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Struggling with the sand or no sand issue...

A

a1littlesister

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Abbott and Costello are now close to 3 months old. I have read a lot of the posts on here about the pros and cons on sand. I'm now struggling with myself about using sand in their enclosure. I am constantly in there cleaning up poop, it would be so much easier to just scoop it up but I worry about the impaction thing. I see them constantly miss the crickets they are going for and I'm afraid they would scoop up sand. Are they old enough now to use it safely? Right now I have that reptile carpet and have to clean and replace it twice a week. Would soaking them once a week reduce the risk of impaction? I know this has been posted and discussed time and time again but some fresh insight on this would help me decide.
Thanks
Alexa
 
This is just my personal opinion but the risk of your dragons becoming impacted is slim to none if you sift the sand. In the past I have used sand for baby enclosures and never had a problem. Impaction occurs when people don't sift out the small pebbles and rocks out the sand. The dragons mistake the pebble or rock for a food source and that is what causes the impaction. A few grains of sand are not going to cause impaction.

I quit using sand because of the dust and the overall hassle of it. Impaction issues had nothing do with my reasonings to stop using it.
 
I coulnd't agree more. I think the jury will always be out on this one. I did keep my beardy on Repti-sand when he was younger. I later tried a variety of substrate. I tried an eco-earth/calcium sand mixture. It was alright. I didn't like the dust from the sand though so I switched to reptile bark. I've witnessed him grab the odd piece when he's eating but he almost always spits it out or it comes out the other end.
Some of the more experienced keepers here might have a better insight but I think the sand/no sand should be dependant on the keeper,age of the beardy and habits of the beardy.
 
I keep my adult dragons on play sand & all of my babies & juveniles on paper towels. The biggest issue I have with sand is the dust. But the sand is very scoopable & makes cleaning up poop very easy.
 
The dust was not something I thought of. Now that gives me something more to think about. Between the Degus throwing dust up when they bath and the dogs tracking dirt in not sure if I need more dust in the house..lol. Thanks for the input.
 
The dust was the worst part for me. Is seems to suck up and hold every odor it's exposed to. Then when the dragon kicks up some sand it floats around and covers everything. :ack2:
 
I just removed my sand. The dragons seemed to love it but they kicked it every where and the dust and sand was every where. It seemed to retain smells also. Now that they are older they seem to poop less. When I bathe them they do it there so I don't have to change the paper towel as much. I am thinking of using reptie carpet instead of paper towel but I have not decided yet. :shrug01:
 
I use the reptile carpet and the only thing about that is when they poop on it a big stain is left so after about 2 days it looks really nasty. I do have this stuff I bought for the shelves in my camper and was thinking trying it. It is non slip stuff. It is not solid kind of got holes in it. feels like soft rubber. It's shelf liner that dosen't let things slip. I don't think that would absorb the poop as bad and be easy to wash. Jut not sure how it would work in the heated tank. I don't want it to have an order when it gets hot. I may try it in the empty tank first and see. I just want something so my tank bottom don't look nasty all the time even though I clean it all the time. I even use a lint brush to try to pick up lost skin, old salad droppings and stuff.
 
I think sand impaction is linked to the lack of calcium in the diet. When a dragon is needing calcium, they will try to get it however they can. Eating sand is one of them. I have also witnessed it in leopard geckos too. Newspaper is a great substrate for dragons. It is easy to clean up, and keeps the smell down. The only downside is that it looks ugly. The ink in most newsprint is made from soy, so you don't have to worry about chemicals. Josh
 
I did use sand also and didnt like the dust . And no matter how carefull when sifting it i always had a mess afterward. Also the sand seem to always retain the poop smell. I switched to ceramic tile and i love, thier nails dont get to long and the clean up is great, I use lysol wipes for daily clean up and weekly i break the whole thing down, takes maybe 15 min per tank.. And it also retains the heat a few hours after lights go out at night. I didnt have a saw to cut the pieces but a local tile place cut the pieces for 3.00 and the fit perfectly..
 
Tile is a great idea...we have a tile cutter, my husband is a contractor, what about slate..would that work? I think it might hold heat better than tile and I love the more natural look of slate. When you use the tile do you grout it in or just place it there ? I think because of the dust issue I have given up on sand but I might provide them a little sandbox to let them dig in it some and see what happens. This is a trial and error stage so when we build their forever home I'll know what to put in the bottom.
Thans so much for everyones input.
 
I wouldnt reccomend grout. I just put them in, Then you can remove it. Not sure about slate. The ceramic tiles i got are natural colors, Home depot sells all kinds and you can buy a box or a few pieces. I got the textured kind, the smooth ones were to smooth. The only thing with the tile which you"ll have with anything is the mealsworms can go under the tile. My female everyday has to tip her bowl over and they scurry under it. But i just fish them out when i break it down. She always does her business in a good area that doesnt seep under.
 
I do not recommend sand to anyone but experienced keepers. The average person that buys a pet beardie is more likely to make mistakes in husbandry that can increase the likelyhood that sand could cause impaction. For example, if temps are off, dragons are not properly supplemented or hydrated, etc. If the dragons are very well taken care of, then the risk for impactions goes down. But I think it is prudent to recommend a solid substratum for most people. Besides, sand stinks and it is impossible to keep very clean. I prefer the look of natural tile. I use tile in my adult cages, and have virtually no smell problems. I use newspaper and paper towels for my babies and juvies who tend to defecate more often.

Jamie
 
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