Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I always loved monitors but just couldnt provide the room for the bigger gus. ackies look great-Im more of a look dont touch reptile guy unless checking on health.

Im planning on a trio have not decided on red or yellows yet. Cage is either going to be a 4'3'2' or a 6'3'4'. I want a set-up with dirt and sand.

I have the basics covered my questions is for all the owners with tons of dirt in the cages-

-How often do you change or completey clean all that dirt out?

-Dont lie...how much of a pain is it?

-Do you rince/sift/bake your dirt and sand before adding it to the enclosure?

-What dirt and sand do you use if you dont trust your native soil??

My reptile room is upstairs and a day of fun doesent sound like lugging sand buckets up and down, but I would because keeping these guys looks worth it.

I just want some input from keepers on their cleaning habits.Sorry for the long post its late and im home alone, Thanks in advance for any replies.

Go as big as you can for a trio. They will utilize all the space.
I change out my substrate once a year. As long as you scoop out waste when you see it I find that works fine.
It gets mixed every so often which helps. When you're digging for eggs and when the monitors are digging.
Buy dirt cheap potting soil. The cheaper the better. That means they haven't added any fertilizers to it. Still check the bag though. Mix in some playsand also bought in bags. You'll have to play with the mix a bit to get it right. So don't fill up your enclosure to the brim right away.
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Mike