Reptile & Amphibian Forums

np

I've never kept this species, but it appears leaf litter or a leaf litter/dirt combination works

what do u mean and how do i make that and what do i do

thanks tom

you can just get leaf litter from the backyard .......and just mix it in with the dirt leaf littler/dirt mix like dk said ....

alex

We keep our exhibit "rudi" on large pine bark nuggets. They are easily washed down and are too big to be accidentally ingested and can be misted down and maintain good humidity levels. The leaf litter mix, if it is similar to what we use, is a combination of peat/dirt/sand or torpedo sand/ESU jungle litter mix and lots of dried/decaying leaves that are scattered on the surface....looks real nice and fairly easy to maintain. I'm sure you could probably just use dirt with leaves but I like a little more organic material. Rob Carmichael, Curator of The Wildlife Discovery Center

the leaf litter I am referring to isn't a commercially bought jungle mix, or sand/peat etc, it's just leaves raked up from the ground. Cheaper and better than all of the above.

I personally use oak leaves for my peach throats. after a lot of experimenting with various types of leaves, oak seem to be the best. they don't become the soggy mess that some leaves like maple and they break down into a soil after time which some other types like cotton wood take much longer to do. The trick is to get leaves in all stages of decoposition. they dig burrows in it just like others would in dirt. plus it is cool to see them hunt in the leaves. a warning though at first there will be bugs in there, with a little time they tend to die off for the most part.

good luck,

Steve

we don't use a commercial product either (aside from the Jungle mix by Esu which we really like as one ingredient). I would like to caution anyone using leaves; particularly from your yard. Make sure that leaves haven't been exposed to herbicides, pesticides, and even mosquito spraying; these can all lead to health problems in high amounts. Just something to consider.

I collect my leaves from out in the bush (ie, in a wild area).