Yep...title pretty much says it all. Since substrate is such a widely debated topic, here's a guide to help new keepers understand what are the best choices for their beardies. Special thanks to spaceboy for letting me use a picture of Sumo's tiled enclosure. =D
Awesome, good job! very informal and appealing I'm glad I could help out with the pic. I've used tile for as long as I've had my lizards and I can't find any downsides. I'ts good to know there is no risk of impaction from the substrate too, helps me be a calm lizardparent!
I'm really glad the pictures of the various options are included; I feel that a lot of keepers are reluctant to switch from sand or some other hazardous substrate because they fear it will look bad. I personally think some slate tile and shelf liner look better than just about anything else in a beardie or leo enclosure =)
I've been wanting ot use ceramic tile or anything better than what I have but I was so confused as to what to use, I always felt the tile would get too hot. I'm just gettiing ready to move my beardie, Spyro into a bigger enclosure and I wanted to change it up. any suggestions on using the ceramic tile?
Hi Cherin, sorry for the delayed response--I completely overlooked your post! Anyways, I haven't personally used tile, so I can't make a recommendation from experience. However, I know that a lot of people use the ceramic tiles, and I've never heard any mention of them becoming too hot. They may absorb heat a little better, creating a bit warmer of a surface temperature, but it shouldn't be enough to cause problems. Obviously you should monitor temperatures regularly, but I don't think you should have any issue with using the ceramic tile.
thanks!! I've actually found some that look quite nice, even close to colors of the sand so it wouldn't look bad. I'm just getting ready to build her a new cage and I wanted something that's easier to clean off and not harmful to her.
Yes, that's what I like about the shelf liner. It comes in a tan, sandy colour and is very easy to clean. Same goes for the tiles. You'll have to post pictures of the new enclosure and building process! We love pictures here, haha. =)
of course I will! I'm just having a hard time finding some of the materials considering I live in a bodunk town haha! I've only seen the adhesive shelf liner... where did you find yours?
I've always used shelf liner, though have contemplated switching to tiles purely to mix things up and try them out. Been using liner for herps for almost 10yrs and have never had a single issue...love the stuff. You can even get textured kinds that are brown, and its cheap. You can find it at walmart, target, meijer...really any similar general merchandise store. A $5 roll can last forever; and you are looking for the "rubbery" non-adhesive kind. Duck brand is a common one available = )
Well I might just try that first! It looks like it would be very easy to maintain. Do you just put a new one in everyday? Or how would you clean it?
The ONLY downside to shelf liner is that if the dragon poops and it is left for several hours under the lamp, it can kind of stain it as you try to wipe it up. But its an incredibly minor issue = ) You don't need to replace it everyway, but it might be a good idea to replace it every month or two when you do complete enclosure cleans. It's actually a kind of soft, rubbery material that makes it possible to wipe up fresh excrement easily and also allows the dragon to grip it, it can handle some punishment and isn't fragile like paper. I think it may actually be possible to wash the stuff in a washing machine, but I've never tried (its cheap enough to just replace, lol). To clean, I go with the following procedure: 1) Spray poo with some water 2) Wipe with a paper towel to remove as much as possible 3) Wipe with a baby wipe to help with sanitation and remove any residue 4) Quick water spritz and another paper towel wipe - voila!
That's sounds super easy! I think id go that route more. Spyro is kinda a picky gorl lol she hates a dirty cage haha!
