Official H arizonensis thread

[codykrr]

hello again. hey guys i was just wondering your opinions on what sand color should i use to make my HA "pop" also im planing on using that excavator sand. anyone know what other colors may be avalible other than red?

 

[Gracilis]

I use black desert sand....mixed in with some other stuff....

 

[codykrr]

dang!!!....i went to the lps and wow....that excavator sand is out rageous.....15 bucks for 10 pounds...which wouldnt be near enough to fill a larg kk to the desired depth i wanted....also still only had red...any other advice on some good burrowing substrate mixtures....i have a 100lb bag of play sand....but what should i use to give it more stability for burrowing....

 

[deserthairy]

I mix my play sand with peat moss at 30 %/70 % sand. Wet it, pack it, and let it dry out 100%, and their good to go.

 

[tryme]

^ same as me.

I want to see more set up pics

 

[pandinus]

the excavator clay only comes in red. its 15 bucks here too, but a bag of reptisand here is like 17 bucks so i dont mind so much. its all a matter of how much is it worth to you. personally i think one bag mixed with playsand would be more than enough to fill any KK.



John

 

[codykrr]

ok well, i ended up using playsand and potting soil. turned out good. ill post apic in a bit.

 

[codykrr]

ok, well this took almost a week to dry but here is the finished project. also this mixture worked well. its nowvery compact.

View attachment 78075

View attachment 78076

 

[codykrr]

andby the way. the scorp took striaght to the log/burrow entrance and has now dug it all out. aso do you think 8 inches of sub is good enough? and yes those are real cacti.

 

[Goomba]

8 will be good since he's in captivity and all. Much better than most people's purple childrens sand. I really like how your cage turned out. If it really holds burrows that well, that's what I shall use for my H. a. pallidus. Thanks for the pics!

 

[Gracilis]

good stuff man!! nice to see people using the "Official H.arizonensis thread" lol. if that soil doesnt work out let me know and i can get you excavator clay stuff cheaper than pet stores get it...

 

[tryme]

codykrr I did the same thing. What ratio of sand:soil did you do? I did 70% sand and 30% soil I think. Mine turnt out looking alot darker than yours.

 

[codykrr]

well i probly used about 40% soil and 50% sand with maybe 10% peat moss(i started with peat and a huge dust cloud came out so i said screw that and got the soil) i baked all the soil before adding it also. so far s/he is loving it. but has yet to really "tunnel" so i will give it a few more days and see how it holds up. i may add i bought the cheapest nastiest soil i could find(on purpose) becausemost of the times it has chunks of clay, wood chips, sticks. and its always 1 dollar at the dollar store. and i figured that may help with burrows. but if this doesnt work im going to get some excavtor clay and break down and spend the money.

 

[Ritzman]

Has anybody ever tried the clay that you find in river beds? Mix it with sand and some soil. Or just strictly the clay. Surely it won't be to hard to burrow in. I wonder if that would be a good burrowing substrate.
I don't wanna pay the $ for that excavator clay stuff.

 

[codykrr]

you can mix bentonite with play sand at a ratio of either

1 part fine gravel, 1 part bentonite, 12 to 15 parts play sand

5parts soil, 10 parts sand, 1 part bentonite

or just 2 parts bentonite, 10 to 12 parts sand.

bentonite is an aluminum silicate clay that pot makers use as a binding agent. it can be found at most arts and crafts stores like micheals and hobby lobby...ect..ect. do notuse to much as it can wear down he exo of scorps...a little goes a long way! also i may add that this is only rough estimants at best, find what works best for you.

 

[Ritzman]

Cody I take it this stuff comes in a powder form?
What would it be labeled as, at Michaels?
Bentonite or aluminum silicate clay?

Thanks alot for the info man, much appreciated.

 

[DireWolf0384]

I seriously want one of these! I have seen so many pics here and they look so impressive and are actually found here in the US!

 

[codykrr]

ritz...im not sure....i know its a powder....but i dont even know for 100% that micheal has it. i havent looked yet. i figure they should since there an "all round" craft store just look for bentonite or aluminum silicate clay. there is more info in the "scorpions" book by barrons.(which is where my source of info on the stuff comes from

and if you want one....see if loudog can get you one. he is a great guy and thats where i got mine from.

 

[codykrr]

any one else have any more setup pics? id like to see more of them honestly.

 

[codykrr]

ok so last night, i did an experiment with my H. A. now i know they dont need humidity, but thats not what i was trying for. but i did put a water dish in its enclosure to see if it would drink. nowi know alot of people claim they get all the moisture from crickets and roaches they eat but...right after it ate a roach, it went directly to the water dish and drank for an hour or so. i removed the water dish after it was done, and i plan on leaving it out, but i think it may be a good idea to offer one once in a while anyway. what do you guys think? oh and also sometimes ive observed it what i thought was drinking water droplets off of the cacti after i watered them( i use a syringe to water them by directly squirting water into the dirt/sand next to the cacti, so there isnt alot of moisture)