New 90 gallon Beardy Tank NEED HELP
- Thread starter FlacosWorld
- Start date
Anyways... on the subject of sand... It is not dangerous when everything is set up right. That being said i would never recommend anyone use calci-sand or repti-sand or any of that crap.
If you're going to use sand then just get simple, sanitized play sand from home depot or lowes. It's fine grain but not to dusty and easily digested by desert reptiles when they are kept at the right temperatures.... and that is the key! In order for sand to be safely passed through a reptiles system they MUST be at optimum temps.... so someone keeping a beardy on the lower end at say 90-95 is not going to have a good experience with it. however if you keep the beardy at higher temps with a HOT basking spot as it should be (110-115) then it will almost certainly have no problems with that sand. There are always anomalies and always tragic coincidences...even with news paper and paper towels.... NO substrate is 100% safe. But we can do our best to make whatever we use as safe as possible.
If you're going to use sand then just get simple, sanitized play sand from home depot or lowes. It's fine grain but not to dusty and easily digested by desert reptiles when they are kept at the right temperatures.... and that is the key! In order for sand to be safely passed through a reptiles system they MUST be at optimum temps.... so someone keeping a beardy on the lower end at say 90-95 is not going to have a good experience with it. however if you keep the beardy at higher temps with a HOT basking spot as it should be (110-115) then it will almost certainly have no problems with that sand. There are always anomalies and always tragic coincidences...even with news paper and paper towels.... NO substrate is 100% safe. But we can do our best to make whatever we use as safe as possible.
I know how everyone fights about using sand as a substrate...but in the wild are leopard geckos, uros and bearded dragons...arent they found on sand or other desert like substrate? I've had baby leos and a bearded dragon on sand with no problem...even a baby savannah who probably had mouthful of sand occasionally while chasing crickets.
exactly, it's rarely the sand alone that causes problems...it's the husbandry in general....
although i don't generally suggest keeping baby leopard geckos on it just because they can be very delicate... but it's certainly possible.
although i don't generally suggest keeping baby leopard geckos on it just because they can be very delicate... but it's certainly possible.
Sand itslef isn't always the culprit, but I still avoid it. I find tile is nicer to look at, easier to clean, and has a zero risk for impaction. How deep is the 90 gallon? I use an MVB and love it...better colors in my opinion.
P.S. Pictures are always mandatory...
P.S. Pictures are always mandatory...
I've seen a hypothesis about Bearded dragons dying from impaction even in the wild. That would seem possible to me. As long as you maintain smooth grained, fine sand and keeping a dragon in top-notch health, they SHOULD technically be fine.
Feeding in a separate container helps avoid it as well...and keeps the main enclosure cleaner in general...
How about crushed wall nut shells? I think thats the name...I've watched some shows on www.reptilestv.com out of boredom and it looks nice...but is it safe?
crushed walnut shells are very bed. i really hate that "most" pet stores try to sell them to new owners. beardies tend to always eat/taste their substrate. in the 4 years i was breeding them i never had any problems with impaction...i always used play sand with adults/juvies, paper towels with anything under 8months.
