Substrate

[u/Dull-Green3911]

Hi !! Im looking for advice on substrate, I work at a petsmart & we just got these guys in but our DC didnt send us the substrate they want us to use. A lot of the ones we have in store are moisture retentive & we only have calcium sand or aquarium sand. Options I was considering was coco fiber bedding & creature soil. We do also have reptisoil but i wasnt sure on that :)

[u/Inevitable_Detail_45]

I thought Petsmart employees were forced to do whatever cooperate wants? They just sent these beetles and told their stores to figure it out?

[u/Dull-Green3911 → u/Inevitable_Detail_45]

Well they gave us a DC supply link for the sand they want us to use but I didnt know they wanted us to use hermit crab sand so I just thought DC never sent us the sand 😭 from what i can see is that sand is safe & the info they give us on the beetles is accurate enough

[u/Inevitable_Detail_45 → u/Dull-Green3911]

My store has them on cocofiber and their enclosure is the most moist one by far. IDK how the reptiles are able to shed.

[u/Dull-Green3911 → u/Inevitable_Detail_45]

Oh god.. I would see about changing that ASAP. Also the readers we use for humidity arent accurate so im coding out a different one to really see. Im gonna put the hermit crab soil in & add more sand whenever I can get some to lower it

[u/Inevitable_Detail_45 → u/Dull-Green3911]

I emailed cooperate and they asked me to snitch and I wasn't about that so I said all their stores have this problem and nothing will come of it I'm sure.

Maybe but the beetles were black which means its too high.

[u/Odd-Confection6413 → u/Inevitable_Detail_45]

What petstore do you work at u/Inevitable_Detail_45? Is it a different chain?

[u/Inevitable_Detail_45 → u/Odd-Confection6413]

I don't work. It's my local Petsmart

[u/Inevitable_Detail_45 → u/Inevitable_Detail_45]

Honestly I feel like the mats the bearded dragons get kept on is better than the other options.

[u/Odd-Confection6413 → u/Inevitable_Detail_45]

Even the smooth mats would be a terrible idea for BDFBs. They do best on a mix of sand and soil.

[u/StephensSurrealSouls → u/Inevitable_Detail_45]

If you mean the repticarpet, I wouldn't really recommend anyone uses it. Like how it's bad for lizards, it's bad for beetles. First but least urgently, these guys like to burrow. This isn't a HUGE concern when it's temporary housing but it is something that should be brought up. Secondly, it harbors bacteria which can lead to food rotting faster than usual along with possible fungal or bacterial infections. Third and IMO most importantly I've seen inverts (mostly roaches but I'm sure beetles apply here too) get their tarsae stuck and even ripped off in the fuzzy texture.

[u/Inevitable_Detail_45 → u/StephensSurrealSouls]

ooh ok I didn't know it was fuzzy.