Robyn, good detail:} I see the toe moving to be natural in other lizards in the wild so it is normal I think. As far as rock opposed to wood, if you are keeping monitors indoors the rock holds some heat during the night cycle, wood on the other hand is an insulator and does not. I remember setting up my first pilbaras, I hatched about 16 and set them up in tubs with dirt and wood stacks and ended up looseing quit a few from either shed stuck on toes and complications with that [even in moist dirt] or dirt getting in their eyes and causeing problems. Newly hatched pilbaras weigh about 2-3 grams and their isnt much margin for error as is with some of the larger dwarfs. I finally came up with something that worked very well, a 10 gallon long aquarium with 1/4 inch washed gravel about 2-3 inches deep and an under the tank heat source. I would put enough water in to stay below the gravel [quit a bit below actually] and heat the tank on one side from underneath, this stops dehydration, allows plenty of moisture through eveaporation and a substarte that is to large to ingest or cause eye problems, CLEAN! I have never owned an ackie so my experiance applies to the Pilbaras,Gilleni and Glauerti. But this system also includes a complete screen lid for good ventilation. You probably seen this photo before but this is how it works.

Bob

www.herphatch.com

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