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Member	Message
#2273305 Adam L View Profile	Clay Substrate? I’m in the process of digging a large hole in my back yard for my turtle pond and was wondering if this type of dirt would possibly work for the substrate in my 8x4x4 for my Savannah Monitor. I believe it is mostly clay and although I haven’t seen anybody advising to use clay I also haven’t seen anybody discouraging it. Here is a picture of some of the dirt so you can hopefully get an idea of what it is. I could also mix it with sand if that would help at all. This just happens to be what all the dirt near me is like. It’s very dry at the moment just so you know.
07/14/12  03:16pm
#2273358 Adam L View Profile	Message To: Adam L   In reference to Message Id: 2273305  Clay Substrate? A secondary question that I figure I should also ask here is about putting logs in the cage. I have a large log (about 7 feet long and 6 inches or so in diameter) that I had set inside the enclosure until I was finished with the building process and when I was inside the enclosure earlier getting some things done I noticed that there were bits of white fluffy mold on it in several spots. No more than a quarter sized piece but there were quite a few of them. This wasn’t there until I put in the glass which I guess is holding in the humidity (although there is no dirt in there yet) but it should be far more humid when it’s up and running. How do you all keep your logs from molding / rotting when you add them in to your enclosures with high humidity? Is this mold bad or can I just wipe it off and have it be fine? Also, What is the purpose of stripping the bark from the logs? I didn’t do that but I had seen some people’s enclosures where they did this. Please and Thank You, Adam
07/14/12  09:23pm
#2273719 Adam L View Profile	Message To: Adam L   In reference to Message Id: 2273358  Clay Substrate? Bump
07/17/12  02:20pm
#2273720 Norf View Profile	Message To: Adam L   In reference to Message Id: 2273719  Clay Substrate? Clay substrates may harden a bit much if wet. Try something sandier. If there’s any way you can get dirt/sand from a river bed that’s usually really good stuff. I’ve heard of occassions where mushrooms are growing out of the logs and dirt in monitor enclosures. It’s not harmful and there’s really nothing you can do to prevent it from growing. You can just scrape it off when you notice it. There’s also no need to strip the bark off of the logs. It’s an added texture that the monitors may appreciate and they’ll have a good time scraping it off themselves.
07/17/12  02:32pm
#2273721 Krusty View Profile	Message To: Adam L   In reference to Message Id: 2273719  Clay Substrate? That clay type dirt usually needs to be mixed up with some sandy dirt or it tends to pack really hard and clump to a brick over time. But it does hold a nice burrow/tunnel well. Bark strips are great hiding areas for Monitors. The "bonus" is that they weigh next to nothing and are not a risk to smash your lizard should they shift around and you can create a sort of "retes stack" of bark in a pile for the lizards to choose the best temps/humidity. Don’t worry about a little wood mold where the wet wood touches the substrate. Won’t hurt the lizard.
07/17/12  02:34pm
#2273724 Adam L View Profile	Message To: Krusty   In reference to Message Id: 2273721  Clay Substrate? Great, I was thinking I would only use a bit of the clay because I know how hard it get’s but I wanted some confirmation about it before I did. Thanks
07/17/12  02:38pm

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