8 inches is a minimum that allows for an animal to actually dig DOWN and make a burrow, at least it should. maybe it can work with a bit less, certainly a lot more is better. and 6-8 inches is 100 times better than newspaper...



as for sterilization, we have never done anything at all to our dirt. i suppose you could get if from a dirty source, perhaps you dig it up from under a dead rotting raccoon or something, but for most applications, it should be fine as is. even a small amount is going to be pretty heavy (proportionately) and i couldn't imagine trying to maneuver that in my kitchen oven. i don't know of any monitor breeders that cook or sterilize their dirt. you shouldn't have to either.



try and do a sample setup, i don't remember if i have mentioned that or not here. once again, not all dirt will work, so get a couple of five gallon buckets of your dirt of the day, a couple of tanks or rubbemaid bins, and "setup" a cage. add water, mix it around, dig in it, burrow in it, play in it, see how it "works". get it real nice, with some good long burrows up to your elbow, and leave it sit until tomorrow. or next week.



see if it crusts up, see if it dries up, see how much water you have to add, adjust or play with your venting. give it a week, see if anything sprouts. just LEARN about dirt and burrowing with your little dirt laboratory, and try different soils and mixes to see what works for you (and in your mind, for your Uros).



we tried some decomposed granite intially that dug and mixed really nicely when moist. when it dried overnight though, under the basking lights, it was like concrete, and just about inpenetrable. whoops, no good. we went with a lighter, smoother decomposed granite (and our current choice) and it worked great. digs and holds great at all stages. i would still like to get some of the 1/4 to 1/2 inch rocks out, but we have too many cages, and too much dirt, to realistically screen it. if i had only six setups, i would screen it for sure and make it even better.



but i would never cook it
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robyn@proexotics.com



Pro Exotics Reptiles

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