Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have read on this site that the best substrate is dirt from your own yard. they have said that it is good for burows, this this maybe but aren't there any paricites worms, mites ect that they can get from the dirt. it just doesn't seem right to me. also i don't know what part of the country they live in but i live in California in a city were the dirt is a powdery gray almost a sand feel and if this is good why not use sanitary sand? so maybe i can get a few different opinions on what to use because im sick of repti bark.

See, the problem when it come to dirt is that it depends on where you are and what type of dirt is found in your area. Its simply a general statement so you have to research your own individual area. Don't take this the wrong way for i am by no means trying to be rude but i find the problem with (most)people who keep monitors and claim to know so much about them dont take the time and research that particular monitors native habitat and that also includes the soils found in that habitat. If your monitors has adapted to using sand then use sand or what ever that particular soil may be or try to the best of your ability to emulate it. I've known people to dig up dirt and place it in their enclosures only to find that their monitor(s) won't use it. See a substrate is only good if its useable just like with anything else in your monitors enclosure including temps, hides, logs, etc. So what i'd suggest with you is, that you not be like (most) people and find a soil your monitor will use.
Good luck.
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Jaye- " When you try of all your forces to make your own way, you will help some of others and will be helped by others. As long as you do not make your own way, you cannot help anybody, and nobody can help you. " (Shunryu Suzuki)

I use dirt in every cage I have reptiles in except beardies under 3 months old. Every monitor I have has the same dirt from a local creek bank mixed with field dirt and varying amounts of sandbox sand. Sand is a lousey substrate, it holds 0 moisture, it does not hold a burrow, and allows all moisture to evaporate quickly. As far as parasites etc they are almost all species and host specific, no problems for your reptiles, if your that paranoid about a parasite your not allowing your animal to have an immune system, which naturally defends it from germs, cool temps, etc. If you are that paranoid I suppose you could bake it little by little until youve baked hundreds or thousands of pounds of dirt for a cage. Monitors live in, on, and around dirt, doesnt matter if they are arboreal or semi-aquatic they all use dirt and its important to them, something they recognize and use. If youve ever visited a desert youd find out that sand and dirt makes up a desert, and if you have one of the desert species (some aussie, or Iranian desert monitors) youd still need dirt just a higher percentage of sand in it. Once you keep a monitor in dirt youll never want to consider keeping them in anything else.