ok I know sand is bad but I have a seperate feeding tank so ingestion isnt a problem. So since thats out the way who can recommend me a really good brand of sand that I should buy???

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B.D.C !!!

Bearded Dragons use their tongue as you use your fingers and nose. They explore their surroundings with it so ingestion is *always* a problem.

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Wish list: Blue Tongue Skinks and Uruplatus =)

If you must use sand, washed playground sand is best. Buy it though, don't scoop it from the playground. If your BD is under 5" you shouldn't use sand at all, too risky.

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Val

http://www.reptilerescuerichmond.org

Washed Play Sand.

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0.1.0 Bearded Dragon (Dundee)
1.0.0 Chow/mix Dog (Simba)
1.0.0 Russian Hamster (Bear)
1.1.0 Parakeets (Little Tweet and Feathers)
0.1.0 Long hair gray calico cat (Opal)
0.0.3 Red-eared slider turtles (Mommy, Daddy, Robbie)
0.0.16 Fishy Friends - misc. tropical fish

honey, i would NOT use sand at all. My beardy loves to lick EVERYTHING! it will even lick my hand, the carpet...everything... Sand is just not safe for anything but full grown adults is what I would say. Reptile carpet is inexpenisive, pretty, and easy to clean. USE IT!

good luck,

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-Adam

"Help Protect our Planet from Overcollection, Purchase Aquacultured Livestock and Captive Bred Herps"

IMO sand is fine, particularly for larger dragons,. we have never had any problems using it. It really is a personal decision.

But you need to be informed of all the facts before you decide whether or not to use it; as said, even if you are not feeding on it there is still the risk of impaction. Bearded Dragons use their tongues to taste things, to test if they are food and to test their surroundings. Having said that, we feed our Bearded Dragons in their enclosures and again have never had any problems. I've found that they tend to lick it quite a bit when you first put it in, as it is new and they need to check it out!

If you do decide to use sand then washed play sand is finer grade and cheap to buy. If you decide against then you can use newspaper, paper towels, or for something more aesthetically pleasing reptile carpet or the plastic "grass" stuff you can get (can't remember the product name )

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"If you know everything you may as well blow your brains out because the reason for existence is to learn more everyday." - Mark O'Shea, 2004

my lizards arent the licking type.there 4 months old and around 9-10 inches long. i really dont like paper towels I looks really ugly. And with the reptile carpet how do u clean it??? And if I get washed play sand do I have to filter it or do anything to it?

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B.D.C !!!

Okay, I would say 4 months is still much too young to house your Bearded Dragons on sand. I personally don't like the risks that using sand poses, so I'd rather be on the safe side and use a solid substrate.
I use tan shelf liner, it's really nice looking and it's so easy to clean - best of all, there's no risk of impaction!
ReptiCarpet is pretty easy to clean. I'd first recommend buying two pieces of it so you can alternate them. Like when one gets dirty you can just throw it in the washing machine and put the other piece in.

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Lost my best friend - RIP Dax

If you choose reptile carpet, you should buy a duplicate set to replace with while you clean and dry the first set.
According to another member, you should clean it in a 5% bleach solution and let it dry very well before placing it in the terrarium again.
But the package probably has a printed suggestion on how to clean it.

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Wish list: Blue Tongue Skinks and Uruplatus =)

As you probably have noticed substrates are a big bone of contention. If you use sand then you must screen it to get all the big pieces out and then bake in the oven at 225 for about an hour to be sure you have killed anything living in it. I have read lots on all sorts of different substrates and found lots of people using each kind. I still don't know what I am going to use myself. Sand has a lot of good points! It looks good, is easy to clean and is cheap. It's bad point is the chance of impaction. Depending on who you talk to it's anywhere from great to a death sentence. In the wild the ground is a hard dirt and small bits of rock---It's a wonder any have survived at all!

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0.1.0 Bearded Dragon (Dundee)
1.0.0 Chow/mix Dog (Simba)
1.0.0 Russian Hamster (Bear)
1.1.0 Parakeets (Little Tweet and Feathers)
0.1.0 Long hair gray calico cat (Opal)
0.0.3 Red-eared slider turtles (Mommy, Daddy, Robbie)
0.0.16 Fishy Friends - misc. tropical fish