Feeding up a young bluey and substrates

[Lauriek]

[quote="El Lobo"]
She may have been a little over-cooked in the after picture.



Is that Cancy?

[El Lobo]

Hi Laurie. Yes that is Clancy, it's hard to believe but that was 5 years ago.

[Roarschak11]

I realize it's a little late, but for types of dog food I usually go for the natural or holistic dog foods. Good brands are Wellness, Ultra, Natural Choice, ect. These are some of the high quality dog foods you can find at pet stores such as Petco and Petsmart. I usually go for grain free food, I'm not entirely sure on its effect to blue tongues, but I've seen a lot of dogs with both grain allergies and who get bloat from grains and rice, but that's just me. I would also stay away from seafood dog food, I'm not sure the exact reason (people on this forum can fill you in) but I believe it's because we arnt sure on its effects on them because they don't get it a lot in nature? Don't quote me on that though.

[The Bearded Derek]

I might as well change the topic name (Is that possible?) since we're just talking about his diet and feeding schedule.
I have noticed that he's starting to get less hungry, doesn't eat as much as he would before. I've also noticed that he's pooing A LOT now, urates everywhere! He's somewhat starting to round up a bit

Off topic question: I was stating of thinking of getting Azuur a new substrate type. Been a while having the same old Repti-Bark. We've tried getting sand (The one we got isn't really sand, it's grounded English walnut shells, kinda looks like gravel) to see if it can work. reason I'm asking is half of the people i've seen has said it causes impaction, yet the other half has said they've had no problem at all with their skinks (Including other reptiles like Geckos, Euromastryx, iguanas, etc) so what would be the chances of him possibly getting impaction? Most of the time (About 70%) I don't feed him in his bowl, rather I handle him and just hand feed him. Makes me feel like i'm getting him more used to people.

[Roarschak11]

Do not use sand or walnut shells. Even if you don't feed him on the substrate he can still get impaction from licking it up when tasting the air, as these animals do frequently.

[The Bearded Derek]

Does some one here have experience? I keep hearing everywhere that it's bad but the other half I've seen say it has no problem. I'm worried, might as well return the bag if it really is bad

If not sand, what substrate can I use that is safely small? If there isn't any of that either, what substrates are there that aren't too big or hard and looks pretty? (Besides Repti-Bark)

[Roarschak11]

Just because I have one blue dot on this forum does not mean I am inexperienced. I am fairly new to keeping blue tounges but I have bred and raised many different reptiles so please don't throw what I say aside. Most people use chipped aspen for their blue tounges however I have noticed with my halamerah that a substrate that holds in a little bit more moisture is better because they come from a more humid climate then say a northern. If it dosnt seem like Azurr has any problems with the aspen ( no dry scales, trouble shedding) then you can try that. Repti bark is another common one. I use "jungle mix" it has a green anole on the bag and it is mixed with sphagnum moss to hold a little more humidity. It's mostly dependent on your reptile's needs. If he is fine with the Repti bark or chipped aspen, and dosnt show signs of dry scales or problems with the humidy use that. They love burrowing and those are great substrates to do so.

[Teacup]

Walnut shells have a high impaction risk for lots of different species so I wouldn't use it. I don't like sand, either, since it tends to be dusty and that can cause eye/respiratory problems.

We're using coco husk/chips since they hold moisture well and are too big to be eaten. I actually watched my bluey spit some out when he accidentally scooped up a piece with some dropped food. It was a toss up between the coco husk and aspen. I decided on the husk since it should help with humidity, whereas aspen is drier.

[donkeybuff]

I highly recommend cypress mulch for indos. It's the best humid substrate I have used so far.

[The Bearded Derek]

Just because I have one blue dot on this forum does not mean I am inexperienced. I am fairly new to keeping blue tounges but I have bred and raised many different reptiles so please don't throw what I say aside. Most people use chipped aspen for their blue tounges however I have noticed with my halamerah that a substrate that holds in a little bit more moisture is better because they come from a more humid climate then say a northern. If it dosnt seem like Azurr has any problems with the aspen ( no dry scales, trouble shedding) then you can try that. Repti bark is another common one. I use "jungle mix" it has a green anole on the bag and it is mixed with sphagnum moss to hold a little more humidity. It's mostly dependent on your reptile's needs. If he is fine with the Repti bark or chipped aspen, and dosnt show signs of dry scales or problems with the humidy use that. They love burrowing and those are great substrates to do so.

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend that you were new. But by experienced I mean some one that has used sand before. Again, sorry
In his Repti-Bark he would always burrow. Instead of using his hides he just burrows (Reason I removed one of his hides) and couple of the times he has shed he does have dry scales (Although about 25%-75% he normally removes the scales just fine but the other scales tend to stay stuck and won't come off unless I bathe him) and I sometimes have to bathe him or give him shedding aid.
Thanks for telling me about the Jungle Mix, looks good

[Richard.C]

Do not use sand or walnut shells. Even if you don't feed him on the substrate he can still get impaction from licking it up when tasting the air, as these animals do frequently.

Ive kept a few of my blueys on sand,they have fed off it,mated in it,dragged hemipenes in it after mating,females have spat litters out in it,babies have devoured birthsacks covered in it,and been raised in it,never had impaction issues or any issues with it,sand that is and ive used a few different types,any substrate can cause impaction,id prefer a bit of sand going through them than some of the larger grained substrates being used

Sands the best substrate to keep there nails trimmed,cons are its heavy and a pain come cleaning time,i dont get how sand is so controversial as a substrate,alot of blueys actually live in the stuff,it doesnt deserve the bum rap it gets

[The Bearded Derek]

alot of blueys actually live in the stuff,it doesnt deserve the bum rap it gets

One of the reasons I wanted to ask if sand was good. Has impaction ever happened in the wild?
If you would recommend sand as a start, how small should the grains be? Smaller than the walnuts?

[Richard.C]

I just use washed playsand,or a mix of red desert sand and red brickies sand,excess from my monitors cage

[The Bearded Derek]

Does play sand have different colors? I heard they sell it in hardware stores, right?

[Richard.C]

Yep hardware stores sell it,not sure on different colors,here in oz its generally the pale stuff typical of what goes in sand pits

You have to remember though halmaheras like more humidity than alot of aussie blueys,so a mulchy type substrate that holds humidity might be a more workable choice for you,sand is also quite labour intensive,my main point was sand isnt bad as a substrate,most folk whom diss it havnt even really used it,kind of like the whole dogfood debate all over again,lol,common here say is taken in over actual facts

[The Bearded Derek]

Agreed, which is why I wanted at least several people with experience of sand to suggest if it was bad or good. Thanks for your answer
I guess I'll look into play sand some more later, if not i'll just get some Jungle Mix.

[donkeybuff]

I'd still recommend going with cypress mulch over sand just for the humidity issue. Humidity is very important to the health of indos.

[The Bearded Derek]

In the case of humidity what's better? Cypress Mulch or Jungle Mix?

[donkeybuff]

I've never tried Jungle Mix, so I'm not sure.

[Roarschak11]

I mix Cyprus mulch and the jungle mix for Roar. Forgot to add that part