peat moss

[reptile boi]

Hey,
Would pet moss be better than regular dirt or potting soil for a savannah monitor (im just asking because i find that dirt tends to have bits of mold, springtails, n sometimes mites in it :mad: )




Thanks,
Ben

Also,
What types of lighting/heat bulbs would you gise recommend for a sav?

[LORI34205]

im no expert but i heard dirt is the best to use im housing my savannah with indoor/outdoor carpet.

[Jeff_Favelle]

No.

Dirt.

Dirt dirt dirt. Silty alkaline dirt.


Dirt.

[markb]

dirt here too, more dirty dirt and keep the hair out of my dirt too!!
carpet promotes tick production and mold via rotting via moisture held in the carpet, so use more DIRT!
cheers,
markb

[LORI34205]

but its not a real humid wet cage, its a sav.
and i change it every week or 2

[LORI34205]

and its always 80++ degrees through the whole tank so it dries out quickly

[Jeff_Favelle]

Plus I've never seen a monitor dig a burrow (which is what, surprise, monitors do) in astro-turf. It would be quite a feat.

[alexandsnakes]

I use dirt on everything but the snakes. All my lizards and terrestrial turtles are on it. As long as it doesn't have vermiculite, perlite, fertilisers, etc., it's great. I've got it both humid and dry as a bone, and have no problems. All the mites and such are probably in there eating decaying plant matter, and I've never noticed problems from them. It's better than peat moss, as sphagnum can cause respiratory problems when spores are inhaled.

[LORI34205]

ok lets say i switch to dirt wow would i clean up all the crap?and mites would hurt him,mold could set in if the dirt was moist and it built up?????

[Jeff_Favelle]

These things are in a 4x2x2 cage that has 12 inches of dirt. They eat about 150 crickets A DAY plus a few pinkies. They poop probably 5 times a day.

I've never cleaned the cage. Its self-cleaning.

They lay eggs all the time.

http://members.shaw.ca/galleryb/why_dirt1.jpg


http://members.shaw.ca/galleryb/why_dirt2.jpg

http://members.shaw.ca/galleryb/why_dirt3.jpg

[Tim and Julie B]

Don't use peat moss. I assume you mean the dried kind that comes in huge bricks. I've tried it and it sucks. It is way to dusty. There was dust everywhere and if you had to clean it there was a cloud. It was difficult to breath so it can't be good for the resporatory system of your herps. I hated it and switched within a few weeks. Tim B.

[tHeGiNo]

Jeff, when you say it cleans itself, what do you mean by that? What do you do with the defications?

[LORI34205]

probly jst lets it rot and mix with dirt

ok i have a 55 gallon that i want to look decent and not have sht
everywere i also dont want it to make my house smell like sht

[Jeff_Favelle]

You have a LOT to learn about monitors.

I own 16 monitors. My house doesn't smell like "sht". Not at all. don't know why it would.

And they live and breed and hatch and eat just fine.

"Rot" implies that its organic material that is infested with stuff that is making it rot and fester and smell. You have never seen what monitor poop should look like have you?

Please don't assume what I do. I'm pretty successful with my monitors in the short period of time that I've been interested in them. You do what you please. You asked for advice, do what you want with it.

Meanwhile, I'll be hatching eggs and raising babies and breeding those babies and hatching their eggs

[Jeff_Favelle]

And I'll give you a thousand dollars if you can spot a remnant of poop in those pictures I posted.

[LORI34205]

well someone took that wrong
anyway when my sav poops it doesnt even stink my room up but when i take the lid off that heat plus poop makes a little stink but u can only smell it if u like have your head in the tank.O and maybe you could be so great to take a picture of a big pile of crap to be proud of and show everyone your good poop!

[Jeff_Favelle]

Its different for every monitor (called diet) and I don't own Savannah monitors.

[LORI34205]

im sorry! would decay be a better word for your monitorsCRAP?
jst wondering what did u build that enclosure out of how much money did u spend on it and what kind of dirt is it.Also in a 55 gallon aquarium do u sugget dirt?If so how much and what kind???
tks

[LORI34205]

O sorry i thought u owned a sav
seriously sorry
so what species do u have out of your 16 i think you said monitors

[LORI34205]

btw check my iguana out on my 1 picture gallery

[Jeff_Favelle]

And I never took it the wrong way. You suggested that my cages would be filled with crap and the cages would stink like monitor poop and the house would stink like monitor poop.

I think if you walked into my monitor room, you'd be mighty surprised. Here's 4 of the 8 cages that are in there:


http://members.shaw.ca/galleryb/ackies_room.jpg

[Jeff_Favelle]

Cool Iggie! Watch out for the chlorine though. He's got nice colors and his spikes are starting to look cool. Like a dinosaur!

I own and breed Yellow Spiny-Tailed monitors.

[LORI34205]

thanks ya i make sure chlorine isnt too high or i wont let her in

[V.hb]

Peat moss is terrible, it dries up into a fine dust in a couple of days....Stick with dirt, it works one hell of alot better.

[hudson]

Jeff, you said that your enclosure is self cleaning, could you go into a little more detail on that.

[LORI34205]

I HAVE DIRT IN MY CAGE NOW FOR MY SAV, DO U THINK IT CAN HURT IF HE EATS SOME WHILE DIVING INTO A CRICKET?
ALSO SHOULD I SUPPLY A HIDE STILL OR JUST LET HIM DIG A BURROW?

[LORI34205]

I HAVE DIRT IN MY CAGE NOW FOR MY SAV, DO U THINK IT CAN HURT IF HE EATS SOME WHILE DIVING INTO A CRICKET?
ALSO SHOULD I SUPPLY A HIDE STILL OR JUST LET HIM DIG A BURROW?

[markb]

Hi Lori,
Get Daniel Bennett and Ravi Thakoordyal's book, Savanna Monitors - it will help you ALOT and is a good enjoyable read, no matter if you have or do not have these varanids...it will answer alot of your qustions too, less than $20 I think it is...and YES, offer multiple hide spots = reduce the stress....
good luck,
markb

[LORI34205]

ok thanks
any other suggestions???????
anyone????

[meluvstgr]

I scoop Mikey's poops out every day, so it's pretty much like a cat box. Is calci-sand ok? It's supposed to be good for them if they happen to mouth some while they are eating crickets. And I have the same ? as Lori. Is dirt ok for them if they eat some?

Is dirt better than calci-sand? I like your setup, btw. Looks like you've got some very happy monitors!