I've had a couple of male Cane's for five years now. They both are extremely shy. They don't mind being watched, but each time I have to pick them up they pee, pee, pee. I tried a plain dirt substrate, even coconut fiber, but it would foul up too quickly. What I did then was to get a container which was big enough for both to get into and placed dirt in it. It's much easier to yank this out and change the dirt that way. The rest of their enclosure has newspaper on the bottom, therefore much easier to clean. Some frown on this, but it's had no ill effects on these guys. My main intention is for cleanliness above all else. Lots of hides, a nice deep soaking bowl, and a much weighted down screen top (because they are great escape artists) finish off their "home". I always love their croaking at this time of year. It sort of echoes thru the house.