New to site, PICS of enclosures

My bearded dragons' enclosure:






My slider turtle's:






What do you think?

 

Take out the sand in the BD enclosure. It will cause impaction and death. You shouldn't have more than one BD in a single enclosure. You also need a UVB bulb in the tank.
As for the turtle tank, it is too small. A general rule to sliders is 10 gallons per inch of turtle. The gravel in the tank can cause impaction if it becomes blocked whenever swallowed. You need a UVB bulb for the turtle as well.

 

I have uv lights for both, I took them off to get better pictures. The sand is calci-sand and is perfectly safe if ingested. They are fine together in the same cage, and have been since birth. I'm aware the turtle tank is too small, I'm currently in the process of getting a new one. The gravel can only cause problems if she ingests it, and she doesn't. Thanks for the concern, but I'm only new on the forum, not with reptiles.

 

Calci-sand is in many cases worse than regular sand because the calcium in it can incourage the herps to eat it. It forms impactions just as easily as regular sand, so it is dangerous. You have to remember that all those companies that say things are safe, such as calci-sand, hot rocks and the like are just in it for the money.

 

Regardless, my dragons don't eat it. Thanks though.

 

not to ambush you here but it is not a matter of them eating it... its a matter of even breathing and ingesting it. or getting sand when they snatch a cricket. it comes down to it not being a safe substrate.

 

then what IS a safe substrate? and i dont quite understand how the company along with a lot of other people can blatantly lie and say its safe if it isnt.

 

Because they want money?? lol

Reptile carpet, paper towel, Flooring tile some other people could probably suggest a couple other things. oh and non adhesive shelf liner.

 

I'm just saying the company could be sued by any one of the many many consumers if the product said it was 100% safe and it actually caused health problems. How do any of you know for a fact that it is in fact an unsafe substrate. I don't mean to be argumentative, I am just wondering.

 

does it say 100% safe?

 

If you look in the leo forum in the sticky articles look what it did to the leopard gecko..

 

It doesn't say, "Don't use because it will kill your reptile." But I believe all of you, I just find it odd that a company can do that. What do you all think is the best substrate for bearded dragons? Also, is there any type of sand that is ok?

 

I think slate or ceramic tile is best and it looks nice and easy to clean..

I pmed you about the play sand.

 

Also, question: When a female bearded dragon lays its egss, doesn't ti need sand to burrow in?

 

No

 

"Females will dig a burrow approximately 12" - 16" deep to deposit her eggs."
" A good lay area is imperative to ensure that your bearded dragon does not egg bind. Lay areas may consist of a large area filled with one foot area of sand."
um.....

 

I would agree with Pit's about slate. Back in the old days, all glass aquariums had slate bottoms. I wish I could find one now! I'm a little confused about the sand debate. Every inch of top soil all over the earth has some sand in in as well as small rocks. All wild reptiles ingest these all the time. Some reptiles ingest small stones to grind up there meals in there bellies.

 

The calci-sand debate has come up many times.


Calci-sand is not digestible. The packaging may say its digestible, but they are wrong. It is no where near it. Calci-sand is made of calcium carbonate. What is calcium carbonate? An antacid. It neutralizes acid. So when a reptile happens to eat some of it (and you cannot say they dont...youre not watching them 24/7) the acid in its stomach simply dissolves some of it which in turn neutralizes the acid.

Calci sand is kind of like ground up Tums. How can something that acts as an acid reducer possibly be digestible?

Not to mention, calci-sand clumps when wet and kinda deposits itself in the digestive tract.

The company can do it because a lot of people say its absolutely safe. Its not.

If you INSIST on using sand, use play sand. The granules are much, much smaller, which decreases the impactation risk. However, I still think you should stay away from sand.

I'm a fan of non adhesive shelf liner. You can get a 20ft roll of it at WalMart for $4.00 if you live around one. Ceramic/slate tiles work well also.


Calci-sand is dangerous, expensive, and harbors bacteria.

Savvy_Sav; Yes there is some sand in soil everywhere, however, what we are keeping are not wild animals. There is a reason reptiles live longer in captivity if the owner has the right setups. our animals are not (hopefully) subjected to extreme temperature fluxuations, predators, droughts, famines, and all sorts of natural events.

Definitely keep your bearded dragons off of sand. You may not have a problem now, but impactations do not happen overnight.

 

Well I appreciate all of your concern and help very much, and I will look into what will be the best replacement for the sand, for me. Reptile carpet perhaps, or slate.

 

I personally would go with slate