The Substrate Debate Never Ends

[beardielover17]

I thought the substrate debate was bad in the beardie community but man that thing is a heated topic in the cham world too. You get all the non-particle advocates jumping on you at the first sight of something particulate in a picture of your setup. I got the usual, "It's unsanitary, It has high impaction risks, It harbors bacteria" etc. Idk maybe it's me but I think particle substrates can work if you put the proper work into them to keep them clean. Dirt can have bad bacteria from feces and rotten food but it also has beneficial bacteria as well. Not to mention keeping too sterile of an environment is never good for any living thing I think. Chams being arboreal and all I don't see them eating dirt quite like ground dwellers may and I doubt dirt is the only factor in impaction. I feel it's a mix of improper temps, uv, diet and general health of the animal that heighten that risk. Since mine is fed in a cup that's suspended above the dirt I don't see impaction really being a risk either. Other than the substrate issue everything else seems to be fine so I'll just nod my head and humor them I suppose. *shrugs* different strokes for different folks I guess

 

[Red Ink AUS]

LOL, sorry Candice could'nt help myself . Mate, it's dead end rhetoric fed to others by fear and swallowed by people without common sense and can't think for themselves.

Are'nt the chams available over there the arboreal variety (not the namib chams) how much time do they spend on the substrate? I firmly believe that if everything that is natural was going to kill them in captivity there would be no specimens in the wild to begin with.

 

[beardielover17]

Francis I could kiss you right now! When I kept questioning why they insisted on a certain thing no one had an answer as to why and after getting called a couple not nice things I flat out said I only question so much because I don't want to be fed the same info that is repeated over and over with no actual understanding. Once I said that everyone's tune changed. There were a couple things I learned and actually know why it should be done a certain way and definitely will follow that but as for things like substrate, they can kiss my butt.

Are'nt the chams available over there the arboreal variety (not the namib chams) how much time do they spend on the substrate? I firmly believe that if everything that is natural was going to kill them in captivity there would be no specimens in the wild to begin with.

Yes they are. In every caresheet they have been called HIGHLY arboreal which to me means rarely ever off a tree limb. I couldn't agree with you more on the substrate statement and I mentioned that too and got flamed.

 

[beardielover17]

I guess I'm kinda spoiled with the open mindedness here and on my forum.

 

[beardie_love]

I do not understand why all substrates create such a heated topic. Most particle substrates are do-able (other than calci-sand and some others that are overall bad), and the fact that people say to eliminate them altogether is just stupid. We are in this hobby to mimic their natural environment, not take away for them to be COMPLETELY safe (even though nothing's ever safe anyway), so we just use paper towel and tile. In the wild, they are exposed to many harmful things, therefore they don't live as long as they do in captivity. As long as they are in captivity, it is up to us to provide a safe, natural environment. But we can never be too sure as to what is completely 'safe'.

And it is not only substrate that has the possibility of harming your reptile. There are things like using branches or just anything to climb, where they could have an accidental slip, leaving something injured or even death. Why don't we create a heated subject of climbing 'furniture'?

Just my opinion.

 

[beardielover17]

I can understand that people want their animals to be safe but we can do more harm than good by making things too safe or too clean. And like you are saying about other risks that are just as bad. I don't know it just doesnt make sense to me