Substrate Q

Dani33 · 04-20-04, 12:11 PM

I recently got a baby Sav. He's doing great, growing fast and such. Lots of huffing, tail whipping and biting - lol. Anyhow, as I was waiting for the ground to thaw in my backyard, I used store bought soil mixed with sand and mulch. He has attempted to burrough under his fav. log but of course it doesn't hold.

I would very much like to get a good mix as I want him to be happy. Today, I went to dig up some dirt and it is very heavy. Lots of clay. Is this ok or should I add something to it. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Here's a pic of the little tyke

V.hb · 04-20-04, 02:06 PM

Thats a sweet looking sav you got there, I really like the different shades on him! I have alot of clay here, so with all of my savannah dwellers I add a bit of playsand, and a little bit of black earth. Mix it up in different ratios to see what suits you best, but for over the past few years its worked great for me, even my big 6 foot albigularus dig burrows in them, and it holds great.

Clay isnt always a bad thing either, it tends to mix real well with the additives I recommended. Good luck!

Where did you get this savannah??

Dani33 · 04-20-04, 02:13 PM

Thanks so much for the quick response! I bought him at that new store in Barrie, The Reptile Wranglers (farm hatched). I am very pleased with him, definately one of my favs.

The pic shows too much red but I'm glad you like him! I don't really know sex, I always say him or her because I hate saying it - lol.

I'm going to home depot tonight, so I'll buy some sand and top soil and see what I can do. Thanks!!!!

V.hb · 04-20-04, 02:16 PM

Make sure you get the organic stuff.. Alot of it comes packed with perilite and its a pain in the butt to work with. No additives needed whatsoever, just plain ol' black earth. Try the playsand as well, i found it really made a good addition to the clay stuff that I'am forced to work with.

Post more pics as that guy grows, hes gotta be one of the nicest looking savannahs i've seen. thanks for sharing!

Dani33 · 04-20-04, 02:18 PM

Thanks!!!! I actually just remembered that I have some organic soil here. I forgot. I'll have to get the sand though. I will for sure share pics as he grows

I've got tonnes already, I love this guy.

Dani33 · 04-20-04, 02:50 PM

Well, I decided to take a few more pics as a result of your compliments

Here you can see how yellow his throat is, one of the reasons I wanted him:

This shows his colours better, without all the red. It's fairly accurate:

Thanks!!!!

V.hb · 04-20-04, 06:40 PM

Hopefully he keeps those patterns up till his adult age, really vibrant!

Dani33 · 04-20-04, 07:31 PM

Thanks so much for your substrate suggestion, I tried it and seems perfect! Now just the wait to see if he burroughs in it. I'll just keep watching and make changes as needed. I think that I put in a little too much sand but will remember for next time. When I pick up a handful of the mix, it sticks together, but not like clay. I had a heck of a time trying to break up the clay though, holy.

reptiguy123 · 04-23-04, 10:56 AM

Very, very nice monitor!