Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know Robyn has said it before but everyone seems to need to hear it again and maybe coming from a newbie to the whole idea such as myself. Everyone wants a simple answer but there really isn't one. Like Robyn has said, you just have to do it and learn. I've made my share of mistakes--I'm still not sure exactly how much water to add a week--but I'm learning as I go and am pretty sure by the end of the year I should have this particular size cage/heating combination down fairly well. I will reiterate the advice given: get a cheap tank, go get some dirt, get a set up and play with it for a few weeks. You can get a 55 gallon rubbermaid bin from Home Depot that will hold a good 150 pounds of dirt (a little over 12 inches deep) and wire in light bulbs [I use a bright spiral fluorescent and a fairly low watt halogen] to the lid for about $25. Set it up, don't put your animal in it (this was my first mistake) and play with it for a while. Dig some tunnels, monitor temperatures. Keep it running for a couple weeks and then dig up the dirt to see how much moisture you have lost. I'm sure Robyn could all give us great advice if we were using his exact watering troughs,tops, lighting and the ambient temperatures were exactly the same in our houses as they are at Pro Exotics but this is not the case. Everyone has their own unique set up and situation that requires time and exploration to master.

Peter

i think that is discouraging to many folks, because it really is a delayed gratification thing, it takes a lot of time to learn, and then learn how to apply.

in the end though, 6 months, a year, 5 years down the road, you will really feel much more accomplished and insightful when it comes to your reptiles

keep up the good work!
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

Hey Peter,

I was wondering what kind of problems you had that youre recommending to setup the tank with the dirt for a couple of weeks before putting the lizard in it???
I was gonna put the lizard on the dirt as soon as I got the mix together which will hopefully be tommorow and just read this post.

Thanks
Jack
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0.1 Hypo-Tang Leopard Gecko
0.1 Tremper Albino Hypo Tang Leopard Gecko
1.0 Hypo Tang Leopard Gecko
1.0 Crested Geckos
0.0.1 CB Baby Saharan Uromastyx

it is not a "problem" it is just that YOU need to learn how to work with the dirt. there are many subtle aspects to that. you need to first find a good soil or mix that works well. you need to find what kind of water balance it has, and how to manipulate the setup for more or less moisture. over the course of a few weeks, you will get a better handle on how exactly it works, and be able to better prepare it for your animal. if you go ahead and put the Uro in the first day, the animal may suffer while you tinker with the details.

5 years later, and you will STILL find yourself learning about soils and substrates, i do
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles