Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am just curious as to the benifits and/or downfalls of using a substrate mixture that contains clean top soil. I.E. a mixutre of top soil and hay (like what is used for tortoises), or even top soil and birdseed (this would help to make a better burrowing substrate). Would thier be a harm in the lizard consuming the top soil, would it have the same result as sand? Although I keep an adult Uro, this is still a concern for me.

Any help would be very much appriciated.

Oh yeah, one more question, what EXACTLY if anybody knows, is the natural substrate of Uro's? Egyptians live in the open plains dont they? I remember watching an episode of The Jeff Corwin Experience (I think that's the name), where Jeff found a wild Uro sitting in the entrace of it's burrow, wich was a big dirt hill shaded by a big tree.

Thanks in advance, Mark.
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1.0 Uromastyx maliensis (gulaktig), 2.5 Eublepharis macularius, 3.2 Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum, 1.1 Hemichromis bimaculatus, 1.4 Xiphophorus maculatus, 5.12 Poecilia reticulata.

Deer Fern Farms' uro care sheet has some good insight into the natural conditions that a wild uro is exposed to. The suggestions for bedding is also explained. Hope this helps
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1 Mali Uromastyx named Ra

don't quote me on this, but its possible that the top soil will hold too much water, hence causing the humidity to rise which can result in respitory (sp?) problems

I use 1 bag of top soil for every 3 bags of sand in my tank. Douglas dix said that uromastyx dont like a all sand substrate. They usually stay in rocky areas with dirt in the wild. So in my huge tank i have 2 bages of pebbles, 3 bags of dirt, and 9 bages of sand. Now that is a lot of substrate. My uros love this mix. They get to dig all they want. I have never had any of them eat any pebbles since there food is in a big food dish. So i think you you want to use dirt a pebbles if you set it up right you should have no problems, other than a little dust.

Mike