Soil soil and more soil

[Bradyloach]

So I'm getting my 8x4 any day now and I'm not prepared! I've worked it out so my sav can stay in her current enclosure untill this one is set up and warmed up perfectly :) now my question I'd we're can I get soil and sand cheap. I don't really want to pay 200 dollars to fill the enclosure with dirt.


Also lighting fixtures, would it be cheaper to make my own? Or buy the, with the domes and rip them off? Thanks :D I can make my own :)

[CDN_Blood]

Actual soil is very unsterile and will mold causing so many more problems than it's worth, so my advice to you is to avoid it at all cost.

If you need substrate that you can get in large quantities that's cheap and sterile, you could always pick up a bail of peat moss. It's dusty stuff unless it's damp, so you'd still be much better off with something like coco husk in all honesty, but whatever you do, avoid actual soil - it'll cause you nothing but grief in the end ;)

[KORBIN5895]

It's for his sav Todd.

[CDN_Blood]

It's for his sav Todd.

I caught that and it's all the more reason to avoid earth/soil. It's not like monitors leave behind a neat little package once every two weeks that's easily cleaned-up. They empty often, it's messy and they're not opposed to smearing it all over the place and themselves in the process, so it'd be important to stick with something much more sterile than soil.

Of course, I'm using the term 'soil' in it's most literal sense and perhaps they meant 'substrate'. Either way, soil/earth is problematic. It's okay for something like spiders, but not for larger things :)

[KORBIN5895]

Okay. I am out of my depth completely. A sav can't stay on coco husk can it? That seems to go against everything that is being said on most monitor forums.

[CDN_Blood]

I personally wouldn't put it on husk unless it had a dedicated area for eating, such as on a flag stone in the enclosure or something where it's kept clear of debris that it could ingest when eating. It sounds like this affair would be big enough to accommodate that type of setup. Anyhow, those are my 2 cents. Even if my 2 cents are only worth 1, that 1 would be to avoid soil/earth/dirt :D

[Norm66]

Didn't Wayne use soil and leaf litter out of his yard for Cera & Littlefoot's enclosure? I'd be more apt to do that than buy anything from a nursery that might possibly have been treated with chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

I also know nothing of Savs other than what I've read in passing on here.

[Lankyrob]

A sav needs minimum 2 foot of soil to make burrows in, soil is the perfect substrate :)

[Bradyloach]

Yeah, I was gonna use soil mixed with play sand. It holds a burrow well and I can change it every 3-6 months! I can go to a garden center or something

[SpOoKy]

50/50 sand soil or I believe BB uses 50/50 soil peat moss. Either way it needs to be deep and it needs to be able to hold a burrow.

[jarich]

Ya, sorry Todd, that doesn't apply here. Soil is the only substrate these animals can be kept on.

As for a source for your soil, didn't you say you lived with a large forested area right behind you? Are you just unsure if it has been sprayed by the local government or something like that?

If thats the case, then check with a local place that sells bulk soil to gardeners. I got mine from there, they made it up just for me with worm castings and no vermiculite/perlite. Its much cheaper and then you know what they are putting in it too.

[BarelyBreathing]

I use 60/40 Eco Earth (coco fiber) and children's washed play sand.