Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've been using aspen bedding with cypress mulch on top for quite some time now. has anyone got any better suggestions though? i don't want to use all mulch b/c it's too hard to keep clean (the pee goes right down thru). I like using aspen since it kind of clogs up and dries the urine, but is all aspen adequate to keep humidity up? Maybe if i did cypress much with aspen on top? Thanks in advance...oh and is sand for the hot side a good idea?

maybe sod with cypress mulch underneath?

I don't think the sod would last more than a week before it got all brown and crusty without proper feeding, soil and sunlight. Billy

>>maybe sod with cypress mulch underneath?

but since I've already got UV lights in place and a mr moisture misting system, shouldn't the sod hold up alright?

My guess is that sooner or later it will get dug up and burrowed under. Not to mention if you put it on mulch, the roots have no real place to go. You would also have to feed it fairly regularly. You could certainly try it, but my gut feeling is it won't last very long. Keep in mind it's natural behavior for tegus to dig and burrow and given half a chance, they will do just that. When I put my big guy out on the lawn, usually within 15 minutes he's diggin at the grass. When he doesn't get very far there, he heads over to the garden to dig. Again, my suggestions would be cypress mulch or plain old dirt. Billy

>>but since I've already got UV lights in place and a mr moisture misting system, shouldn't the sod hold up alright?

Right now I'm using all cypress mulch and it works good. But when I build Squishy's new enclosure, I will try plain ol' Florida dirt. I have it in my Water monitor enclosure and they LOVE it! Tegus love to burrow and when Squishy gets to cruise around the yard, he inevitably ends up in the garden digging. My suggestion would be cypress or a soil mixture. Check out the monitor forum for different dirt options. Lots of good stuff over there about substrates that will keep your lizard happy, if not clean. Here's a pic of one of my baby Waters and you can see how much he likes the dirt by how dirty he is compared to the new, freshly shed skin on his face. Billy

>>I've been using aspen bedding with cypress mulch on top for quite some time now. has anyone got any better suggestions though? i don't want to use all mulch b/c it's too hard to keep clean (the pee goes right down thru). I like using aspen since it kind of clogs up and dries the urine, but is all aspen adequate to keep humidity up? Maybe if i did cypress much with aspen on top? Thanks in advance...oh and is sand for the hot side a good idea?