If i get a juvenile bearded dragon what type of bedding should i get it: no sand?

Question

And also how much would it cost to take care of it monthly and yearly? And is it good to buy it from petsmart because i have a friend there that got one there that works there so she said the startup cost would cost $150

Answer 1

DONT use sand until they are about a year or two old, use reptile carpet because the sand can get caught in their throats.

as far as monthly and yearly prices.

i would say about 10 a month or so.

your friend is about right on start up costs.

Answer 2

IVE ALWAYS USED SAND..WITH MY BABYS,AND ADULTS...NEVER HAD A PROBLEM.....WHAT ARE THEY ON IN THE WILD???? *SAND*

Answer 3

petco/smart are ok. i would try just getting vita sand. its not bad and ok for them. there are desert blends that you can get(petco) i think exoterra. its ok but bedding with sand is great.

Answer 4

I beg to differ there is a SAFE sand once a beardie becomes and adult and that is washed play sand purchased from lowe's or home depot. however NO reptile specific sand is safe including Vita-sand calci-sand etc no matter how much a pet store employee tries to push it on you.

A good substrate for babies is either newspaper, repti-carpet, paper towels or non-adhesive tiles.

For the idiot saying it's what they are on in the wild you are only partially correct. besides the fact that beardies range almost all over australia most live on rocky terrain that is only partially sand. Also beardies in the wild also die a lot and are subject to heavy predation so do we take the risk of our pet dying or just go with the age old excuse of "it happens in the wild?"

Tigers hunt boar etc in the wild in captivity no sane keeper would do the same because it risks injury and death, the same could be said for keeping juvenile beardies under a certain size on loose substrate,

Answer 5

i do not recommend loose substrates until fully grown, and once they are the only permissible ones are hardware store play sand or dirt. my current personal preference is textured ceramic floor tile, its safe, cheap and looks much better than newspaper, paper towel or repticarpet. i personally hate repticarpet because unless you boil it after every evacuation you will have a bacterial colony in a few weeks. i don't generally recommend chain pet stores, often their care is substandard. look online or at a reptile expo for a reputable breeder. do as much research online before you buy your dragon. stay clear of any commercial bedding: calci-sand, vita sand, walnut shell, excavator clay, etc all can cause intestinal impaction and a myriad of other issues. it may not be initially apparent but after a while impaction can make for a horrible death.

good luck on your dragon :)

Answer 6

Bearded dragons cost a lot to house and feed properly, but they are worth it.  

I think $150 start up is not realistic; it costs $50.00 for the correct UV bulb alone, not including the fixture, the basking light, the fixture, the digital thermometer with probe (the stick on thermometers are up to 20 degrees off), water dish, basking site, things to climb on, actual cage,food (live feeders&greens), etc.

NO, do NOT use ANY type of sand, regardless of size or age. There is NO safe sand. Sand, calci-sand, vita-sand, crushed walnut, and all other loose particle substrates cause impaction,even the one's that claim to be digestable. Impaction can be fatal. Those substrates are also very unsanitary, especially sands. Even if you scoop it every day, the germs stay in the sand, even when the actual p**p is removed.

Safe and sanitary substrates are newspaper, paper towel, slate tile, or non stick shelf liner. With the papers, it is easy to remove the soiled section, and replace it. With the shelf-liner, it is easy to remove it and wash it with reptile-safe disinfectant. With the slate tile, it is easy to remove the single soiled tile (don't glue the tiles down) and wash it off with reptile-safe disinfectant. Diluted Nolvasan from Proexotics.com works well for cage cleaning.

No, it is not really good to buy dragons from Petsmart, or any petstore. You have a high chance of geting a sick beardie or one with parasite from a petstore. That is not to say that all petstore beardies are ill/have parasites, but most of them do. Petsmart and Petco just do not take care of their reptiles most of the time, because most employees don't know proper care. There is a better chance of you getting a healthy, well-feeding dragon from a reputable breeder.

I suggest you got to http://www.beardeddragon.org/bjive/ for husbandry and housing advice. I reccomend it to all new beardie owners; there are a lot of knowledgeable people on there that have had many years experience with beardies.