• Posted 12/19/2024.
    =====================

    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

Sand?

Mile_High_Dragons

Mile_High_Dragons

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Okay! So, I know I posted on this before but humor me. I have tried pretty much every substrate that you could possibly think of. And I have found something I hate about all of them. Except sand.
:confused:
However, I have been told by some that it is safe and will not cause impaction. (Big and small breeders)

Others say avoid it completely.




Lets but this "Bigfoot" of Bearded Dragons to rest! :)

And here...we...GO!
 
I used to use washed play sand for my beardeds when I used to have them a few years ago. I kept and bred them on sand and never had a problem. Now I wouldn't use sand for a young dragon. My rule was once they were around 8 to 10 inches, then I felt safe putting them on sand. Of course some people don't like sand and others do. This is probably another subject that has no right or wrong answer. People can come up with pros and cons for every type of substrate out there, thats just the way it is. Just my two cents.
 
This is a highly debated subject. Though the easiest way to look at it is this. What works for one person doesnt always work for another. Some people may have perfect results with sand... some people may not. But what works for you wont be known until you test out that theory. I personally have used sand on all of my dragons. and as stated above, I waited for the young ones to reach min. of 8 inches before I put them on it.
 
I think the last 2 posters said it perfectly. For younger dragons (under a year for me), absolutely not a good idea to use it but for older dragons I don't see too large of a problem as long as you maintain it properly and observe your dragon so that it may not ingest any of it. I think this is going to be one topic that will never be put to rest. People have different experiences with every substrate. Just make sure you make proper adjustments to the enclosure depending on which substrate you choose.
 
Back when I was into dragons, I always used washed play sand. Never a single problem. The beauty of desert animals is that they are they only ones where we can actually come pretty close to their natural substrate. The difference in captivity is that they are made to be close to their own waste. So, go for sand and keep it clean. My opinion.
 
Impaction is linked to lack of vitamins/calcium in the dragons diet. Babies grow so fast indoors, that they require a lot of added supplementation. If they don't meet these requirements, they will look towards other options, like sand.

Josh
 
pdragon said:
Impaction is linked to lack of vitamins/calcium in the dragons diet. Babies grow so fast indoors, that they require a lot of added supplementation. If they don't meet these requirements, they will look towards other options, like sand.

Josh
Click to expand...

I had asked my vet the question once, as I had heard about the possible impaction problems with sand, and he said this exact thing. Beardies do ingest some sand while they're eating, but it only gets problematic when in search for vitamins and minerals they actively start eating the sand.
 
When I used to work with outdoor dragons, I would always see adults constantly picking and sampling little things on the ground like small rocks, twigs, seeds, etc. These lizards know what they need to keep themselves balanced.

Josh
 
I have used sand as well in some enclosures for over 16 years. A couple more things worth mentioning is that a dragon that is not well - hydrated and/ or eating greens is more prone to constipation and impaction . The other thing is that the calcium type sands are actually much more problematic because some animals get a taste for it and when they sample a bit too much, it hardens in their digestive tract. I was in a pet store about 12 years ago that bought dragons from me and the manager mentioned that the leopard geckos were dying that were on calcium sand. I picked them up , turned them over and you could clearly see through their skin that their entire intestinal tract was blue....they were loaded with it and couldn't pass it. So, I would avoid that stuff for any reptile.
 
In agreement with the previous posters, we use playsand for 8"+ bearded dragons and paper towels for babies. In over 15 years, we've never once had a problem with impaction.

As a side thought, I would be concerned about keeping adults long-term on anything but a soft, loose substrate (preferably playsand) if your enclosure has a hard floor surface such as glass and it also includes climbing branches. Over the years, as the animal leaps to the floor from branches, half-logs, etc, it may cause discomfort/damage if there is not adequate cushion (paper towels, newspapers do not provide much). Sand provides a nice soft surface that doesn't jar bones. This may cause issues in elderly dragons.
 
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