Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was having a much tougher time getting good sifted topsoil in colder months, so I resorted to some topsoil from Lowe's. The stuff is clearly organic. Leaves and such. Why is organic so much less desirable? I diluted it 50-50 with sand for my ackie, and he's thriving on it. Better, faster sheds, appetite spike, etc. Is it just an issue of avoiding fungal growth? The stuff's cheap and can be changed frequently w/ no problem. I dunno. That's why I'm asking.

I've been using plain old sand with large sections of cork bark buried in it(FR). So far it has worked better than anything else I've tried and I've tried everything. The problem with dirt may have something to do with the pH level(???) too acidic?

Well, the soil you use may hold a burrow and may hold humidity well but it's not really what the animal would encounter in the wild. No one can replicate natural conditions but you can give them something close. It is however tough to find any "good soil" in the east. Unless you are in New Mexico or the surrounding area than you are going to have problems. Decomposed granite works very well, you should be able to find it at a landscape supply place. It has virually no organic matter, its all granite and limestone and it holds humidity well and a burrow even better. This stuff can be hard to come by though. If you really do see these good changes in your lizards with the sand soil mix, why not test it out, maybe you are doing something right. The only way to find a soil that works best is to test out many kinds and see what the lizard "uses" the most. If the animal refuses to dig than you know the soil is wrong. Hope some of this made sense.