just a few questions.

[thomas1123]

Originally Posted by varanus_mad

If your viv has no vents... and a good depth of soil it shouldnt need that level of attention... and if it does...

Then your monitors suffering from low level dehydration as our viv designs have to minimise humidity loss and consequently moisture loss from your monitor...

Ohh ok, well i was just wondering just to know. Interesting. Oh does it matter what type of dirt i use for substrate? Like would an ecoeath brick be good or should i buy dirt from home depot or lowes?

[nepoez]

My sav had only crapped in the water once, ever. That day the humidity was low because I left a top hatch open accidentally, not sure if that had to do with anything. Other than that time, he would always poo in the same spot farthest away from his burrow, which is interesting. A few times he would actually go for a quick 30 second bath, then explicitly exit the water bowl and goes to the poo spot to poo. Almost seems like he knows not to crap in the water.

He also doesn't drink that water if it's got to much soil in it after he washes his burrow soil in it. I say this because he'd not drink the water until the moment I replace the water, could be coincident but it happen many times.

[formica]

Humidity in my enclosure is 75-80%, so not sure humidity has much to do with it, and it definitly seems to be quite a common thing for Sav's to do. My Sav spent some time in the water without pooping just before shedding and only after I've cleaned it (and probly then because the humidity was only 60% in the first enclosure), but thats the only time except to rinse then poop in the mornin; have been wondering the water should be warmer for him, but a quick check now tells me its at 21C and its at the hot end, so its still going to warm up for another 7hours, I very much doubt a Sav would encounter warmer water than that in the wild. - hmm if anything it would be allot cooler, next enclosure I think will include water at both cool and warm ends

Interesting tho, some Savs do seem to have their own prefrences - mine also has a huge pile of v damp sphag moss, which he likes to chill on and inside, when he's had enough of basking, might be why he's not fussed about soaking so uses the water as a toilet

[nepoez]

Just remembered one thing. The sav's brother who used to live with him. He also behaved the same when they lived in the same burrow. They both pooed in the far end. But when my sav started to bet territorial and no longer allows his brother to stay in his burrow, his brother ended up sleeping above ground in a hide. Not sure why he didn't dig a new hole, but when they used to live in the same hole, they both dug the same burrow.

Anyways, after he got kicked out of his burrow he started to only poo in the water.

[formica]

Originally Posted by nepoez

Just remembered one thing. The sav's brother who used to live with him. He also behaved the same when they lived in the same burrow. They both pooed in the far end. But when my sav started to bet territorial and no longer allows his brother to stay in his burrow, his brother ended up sleeping above ground in a hide. Not sure why he didn't dig a new hole, but when they used to live in the same hole, they both dug the same burrow.

Anyways, after he got kicked out of his burrow he started to only poo in the water.

interesting, this does sound like a defense mechanism then, to avoid detection

[formica]

could also perhaps some kind of terratorial scent marking is going on, in Sav's that use the substrate; for the Sav's brother to mark the same area as his brother would cause some tensions, to say the least, if thats what its about

[nepoez]

no idea haha. I didn't have much time to make more observations as the fights become more intense each time. My father in law noticed blood one day, so we sold the brother.

Interesting thing here is the brother used to be the big one. After he started getting bullied.. my guy started to out grow him. Maybe the stress level was too high for him to function properly too.