substrate

[jobeanator]

ive decided to upgrade my biggest suclata, landfill into a kiddie pool i bought at walmart a while back. hes about 5-6 inches, and what i have him in now hes out grown. ive seen on the website sulcata station that they use for a substrate hay chopped up in soil. would this be the best substrate to use or should i stick to 50/50 of bed-a-beast and sand mix?

 

[spring pace]

if hes still inside, id stick w/ the sand/coir mixture, much easier to get the humidity levels your sulcata still needs. wet hay gets moldy and if that happens youll have to change out the substrate completely a lot more often. the coir/sand is much easier to keep clean. once hes outside full time you wont need hay at all except to feed him. do you have a pen around the kiddie pool to keep him from escaping? smiles, from gali & spring

 

[jobeanator]

oh yeah, the kiddie pool itself is pretty tall and he doesnt seem to challenge himself to get out of it.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I recommend keeping the coir and sand. If you want a different/better substrate get cypress mulch. I just love it. It costs a little more but it's sure worth it to me. It lasts longer, holds humidity longer, and smells longer...ha ha smells better...

 

[K9KidsLove]

Hi...I agree with Maggie. I mix cypress with play sand. They love to dig in it and it holds humidity a lot longer. And it smells good. Definitely do not use hay as bedding. You can put some on a piece of tile for him to nibble on. I cut it up with scissors for my babies. Check it to be sure he doesn't potty on it.
Good luck
Patsy

 

[reptylefreek]

On the topic of sand as substrate... then do you guys use a dish to feed. Since they like to graze I always just sprinkled food around so mine could forage around for it. I am also upgrading my sulcata and was afraid he would eat the sand and or other substrate. Do I also need to get him a dish then?

 

[Yvonne G]

I tried the coconut coir/sand mixture, but I didn't like the long strings in the coconut coir or the sand getting on the food. I much prefer fine grade orchid bark or cypress mulch. Then I feed on a ceramic tile. If you really want to keep the food clean, you can put several smooth rocks around the feeding tile and they walk on the rocks first, cleaning off their feet.

Yvonne