Reptile & Amphibian Forums

just wondering what everyone here is using for substrate. i have tried everything nad i havent found anything that i like.

i have tried cage carpet, lanoleum(sp?), tiles.. non of it really works. carpet gets dirty and smelly real quick even with spot cleaning everyday. lanoleum and tiles i just dont like the way that they look. anyone else have any suggestions?

My local herp shop recomended that i keep him on cypress mulch, which i know everyone here is against. thats what they keep there big igg and all big tropical reptiles on and they have never had a problem. but they feed there igg off of the ground.. and i think the enclosure that they made looks great. cypress substarte and real plants..

any input would be great...
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1.0.0 adopted iguana
0.0.2 Hedgehogs
My Email

YOU DONT OWN YOUR IGUANA, YOUR IGUANA OWNS YOU

HAPPINESS IS LIKE PEEING ON YOURSELF, EVERYONE CAN SEE IT BUT ONLY YOU CAN FEEL THE WARMTH

R.I.P INDIAN LARRY

While building Digit's new cage, I stetched a tarp which
I purchased at Lowe's. One side is blue and one side is
green. I put the green side up. The tarp is stapled to
the outside of the bottom of the cage and then the sides
set on top of it. It looks good, cleans up easily and prevents
water and urine from leaking through into the wood bottom.
It is also very durable because it is made for outdoors.

I did add a lot of branches on the bottom and a few areas
of newspaper were he poops. I have attached a picture of him
in his cage but it does not show the ground floor.

Just a thought
Linda

I use outdoor astroturf from my hardware store just cut and burn the edge so there is no fray. I have 3 sets pre cut so i can change every other day and the other sets can be drying

the thing is what ever i use it is going to have to be easy to clean. i wont be able to pull it out everyday because his new cage is going to be 8 feet long 4 feet deep.. thats a big peice of carpet to pull out every day..
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1.0.0 adopted iguana
0.0.2 Hedgehogs
My Email

YOU DONT OWN YOUR IGUANA, YOUR IGUANA OWNS YOU

HAPPINESS IS LIKE PEEING ON YOURSELF, EVERYONE CAN SEE IT BUT ONLY YOU CAN FEEL THE WARMTH

R.I.P INDIAN LARRY

I use newspaper. It takes 3 of the big city papers per cage and they are changed every other day.
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1.0.1 Green Iguana Andy and Vernie
0.2.0 Cats April and Sugar
1.0.0 German Shepard Dog Router
0.0.50 Fish
And lots of rescues waiting to find homes...

OK... I am going to rant and rave a little. I got my iggy about 6 months ago. I read that they liked baths..so about 2 months after I had him I started giving him baths. HE LOVED THEM. The warm water instantly made him go "potty". I made the mistake after a couple of times of taking him to the bathroom for a bath with the water still running. He went before I could get him in the tub.....yes that means he went on me...LOL.

Well, I built him a cage 2.5 ft deep by 4 ft high, by 4 ft long. at the bottom I put a kitty litter box with water in it. Under the litter box is a little 5 gal aquarium heater. He goes in there at least once a day. I change it everyday. Dump water (and poop) out and refill it. I so wash it with soap every once in a while (you can tell when it needs it).

ANYWAY the floor of the cage is carpet and all I have to do is vacumn the old food "salad" particals off once a week. It is really some easy clean up. Works good.

Hope that helps.
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Mike
0.0.1 Green Iguana
0.0.1 Pac Man Frog
0.2.0 Albino African Clawed Frog
1.0.0 BIG Golden Retriever 105 lbs