| The bearded dragons substrate (sometimes called | | | | Bearded Dragons from this. Also goes under a variety |
| flooring) is the material used to line your dragon's | | | | of brand names, so check package labeling careful |
| housing. In their native environment, Bearded dragons | | | | before listening to and buying from pet stores. |
| live in sandy desert areas. Playground sand is often | | | | - Calcisand: The problem with this product is twofold. |
| used because it is relatively dust free and easy to | | | | First, they like the flavor of it and may eat it if they are |
| maintain, although there have been reports of intestinal | | | | lacking adequate calcium in their diet. Second, it can |
| impaction. Substrates can also include wheat bran | | | | clump and form an indigestible bolus in their digestive |
| (pest free and rated for human consumption), outdoor | | | | tract. |
| carpeting, non-stick padded shelf liner, and paper | | | | - Repti Bark: very fibrous and could easily end up |
| towels. Other good substrates are newspaper, pea | | | | causing impaction and has been known to end up |
| rock or aquarium gravel. | | | | lodged in the vent. |
| Be careful if you use any type of loose substrate | | | | - Original lizard litter (made from the kenfa tree) and |
| when decorating, as many dragons will try to dig under | | | | Jungle Blend. |
| their cage furnishings and can become trapped or | | | | Substrates such as mulch, shredded tree bark, or corn |
| crushed if furnishings are not wellplaced. Good | | | | cob should not be used as they can hold moisture and |
| substrate should be clean and safe. Be careful of | | | | promote bacterial growth. |
| substrates that could cause harm to your dragon. | | | | Any of the wood shaving like cedar or pine should also |
| Materials to Avoid: | | | | be avoided - cedar had dangerous aromatic oils and |
| The following are bad for one main reason - impaction | | | | pine can get impacted if ingested. |
| (see the article on impaction too). A lot of stores may | | | | You should be also be very cautious using bleach on |
| try and tell you that they are suitable, they may even | | | | Dragon's enclosure, the heat from their lights can |
| be using them themselves, but they are wrong. | | | | cause toxic fumes from the bleach. |
| Each of the following has been proven to cause | | | | There are several good substrates and the use of |
| impaction and death to Bearded Dragons (as well as | | | | one or another depends of severall factors - like the |
| other reptiles) and should be avoided: | | | | age of the dragon(s), their numbers and others. And at |
| - Corn Cob: Hard, large and indigestible for Beardies. | | | | last a one very important tip: It is extremely important |
| - Walnut Shell: It looks harmless enough, but the edges | | | | to make sure you never use sand in your beardy' s |
| are very sharp and it could kill your dragon very easily. | | | | cage until they are bigger then 6 inches in length - not |
| There have been documented impaction deaths in | | | | including the tail. |