What types of substrate do you guys use for your beardies? I have been using newspaper, but I am looking into changing it to something else.

hey ss...
at the moment i dont use anything but i have used newspaper.. the easiest thing to keep clean... and sand.. which the dragons d but it got smelly when wet and wasnt too fun at cleaning time..

other things you can use are kitty litter.. just the recycled paper type.. some mulch type bark is ok depending on the size of your dragons.. wouldnt put hatchies on it... and any kind of lizard litter which is uaually just recycled paper

Megz

I am leaning towards sand, but I have a fear of impaction.

how do you feed your dragons? from a bowl/dish? from tweezers? or do you just let the insects roam free in the enclosure??
i use to have a nice slate tile that my food dish was then sat on... there was no way my beardies could get impaction cos they were never eating on the sand... but i can see your point.. they can be messy eaters.. and could get some sand on the food somehow.. but i dont think a little bit would hurt them too much.. another way to avoid impaction would be to feed them in a seperate tub/enclosure with no substrate...

Megz

I feed my beardie in its cage, but I use a small tub to put the insects into. I have tried feeding out of the enclosure, but for some reason it doesn't take to well to that idea.

I use Euclyptus Much, its great stuff looslike extremly fine woodchip. never had a problem with it, its easy to spot clean and cheap, I just chuck it away every week or two.
Ewd's (eastern water dragons do tend to get it in there mouth occasionally, I let insects go, but they know its not edible and sppit it out, much the same as in the wild I assume.

Welcome Home ReptileGirl!!!! Nice to cya!!

well dont i just feel special
good to be here inny!! cheers for sortin out the password stuff

Euclyptus Much ey... i've been looking for something new/cheap for my dragons.. sand was just too hard to deal with, i dont like the recyled paper stuff and i feel sorry for the little fellas when they dont have anything to play in so i cant keep them on no substrate for long.. how much is the euclypt mulch? any particular brand you use?
cheers
Megz

i just use news paper, seem to be the best and is always availible, but the other night i was at a herp meeting and my vet was the guest speaker and the subject substrate came up in his speech and he said that not to use mulch of any sort cause it can be infested with bacteria etc even if the tnk looks spoyless

thats wat i was thinkin spike and parasites i thought to, i dun think i would go natural, i think they would prefer to b healthy and parasiteless then to have a fancy lookin cage but feel unhappy, just my opinion
newspaer and breeders choice (kitty litter) all the way!!!!!

I put my beardie on sand yesterday, I don't know if I will keep it in there as a substrate though. I seen it taste some of it, it did spit it out though. I am just to worried that it might cause complications.

I have noticed my eastern beardies doing the same thing, occasionally they'll lick a little fine grain of sand off the rocks, guess it is natural behaviour but it makes me nervous, does anybody know why they do this? Perhaps it even serves a purpose in aiding digestion? I dont know, i just know it makes me feel nervous so i took it out and am using no substrate at the moment, though in their outdoor mesh enclosure i have coco peat on the bottom and they dont seem to mind it.

never had a problem with euclyptus mulch, i dont think parasites would live in it given the bags sit in the sun at bunnings and literally cook.
anyway , its called forest gold blend Megz, its about $7 for a 60 liter bag, this does 6 enclosures for me, and i change the lot every 2 or 3 weeks.

the reason beardies lick the rock is called taste testing, it is ntural behavior and has nothing do do with digestion etc . . what i meant buy the bacteria is that when they poop the bacteria grows. . .

Spike bacteria is there before they poop, thats why you clean the bloody cage. You think there is no bacteria if theres only newspaper? bacteria is literally EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME, you cant avoid bacteria. ANY place thats warm and even slightly humid (ANY enclosure) will harbour bacteria. If your removing soiled material there is no reason bacteria should be a problem. Do you sterilise your enclosure with chemicals or with steam everytime you change the newspaper? Bacteria will quickly colonise ANY surfaces including newspaper, and the floor, walls, ceiling, fittings, glass of your enclosure, and the water bowl, branches etc etc. Paper or mulch, no difference to the bacteria in a warm humid enviroment.
further, not all bacteria is bad either. standard hygene should prevent any problem.



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I wouldn't mind using the euclyptus mulch, sounds like that would work for me. We don't have that here in the states though.