Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Will peat moss w/ "Miracle-Grow" in it be harmfull to a monitor. I do not know what is in "Miracle-Grow" but do not plan on putting it in my monitors cage until I know it's safe.

Maybe good for him, could make him sprout nicely...haha.

I am changing his substrate and read peat moss holds moisture well.

First, what species is it? Second and more importantly. Why do ask if its harmful, when a better question would be, is it beneficial? Substrates can add to the captive life of a monitor, not subtract or do nothing of benefit. Cannot say more, without knowing what type you have, monitors have adapted to different soil types. FR

Sorry, probably good info to provide. I am having trouble keeping the humidity level high and read that sphagnum peat moss would help hold the moisture. I read an article about asian/indonesian monitors and found that they live in humid conditions.

I planned on covering his/her top soil dirt mount/burrow (i'm sure it would be mixed together in one day though) in hopes that it would keep the dirt nice and moist. I have a heat pad under the dirt mount that keeps the burrow at 73F. The enclosure is 4'x5'x3' and has two levels, but the top half has a basking spot of 120F that seems to dry up all the moisture.

My hygrometer ranges from 19%-48% depending on the last time I sprayed the enclosure. Sorry to get off the initial "Miracle Grow" question, but might any one know what the correct humidity level would be for a rudi?

Oh, back to the initial question - good or bad?

I have pics posted from last september of my rudi, I will post again soon to show recent pics.

With elevated potash, soda, urea etc. it's probably bad, even though the pH is stabilized for plants. Additionally, it's a bit too organically "inviting" for mold, bacteria etc.(anything that gets introduced) I believe it is sold sterilized.
I've baked soil to sterilize it, then add moisture to get it 'burrowable' again.

1. Pull both fire "T" handles
2. Yell "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday"
3. Jump

Does store bought bagged top soil need to be baked?

hi. i keep indonesian species (salvator) and do not use dirt anymore, what so ever. i do use leaves which the lizards readily accept for foraging, burrowing, and nesting. these leaves are collected off the ground (raked up), and added generously to the cage floor ( up to 2 feet thick, and a few hundred pounds when concidering the lower layers are wetter. by adding wood logs to the surface of the leaves, it compresses them down making a compact floor rather than leaf quicksand. i have an army of wood lice ("roly polies", millipedes, and others) which co exist in the substrate and help by breaking down the leaves, excrement, and rotting organics. these bugs were collected along with the leaves and wood without trying. the only smell in the cage is leaves, and thats a hell of a lot better than if i continued using cypress, or other woody chips. i would never concider baking, microwaving, or altering these leaves, or naturally collected wood. i do not collect from pesticide sprayed land. much of the habitat our indo species (salvator, dumerili, rudicollis) come from are leaf littered forest floor (*do a google search for varanus salvator or rudicollis and see pics taken in wild- most are seen on the forest floor). they nuzzle through the leaves for food. this encourages their natural feeding behaviors, exersise, retreat, and stimulation. the substrates such as peat and cypress are too dusty and dry out quickly. wind up with sneezing lizards. dirt can be used with leaves, and some here do use this combo. i can only suggest to you to try a leafy substrate. i think your rudi would benefit big time. -john a
cybersalvator.com

Sounds like a good solution to me, i worry about introducing parasites, though.