# Substrate and Humidity control



## rausch.jp (Feb 14, 2011)

Hello All,

(sorry for the long post just need help)

Advice needed. I have recently purchased a Col. B/W Tegu. I am a first Tegu Owner but not first reptile. My Problem or? I should say is I am looking for substrate suggestions. I currently live in Dallas TX we have heat but it is usually dry. That works perfect for my Rosie Boa but I am having problems regulating my humidity for Bam Bam my Tegu. Quick description the house stays around 70 degrees. Again live in Texas so the humidity is fairly low. I am using standard softwood blend mulch, mostly pine but NO CEDAR. I have a UTH so keeping my temp is perfect between 80 and 85 all day and warming while running basking like mid to high 90â??s and 100 to 105 directly at basking spot. Evening time when basking light is off the tank chills at a perfect 75 to 77 degree mark but I can only get the humidity to spike when I mist and last maybe 30 min before dropping out again to around 25-30%. Lots of people have been posting cypress mulch but I almost think it is too rough for my youth Tegu (8 weeks). Would anyone suggest maybe a pine and cypress mix? I am also looking for an easy maintenance substrate and for the most part the softwood I use almost works like a clumping litter allowing me to pull the waste stuff out easily but it dryâ??s too quickly and I canâ??t keep my humidity above 30% when his basking light is on. I am experimenting mostly at the moment but I use a log instead of a rock for his basking as I can wet it quite a bit and it helps get the humidity up but again dryâ??s very quickly under the 100w basking light. I have a hand sprayer that I put in distilled water and warm in microwave for 10 sec before misting cage as not do drop temp to fast. Again softwood dries very quickly. I have a small bowl with soaked substrate at heat end to create humidity but just donâ??t think it is working. Also I have a large water bowl on cool side but again donâ??t think that is doing much as I am not warming the air to move the water around. I also keep the cool side of the cage covered to again try to keep my humidity levels up. I also know that temp and humidity gauge placement is important. The gauge is located directly between my cool and basking side and sit mid level on the back glass of the 20gal enclosure (temp habitat he is just a baby right now, new home will be available long before he needs it) Any suggestions would be great. Bam Bam (My Tegu) is very enjoyable and completely laid back no problems getting him out or moving around I think he knew he was going to a good home immediately thatâ??s why he was staring me down at the NARBC expo where I purchased him. Just want to do everything I can to make him the most comfortable. I guess another thing I should ask is I have been told the humidity needs to be around 50 to 70 % any thoughts on that would greatly help as well. Thanks in advance to all who reply.


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## Guest (Feb 14, 2011)

Stay away from any White wood bedding or cedar [Aspen too tho it won`t KILL your tegu ..

Most here use cypress mulch if that can get it ,Others use coir [coconut fiber] that can be found at hardware stores and gardening supply [hydroponic ] suppliers.

I have given up on misting my enclosures and[ dump and stir] water on the cypress mulch .

Often the humidity in the enclosure falls below what you are trying to keep it but the wet mulch makes up for it ...

Another reason for cypress mulch or coir ...


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## Bubblz Calhoun (Feb 14, 2011)

_I would change the bedding, and there's quite a few choices Cypress, Coconut husk and Soil to adding Moss. If you use soil make sure its organic, hasn't been chemically processed or contains any fertilizers. It doesn't have to be just one thing you can use a mixture to help with humidity. 

You can also make a humid hide if you're having too many issues with keeping the whole enclosure humid. By cutting a whole in a closed container like a Tupperware bowl or something. Then put damp substrate or moss in to that. This also helps with tegus having difficult sheds. What ever you use it also needs to be cleaned and checked every once in a while to make sure mold isn't growing inside. _


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## myotis (Feb 14, 2011)

I'm assuming that's an aquarium. What size? And is it a screen top? On my old tank I had to cover most of the screen top with plastic wrap in order to keep humidity in with just the mulch being moist. The moist hide is a good idea. If you have a large enclosure ( you'll be needing one eventually), I suggest the zoo med repti fogger (ventable ultrasonic humidfier). I bought mine on amazon for about 40$. People say they break all the time, but there's a few tricks. Only use distilled or reverse osmosis water. Always keep it level as the transducer is a plate that spins inside. And I like to elevate mine about an inch off a flat surface because the air intake is on the bottom and produces more thrust if raised. I can get my 6x3 ft tank to 93% humidity on full blast and i easily obtain a constant 50-75 on the lowest setting. 

I don't mean to sell you anything, I'm just givin' a testimonial. It works

and cypress is generally considered the best. Hard to find but you can make home depot or ace or lowes order it ( 2 cu ft bag) from the warehouse and its like 5$ otherwise the petshop down the street sells bags for 40$ so ya i'd stay away from that.


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## Toby_H (Feb 14, 2011)

montana said:


> I have given up on misting my enclosures and[ dump and stir] water on the cypress mulch .
> 
> Often the humidity in the enclosure falls below what you are trying to keep it but the wet mulch makes up for it ...
> 
> Another reason for cypress mulch or coir ...



I do the exact same thing...


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## eddyjack (Feb 14, 2011)

Granted, we get cold here in the North however, we do have a very dry climate similar to Texas and do get fairly hot during summer months. Nothing like Texas heat though. 
Eco Earth coconut fiber is all I have ever used and I use it like someone else is paying for it. It seems very easy to find as well. I have a screen top and have considered covering at least partially to hold humidity but never needed to as I simply keep substrate well watered. That as simple as it may seem, has made for a very happy/healthy Tegu.
I will be moving her into her new home this week that is much larger and I do have a humidifier that I plan to use on a timer ever day but still plan to keep substrate rather damp as well.

Thanks


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## rausch.jp (Feb 14, 2011)

Ok so it looks like the Ace hardware down the street sells cypress mulch for about 3 bucks for 2 Cu Ft. so I will be picking that up. My only other concern is if the substrate is too rough since he is so young and really likes to burrow. That is why I was thinking to mix pine shavings which is a smoother/ softer substrate with the cypress mulch. Any thoughts on that or should I use a moss mix there instead. I heard moss will grow things that are not good for the Gu though. Thanks for all the replies as well


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## Toby_H (Feb 14, 2011)

As pine breaks down it releases several organic chemicals that are not good for your Tegu...

Moss breaks down into a marvelous substrate for just about anything to grow in. But since you aren't trying to grow anything, and on the contrary are avoiding unwanted things (mold, mildew, etc) from growing, it may not be the best choice either...

Cypress and Coco Fiber are both completely safe, resist mold/mildew and retain moisture well... mixing anything else with them will compromise these qualities...

I highly suggest using Pulverized (pulverized, not just crushed) Coco Fiber in smaller enclosures for smaller Tegus... and Cypress Mulch in larger enclosures for larger Tegus... 

Feel free to read through the many threads where this topic (substrate) is discussed and you will very consistently find very very similar suggestions... The only time we really hear of people settling on other options is when these options are not readily available in one's location....


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## rausch.jp (Feb 15, 2011)

Thanks to all the replies. going with the cypress and maybe I will take some time and see if I can crush it up a little finer since my little Gu is only 8 weeks. I would hate to see something happen to him since he is a burrowing feign and it is a smaller enclosure (for the time being). I know there are a million threads on this so if the admin wishes to close feel free. Thanks again all.


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## Guest (Feb 15, 2011)

Sift the mulch through something to take out the bigger pieces if you want to .. 

It seams like if a tegu is out to impact himself they get it done regardless ...


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## myotis (Feb 15, 2011)

I like the bigger peices of cypress. When it gets too small it can stick to their eyes, bugs me and probably the tegu even more lol. They are expert burrowers though. Wish I had a head cam for the tegu while it burrows, cuz it does some crazy stuff under there and still stays completely hidden, even if traveling from the hot side to the water bowl(6 ft). 

Only thing with buying the bags of cypress is bugs. So check really good for little fruit flies or fungus gnats or really anything that shouldn't be there. If there are bugs (had it happen at petco once), you can lay the cypress out on baking sheets and cook it in the oven. I did batches for 10min at like 350. Little bit of an aroma but not too much.



> It seams like if a tegu is out to impact himself they get it done regardless ...



I like that haha. Yeah only thing you have to worry about is it like dropping food on the mulch and then it eating wood when it picks it up again. So feed it outside the tank. Otherwise if it wants to eat the mulch..... haha . Someone had a funny vid on here of a tegu chewing on a big peice of wood, looked like it was a chew toy or something. Anyone given their tegu a squeak toy? haha


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## Guest (Feb 15, 2011)

Those spring tails in the cypress much are harmless ..

You don`t need to [cook] the mulch to get rid of them .. 

They can only live in an environment with super high humidity and the right temp .so as soon they the leave the enclosure they die ..

Many chose to ignore them many more actively cultivate them for food for delicate frogs and such .. 

If you want to kill them and don`t want to cook them just spread your mulch out in the sun for a few hours and they will all die ..


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## HanChar08 (Mar 9, 2011)

Right now I am trying to perfect a small irrigation system that is timer triggered. So far I have eliminated a lot of things, but I am getting places. I have figured out that with a 3 gal bucket, a 100-155 gph pump and 3/8" clear tubing I can get significant pressure to the top of the enclosure. My irrigation nozzles are 1/4" inputs to them, and if I reduce the pressure to 1/4" tubing, I lose all pressure and the nozzles just drip rather than spray. So will let you know what my experiment turns out, may be profitable, may not be . . .


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## Guest (Mar 10, 2011)

The watering system we made ate the mink ranch consisted of 1/2 inch gray plastic pipe with TINY holes drilled in it at about foot intervals .

It was hooked up to a rain bird system [sprinkler] ..

I am thinking your sprinkler heads require more flow than you can generate ..

Really just a piece of PVC with the smallest holes you can drill in it ...


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## Toby_H (Mar 10, 2011)

There are a number of manufactured misting systems available. Sure DIY approaches are cheaper, but manufacturered ones are much much easier...

<!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.joshsfrogs.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">www.joshsfrogs.com</a><!-- w --> is a good place to shop for such products. Josh is a good guy and he has a nice selection at reasonable prices...

<!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.dendroforum.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">www.dendroforum.com</a><!-- w --> is a great frog forum where you will find ample user experience with such products...

Montana is a very wise cheapo that has ample experience in creating very practical DIY versions of such things... Had to give you props Montana


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