Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Cypress, rabbit pellets,repti bark ,bed -a- beast, etc.???

I went through some painful (but not as bad as the monitor) learning on suitable substrate.

At the encouragement of some websites, care guides and local pet stores I began our Savannahs out on Repti-Bark and NatureBark. We soon had one baby monitor in severe abdominal pain, cramping etc. He eventually died from some sort of gastric blockage. Possibly the substrate, we learned.

I then moved to play sand which I sifted through a strainer to remove any rocks and baked at 350 deg to insure no external parasites. This worked pretty well. However, at the temperatures your Savannah wants it will be a pain to keep humid enough. This low humidity seemed to contribute to a general lethargy of our Savs. They were otherwise healthy, growing etc.

I have switched to a 50/50 mix of organic topsoil and sifted playsand. This mix holds humidity well. Holds tunnels well. Our monitors have a maze of tunnels in the sustrate. When I wtaer the enclosures the monitors love to play in the mud that forms on the surface till the water soaks in.

I keep babies up to about 8-10 inches in a 24"x12"x12" aquarium, with 3-4" of substrate. 10-20" in 48"x16"x18", with 6-8" of soil. Our bigger ones are in enclosures 6'l x 3'w with about 12-14" of substrate.

Make sure the topsoil you are getting has no fertilizer in it.