clay substrate

[Shark_Bait]

Hello all, happy new year from the bottom of the world.

I'm moving flats in a couple of weeks and thought I would take the opportunity to improve my Aussie Water dragons enclosure. He currently is just on sand and loves digging viet cong style tunnels, which is great, but I worry that as the sand starts to dry the tunnels start to become unstable - I don't want them to collapse on top of him. That said I don't want to flood his tunnels either....

Which leads to my question. What do you guys think of using clay as a substrate? I figure it would better emulate a river bank, would still let him burrow and would hold it's moisture a lot better without becoming waterlogged.

I found this thread, and I think clay looks awesome!
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153870&highlight=clay

I'm pretty sure I can get bulk clay from an art supply store.

Thoughts/comments?

 

[varanio]

Clay is terrible because when wet then it drys it becomes much less breathable for the animal when it burrows, it will also become very hard. Make it very difficult on the animal to dig, which could lead to destruction of the nails, digits.

 

[coura]

Clay is terrible because when wet then it drys it becomes much less breathable for the animal when it burrows, it will also become very hard. Make it very difficult on the animal to dig, which could lead to destruction of the nails, digits.

 

[cassharper]

that stuff is just excavator clay, and trust me, nothing will burrow in that. It doesn't soak up much moisture, but it's as hard as concrete!

 

[Jfitz]

i remember using clay in my art class, that sutff's so freakin dense, i can't imagine an AWD using that to burrow, or any herp for that matter.
and with the heat lamps it'll dry up pretty quick unless u keep the humidity real high

 

[Shark_Bait]

Ok, sounds like a no-no then. What would happen if I were to mix a little bit into the sand? Would it help hold it together a bit better without there being enough for it to go super hard?

Should I just forget about it and use clean topsoil instead? Hmmmm, then I could try growing some plants in there as well. Now there's a thought....
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/member.php?u=11099
Varanio, what do use for your monitors to burrow in?

 

[Noto]

Coco-soft, Eco-earth, or other coir-based substrates are good for burrowers. The finely chopped coir, like Eco-earth, is a little more stable than sand, though they still won't be making permanent burrows in it, but it is light and fluffy enough that it doesn't matter if a tunnel collapses. Regular topsoil is OK, but can become moldy.

Now, what you can do with clay is make a permanent tunnel yourself, and just add some soft substrate that the animal can use to adjust his burrow. Urethane or polystyrene foam is probably better for this route, though, unless it's a very strong digger that could tear the foam up.

 

[coura]

Ok, sounds like a no-no then. What would happen if I were to mix a little bit into the sand? Would it help hold it together a bit better without there being enough for it to go super hard?

Should I just forget about it and use clean topsoil instead? Hmmmm, then I could try growing some plants in there as well. Now there's a thought....

Varanio, what do use for your monitors to burrow in?

If you mix with a bit of peat, coconut fiber and topsoil, all moist, alongside planting some stuff, that will increase the structure of the soil and it will be less likely to fall down Also it will look nicer