Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everybody! I have my first eastern hatchlings (Millie's first clutch) and have been going through the archives and various websites gathering information and ideas for housing/care/feeding, etc., and I have everything I need in the way of lights, heat, and so forth, but one question remains unanswered:

How often should I change out the substrate? I have three hatchlings so far, but possibly more on the way.

Always willing to learn from the experience of others....

Thanks a bunch.

By the way, Nathan, that plant with the pink spots in your hatchling tank is called (are you ready for this?)...'pink splash', or Hypoestes. Great pictures!

Stephanie

hehehe... well, that plant has gone away a while back.

I don't change the substrate unless I've got 8 or more babies in it, then I only do it once in the first year.

Instead, I toss in lots of things like clover seeds, plants, and worms. The baby boxies should be soaked and fed and soaked every day, and they do almost all their business then. Later on if you start feeding them in the cage they may go potty there, but most likely it will be in the water dish.

I should say that I do stir up the substrate every month or so and rearrange everything back in place so that there are no permanently soggy spots on bottom from all the watering and misting.

Thanks! That was something that never seemed to get mentioned...
Appreciate it.
Stephanie