Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Out of curiousity, who uses substrate and what for their young monitors (couple months old)? I have just been using paper towel for mine but got to thinking how he might not like it and could be stressing him cause he cant dig,etc. thx.
-----
Reptiles

1.1 Uroplatus ebenaui
2.0 Uromastyx malienisis
0.2 Eublepharis macularis
1.0 Chrysemys picta dorsalis
0.0.1 Hemidactylus turcicus
0.2 Lepidactlyus lugrubis

Center for Reptile and Amphibian Conservation

Dirt or a sand/soil mix from day one. If the animal is hydrated and kept at proper temperatures, it doesn't pose a problem.

It also depends on what kind of monitor and if its an import. Some types, that dont burrow so much I would imagine would be less stressed with no dirt. If its an import its good to keep them on paper towels for a little bit. That way you can monitor them much better and keep the environment more sterile. If its a healthy little monitor it can definitely put on dirt or whatever substrate you chose.

If you are talking about captive bred lizards, go with soil. If you have fresh imports, you MAY want to use paper to check stool quality and such, but still, you can pull samples from soil.

Back in the day we would use paper towels for fresh hatchlings, using some idiotic logic that it would be "safer", but that was just a remnant trick of the poor husbandry mind : )

Soil PROVIDES for their substrate needs- digging, burrowing, temp gradients, moisture gradients. Dry substrates or "simple" substrates do not, and only start you off with a husbandry deficit.

In hindsight, it seems obvious and common sense : )
-----
robyn@proexotics.com

ShipYourReptiles.com
Pro Exotics Reptiles