"moist dirt" can be misleading. i try not use the term too much, because it is so easy to take it out of context, but it is at the same time a good word, so sometimes hard to avoid : )



when you look in our cages, you don't see any "moist" dirt at all. it is just regular dirt (although orange : )



it is actually pretty dry on top, and sometimes has a light crust. the setup is NOT one where it is a mudbath in there, not at all. the soil is moist enough so that burrows hold well, and indeed, there is a higher humidity level in the actual burrows, but still, it is not at all wet, and i think that is the mental image folks are seeing when they read about "moist soil".



as for depth of humidity in the wild habitat, i can buy that it is quite dry for a couple feet, no problem.



in fact, that ties in nicely with Dr. Sprackland's first hand Uro field observations that he related to me just last month. he said they would find Uro burrows, and the entrance would go straight down for three or four feet (!) before taking a 90 degree turn and then heading sideways into the actual blossom of the livable burrow. very uncritically, it seems to me that matches up well with the top few feet of dirt being too dry to make a livable burrow, so the Uros have to go down into the moist soil. in our setups, they don't have to go nearly that far, although they will invariably go to the bottom of the two ft deep substrate, whether they be Uros, Gilas, or monitors.
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robyn@proexotics.com



Pro Exotics Reptiles

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