know everyone on here suggests using non-adhesive shelf liner, we tried it, but it didnt work too well, it held the smell of the poop. Thanks.

the simple rule here is: whatever you use for a substrate the dragon will eat.

the little stones in the cat litter will kill your dragon slowly and painfully....so don't use it.

people sift play sand to remove the little stones or large sand particles....they aren't looking for treasures by sifting.

have you ever researched bearded dragons on the internet? have any of them said to used cat litter?
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a free range dragon is a happy dragon

Hey, I never said I would actually use it. Did you ever think that not everything posted on the web is accurate? My parents wanted to know if i could use it, but i didn't think I would be able to. I am planning on sticking with alfalfa pellets.

I thought people on here were kind and respect peoples questions so they made the right decisions, not rip therir heads off when they asked a question. Maybe you should be a little nicer than what you were because I never said i was going to use cat litter, I was WONDERING if it would be okay.

sorry if i came off a little strong in the reply. I guess that no question is a stupid question....just not thought out well.

You are right...some things posted on the web are incorrect. I've done a lot of research on the web about beardies and about 80% of the sites that contain information about beardies have the exact word for word descriptions on care....most likely because they've copied from that book with the red trim on it (i forget the name).

i see that you had smell problems when using the shelf liner. I also noticed this. I used to use sand which absorbs most of the smell. So, the day i switched to shelf liner i noticed the stink problem. If you clean the cage right away it helps alot. I use simple green as a cleaner helps keep the stink down.
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a free range dragon is a happy dragon

The alfalfa pellets are not good substrates for dragons. For one, the pellets mold very easy, especialy if they get damp. Two, they can also be ingested and cause cause blockage. Three, they tend to harbor bugs, little moths that fly all over the place. T hough the moths are no danger to your dragon, they are a real pain to have flying around the house.

The non stick shelfliner you used, was it a porous kind? I haven't used the non stick shelf-liner myself, having found something just as good and cheaper. What i used was plastic table cloth, the kind you buy for banquet tables for weddings, reunions, parties etc. They are about $18 a roll (Canadian Dollars, no clue what they are in the states). The roll size I bought was 100' long by 3' wide. Since plastic doesn't fit directly into the bottom of the cage and can roll up at the corners, what I did was line the cage bottom with a layer or two of papertowel, put the plastic down ontop and with some scotch tape, taped the edges. This kept the plastic from shifting around (and the dragon getting underneath it, or crickets). The papertowel served to give a bit more padding and better purchase for the dragon to run around, it also absorved any leakage from poop through holes made by dragon claws. Cage furnature also helped to anker the plastic.

Whenever my dragon pooed, I would pick it up and wash the s pot with some anti-bacterial soap, then wipe clean. I never noticed any lingering smells, even if the poop stayed in the cage for a few hours before I could remove it. Every month I would take out the old plastic, throw it out and the papertwoels underneath, wipe everything with a cloth with some antibacteria soap (a novasan solution can be used as well), dried it, added new papertowel and plastic.

The roll of plastic table cloth lasts for a very long time. I only use about half the roll in the year or so I had the dragon in her large cage, before I sold her. Her cage is 5'x2 in floor dimensions, so a roll of plastic would have lasted nearly two years. Very small investiment to have your dragon clean and safe from impactions. The plastic table cloth comes in many colors and patterns. I used just black, but there are all colors available. If you want a more natural looking substrate, try and find a brick colored one or tan.

I found the plastic table cloth at a paper products supply store...Vaughn Paper Products I think it was. I am quite sure you can find it at any party supply store that supplies stuff for large gatherings. Wedding supplies and wedding parties stores should have it too. Hotel supplies maybe, since many rent out their halls for parties, though not sure if they supply things like tables and table clothes. Some may, some may not. Most likely they charge a fee for that though LOL.

As plastic is non-porous and the area around the poo is cleaned good, you shouldn't have any odors after the poo has been removes and the tank has had time to air out. If teh smell always lingers, maybe you do not have enough air flow in your tank. If not, you will need to increase that air flow. My tank had a half screen top and screen doors.
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PHLdyPayne