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calci-sand??

22 14:44:34

Question

pebbles tank
My beardie is about 2 1/2 months old and shes about 14-15  inches long she wont sit still long enough for me to actually measure her....ive heard different stories about calci sand its good its not its safe its not and so on....i use paper towels and white computer paper for now but now shes starting to scratch at it at night and i read that at night they like to burrow....i have a set of plants on the other side (the cool side) of the tank and usually shell hide there at night....for the past few nights shes been scratchin at the paper and im wondering should i switch to the sand or still leave her with the paper towels and newspaper....i wanna do wats best for her and do not want to harm her or worse please help me and give me advice on what i should do thank you

Answer
Calcisand, vitasand, lizard litter, Desert litter, in fact ANY bagged particulate substrate sold for reptiles has been known to cause impaction.  There has recently been a clay like substrate that has come on the market, but the jury is still out on that.  She is a big enough girl to have a sort of combo set-up. You could have two thirds to half the floor on a nice marine indoor/outdoor carpet and the other side on a washable shelf liner.  Then get the Glad Ovenware casserole size container and fill it with washed, sifted children's playsand so she can dig. And on hot days, you can exhange the "sand box" with another pan filled with tepid water so she can soak herself.  Then the sand can be away from her food dish so she won't ingest sand accidently.
If she poops in the sand or water, you can easily remove the container rather than the whole tankful.