Hardwood mulch and which sounds easier to clean and not attract bugs

[Largelizards]

Right now I use cypress mulch and eco earth. But I just bought some plain old top soil that is used for filling holes(no compost), some hardwood mulch, and sphagnum peat moss from homedepot (used for organic gardening), and lots of leaf litter I collected my self consisting of safe trees like beech, maple, and oak, eco earth, and play sand.

I’m thinking about mixing them all up with mulch on top. I know this will be great for burrowing but I think it will be hard to clean out when the time is needed. Any opinions on that?

I’m thinking instead I might just use the mulch mixed with eco earth and maybe the sphagnum peat moss too. Then maybe throw some piles of leaf litter on the top for tegu to play in. I’m thinking that if I use the topsoil and sand I will end up attracting bugs and maybe get particles stuck in his crevices.

 

[Ivyna J Spyder]

Honestly it looks like you're on your way to a good bioactive enclosure! You actually WANT some bugs, like worms, isopods and springtails, which will clean up waste and keep potential mold down. It also means you won't really ever need to 'change it out' entirely, just spot clean. Once it's established, the bugs break down the waste keep it from getting all gross.

I use a mix of sifted topsoil and cypress mulch which holds a burrow really well, with spagnum moss shoved under the hides. The bugs do such a good job I hardly ever see any tegu poo, just little piles of undigested fur leftover when the bugs are done!

 

[Largelizards]

Honestly it looks like you're on your way to a good bioactive enclosure! You actually WANT some bugs, like worms, isopods and springtails, which will clean up waste and keep potential mold down. It also means you won't really ever need to 'change it out' entirely, just spot clean. Once it's established, the bugs break down the waste keep it from getting all gross.

I use a mix of sifted topsoil and cypress mulch which holds a burrow really well, with spagnum moss shoved under the hides. The bugs do such a good job I hardly ever see any tegu poo, just little piles of undigested fur leftover when the bugs are done!

Sounds good, thanks for response! Thankfully my gu almost never goes in his tank, only a few times since I’ve had him for around 5 months or so. Which means it should be an easy job for cleanup crew! I have tons of isopods and springtails ready to go. I think I will go with the bioactive setup, thanks again for your input!