Substrate??

[Stormi]

Hello, I'm getting my first tegu soon and right now I'm gathering all the stuff I need and I was wondering about substrate.. I know it's a lot cheaper at lowes or Home Depot than the pet store but it may contain bugs and stuff. To the people who have bought from Home Depot/lowes what kind did you buy and how did you clean it? I was planning on buying cypress mulch and freezing it for 24 hours.
Thanks

 

[N8bub]

Don't worry about cleaning it, tegus don't have anyone cleaning the dirt they live on in the wild. Id be more worried about impaction from eating cypress mulch thanbugs in it. Lots of people are going to bioactive substrates. I keep my tegu on a mix of coir and dirt. Holds humidity andhe likes digging in it.

 

[Stormi]

So would a soil/sand mix be good. I plan on feeding him outside his cage anyway.

 

[marydd]

I use sand and scotts organic top soil.

 

[Stormi]

have you had any mold problems?

 

[marydd]

Just put it in. So far so good. I was suggested it by many tegu people. They all seem to love it!

 

[Walter1]

What's the ratio of sand to soil?

 

[Rebecca Stout]

I used cypress only because I have a weight issue on the second floor (sand/soil would be so heavy). I dont feed near the cypress. Ever. Also, I've noticed I need to "churn" the bedding now and then with my hands (a couple times a week worked out best). This bedding was working out spectacular for me until I let things slide for a couple of weeks. I went to churn it after adding moisture and ... molding. It mean it wasn't horrible or bad smelling or anything. But mold is never good for living beings. I was so mad at myself. I had cypress last for like 9 months before I decided to replace it (and it didn't really need replacing at all, I was just being anal and stupid). Now I've only had this batch a few months and its spoiled. Oh well. Live and learn.

 

[Skeep]

The hardware stores here seem limited, so I've been trying out different pet store substrates, including cyprus mulch, coconut fiber (which is basically dirt) and repti-bark. They've all worked out pretty well for me, the combination of different things seems best. I find that just dirt doesn't hold the moisture as well as cyprus mulch or something like that. I've haven't had mold in a year but I agree wood chips are more likely to get moldy. I also let the enclosure dry out a little from time to time if I think it is getting too humid, although I don't know if it's really enough to kill mold, maybe it helps. Like Rebecca I have to stir the substrate about twice a week so it doesn't get too packed down.

I have to say my gu loves any new substrate she hasn't seen before. She runs over and has to experiment and dig in it while I'm still pouring it in her enclosure =3 Yesterday she found newsprint on the floor and she was more excited about digging in that than I've seen her for a few weeks!

 

[aceoflizards]

I currently use Lambert's Garden Soil and their Peat Moss. Will be switching to a soil/sand/moss mix when I build my guy's bigger enclosure.

 

[Stormi]

I'll be raising him in a 40 gallon breeder and he'll be on soil. When he out grows that he will go in his 8x3 and will be housed on cypress. Thanks for all the replies!