What substrate to you use for Savanna

Lucky Lep · #1 (**permalink**) 01-09-2006, 12:22 AM

I have a one year old savanna and he/she is very tame and eats great. I currently have him on repti bark and carpet underneth it just to protect him from the wood and was wandering whats a better substrate or is bark fine

skter621 · #2 (**permalink**) 01-09-2006, 12:28 AM

u could use repti sand

NicoleRussell · #3 (**permalink**) 01-09-2006, 12:29 AM

cypress...sand/soil mix is also something I have seen...go to proexotics and read robins caresheets for monitors...he really nails everything

Pork Chops N' Corn Bread · #4 (**permalink**) 01-10-2006, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skter621

u could use repti sand

NO NO NO NO NO, That will not give a savannah the proper humidity

jtrott · #5 (**permalink**) 01-11-2006, 02:10 PM

Cypress Mulch.

Jason

Dachande · #6 (**permalink**) 01-14-2006, 05:58 AM

dirt.go to lowes and get plain topsoil.
make sure it has no manure,fertilizer,pesticides or compost in it.just plain topsoil.
anything but soil will be a death sentence to your monitor.i keep my argus,ackies and the savannah rescue on topsoil.
make it deep.my argus is 3ft long and has over 1-1/2 ft of topsoil in it's cage.
the brand they sell here in NC is SOUTHLAND topsoil.it is a white,red and green bag and runs less than $2 for a 40lbs.
BTW-the argus is just under 2 years and 3ft.so your savannah should be over 2ft if it is a year old.which means you will need over 1ft of soil covering the entire bottom of the cage.
soil holds humidity and burrows better than anything else.get it on dirt and you will have a happy monitor.

Pork Chops N' Corn Bread · #7 (**permalink**) 01-14-2006, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dachande

dirt.go to lowes and get plain topsoil.
make sure it has no manure,fertilizer,pesticides or compost in it.just plain topsoil.
anything but soil will be a death sentence to your monitor.i keep my argus,ackies and the savannah rescue on topsoil.
make it deep.my argus is 3ft long and has over 1-1/2 ft of topsoil in it's cage.
the brand they sell here in NC is SOUTHLAND topsoil.it is a white,red and green bag and runs less than $2 for a 40lbs.
BTW-the argus is just under 2 years and 3ft.so your savannah should be over 2ft if it is a year old.which means you will need over 1ft of soil covering the entire bottom of the cage.
soil holds humidity and burrows better than anything else.get it on dirt and you will have a happy monitor.

I like eco earth. i will try soil when I can find some since not many places here have soil on hand in the winter and the soil I find has fertilizers

NicoleRussell · #8 (**permalink**) 01-14-2006, 01:14 PM

if you go to proexotics.com, robin the owner, has a sand soil mix that has been the best choice for all his monitors. He did say though, that cypress was the best second choice.

Dachande · #9 (**permalink**) 01-14-2006, 02:27 PM

sometimes it's best to get soil in the winter.you know anything in it won't be alive.especially when the bags are about frozen solid.
cypress is the next best choice.but more expensive than soil and it still needs to be deep.but with soil so easy to come by, there's not many reasons for using cypress mulch.
the bacteria in the soil also helps break down feces.so those little bits you miss when spot cleaning are nothing to worry about.i hardly ever clean my argus cage.she stirs it up when digging and it gets broken down pretty fast.add a few earthworms and it goes faster.and they have snack when digging as well.
and if your temps are right, you need not worry about parasites.when a monitor gets on a basking surface temp over 120F it "burns" out alot of the parasites as the body temps get to hot to survive.my basking temps are roughly 130F on surface temp and ambient temp in the spot is between 115F and 135F depending on time of day.
h311,i have a surface temp of up to the 140s in my ackie cage.then other spots that range from 110F-130F if he just wants to warm up.after eating he goes to the hottest one for about 5-10 minutes.
the hottest surface temp i've seen is over 150F.

if you do not have a temp gun, get one through proexotics.they are a must for monitors.

chrispaine · #10 (**permalink**) 01-14-2006, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dachande

dirt.go to lowes and get plain topsoil.
make sure it has no manure,fertilizer,pesticides or compost in it.just plain topsoil.
anything but soil will be a death sentence to your monitor.i keep my argus,ackies and the savannah rescue on topsoil.
make it deep.my argus is 3ft long and has over 1-1/2 ft of topsoil in it's cage.
the brand they sell here in NC is SOUTHLAND topsoil.it is a white,red and green bag and runs less than $2 for a 40lbs.
BTW-the argus is just under 2 years and 3ft.so your savannah should be over 2ft if it is a year old.which means you will need over 1ft of soil covering the entire bottom of the cage.
soil holds humidity and burrows better than anything else.get it on dirt and you will have a happy monitor.

well said... I wouldnt say its a 'Death sentence' but yes they will be much more happy and healthy on a sand/soil mix.

Lucky Lep · #11 (**permalink**) 01-15-2006, 04:42 AM

thanks for all your help and ideas right now i have him on just repti bark and i will not use reptisand.. but with the dirt will it hurt if he ingest's it?

Dachande · #12 (**permalink**) 01-15-2006, 04:52 AM

with right temps a monitor can pass the dirt.GE 45-50 watt outdoor halogen floods make this happen.make sure surface temps run at 120F-130F in the basking area.air temp would be over 100F.then let the cool end no less than 75F-80F.
if you do mix sand use little.say a 50lb bag to 200lbs of soil.i don't add sand and mine dig all the time.anyone with an argus on over a foot deep of topsoil knows what i'm talking about.
it's a hungry backhoe.

chrispaine · #13 (**permalink**) 01-15-2006, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dachande

with right temps a monitor can pass the dirt.GE 45-50 watt outdoor halogen floods make this happen.make sure surface temps run at 120F-130F in the basking area.air temp would be over 100F.then let the cool end no less than 75F-80F.
if you do mix sand use little.say a 50lb bag to 200lbs of soil.i don't add sand and mine dig all the time.anyone with an argus on over a foot deep of topsoil knows what i'm talking about.
it's a hungry backhoe.

Hungry backhoe, that’s a good one. ha. I am actually looking into a new substrate right now too. In the summer time I just used dirt from out side, but it had too much clay in it and would get rock hard. Its hard to keep it moist enough to stay in-between rock-hard-dry and muddy mess. I am going to look tomorrow at Lowes and Home depot and see if they have any good topsoil. But since its winter and cold here I don’t know if they will have anything good. I think I might just go with a normal bedding such as cypress mulch and or maybe even something like repti bark and just give him a large rubber maid with some mulch in it for him to dig in. He is still small and I think that would work for him. I just have to find something for him The new cage is ready... just some little things to finish... take a look at the picture and there is also a pic of him but that was about 2 months ago, so hes a little larger now. Eats like a pig.

And ya if I do take him out side I will make sure if is in a closed area. I will have to think of some kind of wall so that he can explore a little and still not run away. Not sure yet. maybe a large plywood pen type of thing. He would only be out there for a short while under my supervision

Dachande · #14 (**permalink**) 01-15-2006, 04:51 PM

bark is by farthe worst thing you can keep any reptile on.i only use it in my roach colonies because nymphs can get down in it and hide.does well on the humidity issue as well.
haven't had luck with home depot.the ones around here only carry soil that has additives.but lowes has plain topsoil.just plain old topsoil.make sure you read the bag thoroughly for ingredients.
sometimes you can just go to a mulch/rock yard and they carry topsoil as well.you just have to bring your own container.
lowes carries SOUTHLAND topsoil around here.so if you see the white green and red bag at a lowes by you,check it out.the stuff has worked wonders for me.i'll show ya'll later though.

Lucky Lep · #15 (**permalink**) 01-16-2006, 09:54 PM

what about that ecoearth stuff i use it for my dart frogs if i buy some and let it dry think it iwll work

Dachande · #16 (**permalink**) 01-17-2006, 12:03 AM

trust me.when you go dirt, you won't go back.it's better, cheaper and more practical.monitors need dirt.they're tough.any bacteria in it they can deal with as long as temps are right.
if eco earth comes out of a pet store, i can tell you it's a waste of $.
lowes and home depot have more to offer.soil,lights and supplies to build an enclosure.

Lucky Lep · #17 (**permalink**) 01-17-2006, 12:28 AM

right now i have 2 heat lamps and bulbs from petstores are there any other bulbs that work better and if so how big of watts

Dachande · #18 (**permalink**) 01-17-2006, 12:50 AM

GE 45-50 watt outdoor halogen floods.better and cheaper.get them at lowes when you get the dirt.
floods because it spreads the heat and light out.spotlights will concentrate the heat into one spot and it's too hot.
outdoor becasue they can stand getting wet as long as the water is not cold.so mist and spray with room temp or lukewarm water.i'm not saying soak the light,but if it gets a little spray it won't bust like other bulbs.
for night i use the outdoor red halogen floods or heat emitters.but some keep there's on 24/7 light with enough soil to burrow.so the monitor can sleep underground and escape the light/heat.either way has worked so far.

Lucky Lep · #19 (**permalink**) 01-17-2006, 02:28 AM

now dont i need a basking spot so wont i want a spot for that???

Dachande · #20 (**permalink**) 01-17-2006, 03:17 AM

no.
basking spot as in basking area.and wattage doesn't matter if the spot is elevated.that's why i mentioned the shelves.
imagine a dresser without drawers in it.the monitor can get at different distances from the light to thermoregulate.kinda like steps up to the hottest part.so 2 of the halogen floods would work well over top of the shelves.start with a wide bottom and mount them one on top of the other getting smaller but the same length.
slate or patio block can be used in smaller enclosures for smaller monitors.stack on bricks and make sure it is sturdy.
i'll try to get some pix up so you get the gist of it.
here's my ackie on top of one of his basking areas.

for my argus i just cook the top basking area @ 120-130s F and she digs under the soil to cool down.the other end is low 80s.this is an old pic though.she's 3ft now.

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