bedding for bearded dragon babys

right now i'm using a piece of carpet and paper towels for bedding in the tank wich houses my bearded dragon babies. they are now 4 months old. the crickets allways run and hide under the paper towels. so i was wondering - since i can't use sand - if i could put one of those bamboo mat shelfliners in the tank and maby one of those rubbery shelfliners under the bamboo liner so it wouldn't move and trip the dragons. it should work and keep the crickets from hiding under it (they'd still be able to hide under the vine and halflog thou).
what would you think.
thanks dianne

You can house beardeds on sand u just have to make sure its sifted thouroughly. Lynn hendrix is one of the best bearded breeders and she keeps all her dragons on sand and she says she has never had a problem with impaction. I think u should go with sand they should be alright. Sorry about spelling

Originally posted by snakekid13
You can house beardeds on sand u just have to make sure its sifted thouroughly. Lynn hendrix is one of the best bearded breeders and she keeps all her dragons on sand and she says she has never had a problem with impaction. I think u should go with sand they should be alright. Sorry about spelling

On newborns I like to do a heavy misting before feeding. This keeps the sand from being picked up so easy when they miss the cricket they are after ( baby beardies need a few days to get used to their legs). Works for me for the last 9 years.. the best sand for me is Wal Mart.. It is not as course as Home Depot or Lowes. And it is easier to sift..

Sands, especially Calci sand, Repti-sand ect... Are NOT good for young bearded dragons. If consumed by a young hatchling the chance for impaction is high.

Signs of impaction are: Limp back legs, which are really actually paralyzed and they cannot move them.(They drag them when they walk)

Calci sand, and other sands like it are awful for bearded dragons, especially hatchlings. You can try that out by pouring some water onto calci sand. Imagine what that would be like in your dragon's stomach! That stuff is deadly.

Even normal sand is not good for young hatchlings, or juveniles.
Playsand is ONLY okay for Adult Bearded Dragons.

The BEST substrate for hatchlings is non-adhesive shelf liner. It's cheap, and EASY to clean. Not to mention it's hard for crickets to get under, and poses absolutely no chance of impaction.

Amanda Kathleen Stuparyk.

I tried shelf liner..It gives off a odor when heated. I fear the fumes can poison the dragons..also it does not hold heat . I try to set up my reptiles homes up like the area they are from.

You shouldn't be wanting the shelf liner to become heated anyways. That's what basking rocks are for, ect.

if you have a basking temp of 100 to 110 the substrate is going to warm up... Your not talking about heat rocks are you? I HOPE NOT

Basking rocks, and heat rocks are two different things. I'm not so ignorant as to go using a heat rock after I've been studying Bearded dragons and other reptiles for years.

Heat rocks cause death, or serious burns. Many reptiles have died from them.

Did not imply you were. I just am posting what works for me. Never said you should do it my way.. This is why I do not post on forums to often. I do not like to argue or have to defend myself all the time.