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#2266771 Bri&cam View Profile	Sav Substrate Question I have a quick question. I currently have a baby sav and in his tank i have play sand. i know that’s not what’s best but i currently cannot afford to get all the stuff for the proper substrate. I currently do have some extra vermiculite/perlite mixture laying around from when my bearded dragon was pregnant. I put him in it for a moment while i cleaned his tank and he really seems to enjoy being in it. I was wondering if it was alright if i switched the sand in his tank to the vermiculite/perlite? Or even mix the sand in with it or something. any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks, Bri&Cam
05/18/12  04:31pm
#2266775 Aragarnn View Profile	Message To: Bri&cam   In reference to Message Id: 2266771  Sav Substrate Question shovel dirt out of your yard. its cheap and the best substrate.
05/18/12  04:48pm
#2266777 Mdf View Profile	Message To: Bri&cam   In reference to Message Id: 2266771  Sav Substrate Question back yard dirt pesticide free! :) Click Here
05/18/12  05:02pm
#2266782 Varanus_odom View Profile	Message To: Bri&cam   In reference to Message Id: 2266771  Sav Substrate Question Bri & Cam, You can’t afford dirt..? If you can’t afford dirt, how can you even afford to feed the thing? Take a trip to your local landscape supply yard and buy yourself some sand and soil.. don’t use that vermiculite/perlite OR playsand. The sand/soil at your local landscape supply is.. wait for it.. "dirt" cheap. Mix it up and dump it in. Or, as others said above, just shovel some from a yard. That’s even better than "dirt" cheap as it’s free.
05/18/12  05:24pm
#2266786 Bri&cam View Profile	Message To: Varanus_odom   In reference to Message Id: 2266782  Sav Substrate Question douche bag (varanaus_odom) i just got laid off i dont need to spend my savings on dirt, it cost me almost $40 a week to feed all my reptiles. I’m trying to use what i have.
05/18/12  05:39pm
#2266788 Krusty View Profile	Message To: Bri&cam   In reference to Message Id: 2266786  Sav Substrate Question I literally will dig up free dirt and put it in the back of my pickup truck or I get landscaping yards to drop a 1/2 "yard" of sandy dirt into my bedliner for $12. This supplies 11 species of Monitors with cage dirt that is deep and fills in all the holes in my yard where I was taking out the sandy Florida soil previously. LOL Can’t beat $12 for a pickup full or just roll your sleeves up and get it free. Playsand sucks for a couple reasons. It is sharp and silica-based with poor properties of holding a burrow open as it wants to dry fast on top, be sopping wet down deep, and the dry sand falls into their tunnels like an hourglass. Vermiculite and Perlite are terrible substrates for lizards. Also a very sharp material that can cut their eyes, cause dusts that can get into their lungs with long-term effects very likely and it doesn’t tunnel at all. It’s great for incubating eggs on, but not a good cage substrate. I would honestly find a light-colored dirt/sandy loam outdoors and just dig it up free.
05/18/12  05:49pm
#2266798 Varanus_odom View Profile	Message To: Bri&cam   In reference to Message Id: 2266786  Sav Substrate Question Spend your savings on dirt? I just told you it would be "dirt cheap". A lot cheaper than 40 dollars, which is what you say you spend in a WEEK. Why the heck even have a monitor if you can’t afford the dirt of all things? I told you not to use the playsand or the vermiculite/perlite and for good reason. Not being a douche bag - telling you the truth whether you want to hear it or not. Krusty just took the time and did a much better job explaining the reasons to you. Have a great weekend ..Cheers!
05/18/12  06:37pm
#2266800 Varanus_odom View Profile	Message To: Bri&cam   In reference to Message Id: 2266771  Sav Substrate Question Quote: any advice would be much appreciated. Any advice? Or only advice that = what you wanted to hear, which is "yeah! vermiculite and perlite is great for monitors. so just use what ya got!" Everybody here gave you great advice and you should see that the responses are all telling you to do the same thing, which may not be what you wanted to hear, but is the truth.
05/18/12  06:48pm
#2266804 Bri&cam View Profile	Message To: Varanus_odom   In reference to Message Id: 2266798  Sav Substrate Question everybody else gave me better advice than you did because why would i go buy dirt when i can get it out of my back yard. I didn’t know i could use the dirt out of my back yard either. and the only reason i said i couldn’t afford the substrate right now is because i wanted to do the dirt/sand/sphagnum moss that i had read about that says is the best for him and i can’t afford that at the moment. you didn’t have to say why even have the monitor because you don’t know anything about how things are. just because i don’t have the dirt doesn’t mean he doesn’t get fed. so you didnt have to be an about everything and be so rude. learn to be nice why don’t you. people come to these forums to learn and ask questions. no one needs people like you on here being the way you are.
05/18/12  07:12pm
#2266805 Varanus_odom View Profile	Message To: Bri&cam   In reference to Message Id: 2266804  Sav Substrate Question I’m not concerned with your feelings. Only with your husbandry... Everybody else told you the same thing. To use dirt. And that you could get it out of your back yard if you had one. If you don’t have a yard or easy access to good ol’ dirt, go to your landscape supply where you can get it for real cheap (10 bucks or less...) I told you 1) if you can afford 40$ per week on food for your animals, you should be able to afford dirt. 2) Don’t use the vermiculite/perlite, and 3) that you could also get it from a yard... which is free. You responded that I was a douche bag, that you couldn’t afford dirt (even though dirt is usually free or dirt cheap), and that you were Quote: trying to use what I already have which was vermiculite/perlite/playsand, even though you are here, asking us for advice on what to use. Adding Spaghum moss is not necessary at all. You ever seen what an African savannah grassland looks like?
05/18/12  07:39pm
#2266849 Mxracer View Profile	Message To: Varanus_odom   In reference to Message Id: 2266805  Sav Substrate Question Bri&Cam, take some time and do some thorough research. Clearly you havn’t done any, cause you asked to use a medium which is used to hatch egg’s. Im using play sand mixed with dirt from my front yard right now for my sav’s. If your worried about money, I would sell your sav while you can. Otherwise take the useful advice so your lizard can stay alive. And if your going to stick around this forum you better grow some thick skin. -Terry
05/18/12  11:38pm
#2266854 Dillonh24 View Profile	Message To: Mxracer   In reference to Message Id: 2266849  Sav Substrate Question I agree. You really should have done a lot more research on the species before acquiring it.. like come on.. This is simply a pet peeve of mine. If you want an animal, any animal at all do PLENTY of research BEFORE buying the animal. But obviously that didn’t seem to work out so my advice as everyone here has stated just go outside and get some dirt. Just pesticide free dirt and sand is all ya need. Again though, I don’t understand how you can afford the $40 a week to feed the animals and NOT have the money to get dirt.. It’s free or at the least like $10. Like if things are tight find a way to make it work so the animal benefits after all YOU are the one responsible for them. Just my two cents... I agree with what Terry said 100%! "If your worried about money, I would sell your sav while you can. Otherwise take the useful advice so your lizard can stay alive. And if your going to stick around this forum you better grow some thick skin." Cause honestly if you can’t afford to have your reptiles then don’t.. like why should they suffer if you can’t provide for them. I am not blaming you but I am stating that they could be better off for the time being with someone else who CAN provide for them. Also Varanus Odom is not a douche bag for their comment.. they are simply telling you what everyone else is, they just happened to put it a different way. We are ALL saying the same thing to you does that make us all douche bags?.. Like you are the one asking for advice because you made the mistake of not doing research and when people are offering the answer you turn and call them a douche bag like come on we aren’t 5 here. This is the MONITOR forum.. We ALL share a passion for these magnificent animals so yes sometimes we aren’t gonna sugar coat it for you but so what.. you asked for the help and we are giving it. Take what you can get. I might seem like a douche to you but thats okay.. I am just telling you how it is. I am not trying to be a douche or seem that way I am simply stating my opinion.
05/19/12  12:22am
#2266886 Aragarnn View Profile	Message To: Dillonh24   In reference to Message Id: 2266854  Sav Substrate Question Ok...with everything else said, get dirt, we will go from there after that. But do not buy any petco/petsmart aquariums etc. Let’s talk enclosure later
05/19/12  12:08pm

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