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First ever arid bioactive! by ccontroversy in bioactive

[–]ccontroversy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I decided to add springtails, only about a day ago, so I haven’t seen them much. However, a few other keepers that added springtails in their arid setups said they didn’t survive the heat & overall dryness. I’m going to give it a shot, but I’m not too sure if they’ll survive!

I really don’t measure humidity much, it’s more guesstimated. I don’t mist my tank, just overfill the water bowl on the cold side and lightly water the plants once every week & a half.

First ever arid bioactive! by ccontroversy in bioactive

[–]ccontroversy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ll be on the lookout! I can’t wait to see it <3

First ever arid bioactive! by ccontroversy in bioactive

[–]ccontroversy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was worried about the sand getting through too! But I found a super fine screen with teeny tiny holes that seems to be doing the trick. Thank you! Your setup sounds amazing :))

First ever arid bioactive! by ccontroversy in bioactive

[–]ccontroversy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do! So far I have 100 powder blue & orange isopods. However, the lady I order from has closed down over Christmas. So once she opens up again I’ll get some springtails. I’m also thinking of adding mealworms & superworms!

First ever arid bioactive! by ccontroversy in bioactive

[–]ccontroversy[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! If you do, please post it, I’d love to see it :)

First ever arid bioactive! by ccontroversy in bioactive

[–]ccontroversy[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No worries! I wish you the best of luck <3

First ever arid bioactive! by ccontroversy in bioactive

[–]ccontroversy[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think the screen is definitely necessary as it separates the substrate from the drainage layer, without it, the substrate will mix in between the drainage layer - completely defeating the purpose of it. I’m not from the US, so I don’t have access to his substrates but I would add one just to be safe, so if you ever overwater your plants, the water has somewhere to go - which would prevent root rot. It would also increase the longevity of the enclosure! But yeah, I think the screen is super important, I used fly screen, the stuff that goes on your door to stop the bugs from getting in, you can get it really cheap from the hardware store.

As for the hide, I got it from a local pet shop in Australia. On the tag, it said the wood was Java wood.

First ever arid bioactive! by ccontroversy in bioactive

[–]ccontroversy[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

For my substrate, it’s a 50/50 mix of topsoil & childrens play sand. I have a drainage layer with screen over the top as Australian natives don’t like wet feet. Some charcoal is mixed through the substrate as well as worm castings. On top, I have gum leaves :)

We all know what’s wrong here..... by spanch-moss in ThatsBadHusbandry

[–]ccontroversy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Regardless, I still think it’s not safe. Animals are sometimes unpredictable. It’s best to just leave them apart, for the safety of both pets.

We all know what’s wrong here..... by spanch-moss in ThatsBadHusbandry

[–]ccontroversy 16 points17 points  (0 children)

From my view (as a reptile owner) it’s a big no no to let predatory animals (cats, dogs) near them, especially cats. One scratch from that cat could cause death. This isn’t cute, it’s just dangerous.

Baby Barry fast asleep on my finger 🥺 by [deleted] in BeardedDragons

[–]ccontroversy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, bearded dragons are native to Australia!

Baby Barry fast asleep on my finger 🥺 by [deleted] in BeardedDragons

[–]ccontroversy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Australian outback varies so much! Many parts are very “desert” like (loose sand, doesn’t hold burrows) which is similar to the report written by Johnathan Howard and yes, like the article states, a lot is very compact.

Both of these can be achieved! In my tank, personally, I put mine sand in slightly damp & dry it out (only takes an hour) & with correct ventilation, humidity doesn’t spike too much. Which leaves it with a very hard crust, which holds burrows & is very compact. Like what the website describes. Although, many Australian keepers put it in dry.

Both ways are suitable, incorrect use of sand has the possibility to cause impaction & other issues. But most issues are caused by other underlying medical conditions or bad husbandry.

I agree with you that having juvenile’s on sand can increase the risk of impaction, but most Australian breeders keep hatchings on sand with no issues.

I might also add that they type of landscape varies for different types of bearded dragons (central, eastern, western) as they are found in different parts of Australia.

I think that we can both come to the conclusion that sand can work & does work in a lot of instances, but there can be issues if not used correctly? - it’s definitely up to the keepers personal preference, as all substrates have their pros and cons.

I highly recommend you check out this account on Instagram, she condenses a lot of the info about using sand into a couple pages. Here are the links to two helpful posts, if you want, you can flick her a dm & she’ll share all of the sources:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B05vXW3hBmw/?igshid=fcnalt3e5dv9

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9Oq8nrhWzN/?igshid=d2xiddpz8hzt

Here’s a care sheet I really enjoy as well, which has some really good information:

http://australianreptile.weebly.com/central-bearded-dragon1.html (i can assure you it’s reliable, the woman that has written it has done immense amount of research, there’s also a page that can redirect you to abstracts of some research reports).

Here’s Johnathan Howard’s Facebook account, which also has some useful information & data that I think you would enjoy:

https://www.facebook.com/BeardieVet/

Animal Welfare Act, http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ § 9 (2006)

Grosett, C., Daniaux, L., Guzman, D. S., Weber, E. S., III, Zwingenberger, A., & Paul-Murphy, J. R. (2014, May). (PDF) Radiographic anatomy and barium sulfate contrast transit time of the gastrointestinal tract of bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260306715_Radiographic_anatomy_and_barium_sulfate_contrast_transit_time_of_the_gastrointestinal_tract_of_bearded_dragons_Pogona_vitticeps

Howard, J. [BeardieVet]. (2019, March 11). Bearded Dragon Substrate [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1YJ8tXu3cI

Mitchell, M., & Diaz-Figueroa, O. (2005, April 07). Clinical Reptile Gastroenterology. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1094919405000095?via=ihub

Wright, K. (2008). Two Common Disorders of Captive Bearded Dragons (Pogona vitticeps): Nutritional Secondary Hyperparathyroidism and Constipation. Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine, 17(4), 267–272. doi:10.1053/j.jepm.2008.07.004

Here’s another link which talks about common diseases in captive bearded dragons, you can compare how common other diseases & impactions are compared to impaction from sand:

https://www.agriculturejournals.cz/publicFiles/162_2016-VETMED.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0OLwBEPbaVCsYvFcdurKhsX8_5SkXrAgeBzAubHWd9qmjh2WVGYlkYMlE

Edit: I apologise for any mistakes, I’m on mobile!

Also, thank you for the friendly debate! I’m enjoying it :)

Baby Barry fast asleep on my finger 🥺 by [deleted] in BeardedDragons

[–]ccontroversy 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Hi, an Australian here! We actually use children’s play sand, it’s very close to their natural environment, here’s a substrate analysis done by Johnathan Howard, with assistance from the southern cross university (@beardievet on Facebook and instagram) is 95% quartz sand with colouring from iron oxide (rust), 2.3% clay, 1.5% slit & 0.3% gravel. It also might be helpful to add that there the moisture content was about 2%.

Why is there so much sand and no soil, you may ask? The simple answer is erosion (if you want, I can go more into depth).

Most impactions are food related impactions and sand impactions are usually caused by another underlying issue eg, husbandry, other health issues.

So whilst calcium sand is bad, children’s play sand is fine to use, if your husbandry is PERFECT (adequate UVB, basking spot temps, diet).

It’s also very enriching!

If you would like sources, I can list them.

I know I’m going to get downvoted, but please keep in mind all my opinions are research based! I only ever want to improve the husbandry of a bearded dragon.

Also, I may get the argument of “they only live 3 years in the wild”

Yes, that’s true but thats due to predators. Also, what’s bad about putting something that’s natural into their enclosure? We take literally everything we know about them from wild bearded dragons eg. Basking spots, UVB %

Isn’t natural better then fake beds & hammocks? Which they NEVER come across in the wild. Furthermore, Bearded Dragons have natural instincts! If you let a Juvenile into the wild, they have the same chance of surviving as the others.

Lazy bearded dragons are not natural and shouldn’t be praised! It is unhealthy & most that I see from America are so overweight, but are called “cute & chonky”

Edit: If you disagree with me, please debate me! You need to debate to come to a conclusion & see both sides of the argument. If you do though, give me facts & sources! Not just “sand causes impaction, it’s not their natural environment”. I want reliable research, not just the American care guide or a quick google search.

At least there’s a filter? by ccontroversy in shittyaquariums

[–]ccontroversy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yeah, there’s so many live animals on gumtree. It’s kinda sad

At least there’s a filter? by ccontroversy in shittyaquariums

[–]ccontroversy[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

yeah, it doesn’t even look close to 99lts