Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have been reading alot because my monitors are getting big FAST lol the ones im talking about are my water monitors... i have been reading and lately i have seen alot of people say they use potting soil... as in from home depot and so... what do you all think about that? i currently use cypress mulch which isnt bad but soil is alotttt cheaper and people have been saying its PERFECT for monitors... now of course i have a pool big enough for the monitors whole body to go in... but does anyone have any brand of soil that they use and where to get it? looking for something cheap from loews or homedepot.. and what do you do about food? i dont want my monitors food dropping in the soil them him eating it really... i have something to put the food up on higher up but will soil hurt them if they eat now and then a little something out of it? let me know about the soil as well thanks!!!

Soil is fine for pretty much all species of herp. Remember, these are animals that came from the wild (or their recent ancestors did) to begin with and there aren't many locations in nature consisting of entirely cypress mulch. Dirt is everywhere! In my opinion, topsoil is preferable to potting soil as it contains fewer (if any) additives. It is a natural substrate and can end up keeping your enclosure much cleaner for a longer period of time due to the natural bacterial breakdown of waste ocurring within. As to your monitor eating the soil, don't worry about it at all. Once again remember where they came from. There aren't a lot of chances in nature to eat a clean meal when your head is only a foot or so above the ground. I wouldn't even worry about elevating the food. Just drop it in naturally and let 'em have at it. I've kept and bred monitors on soil in the past and would highly recommend it.

>>i have been reading alot because my monitors are getting big FAST lol the ones im talking about are my water monitors... i have been reading and lately i have seen alot of people say they use potting soil... as in from home depot and so... what do you all think about that? i currently use cypress mulch which isnt bad but soil is alotttt cheaper and people have been saying its PERFECT for monitors... now of course i have a pool big enough for the monitors whole body to go in... but does anyone have any brand of soil that they use and where to get it? looking for something cheap from loews or homedepot.. and what do you do about food? i dont want my monitors food dropping in the soil them him eating it really... i have something to put the food up on higher up but will soil hurt them if they eat now and then a little something out of it? let me know about the soil as well thanks!!!
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