New Zoomed Substrate

[aliceinwl]

I just saw this substrate on one of the herp forums I frequent. It looks like it's a clay sand mix that's formulated to hold burrows:
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...o-med-5lb-excavator-clay-burrowing-substrate/

Has anyone tried it for T's yet? All my T's are North American Aphonopelmas many of whom I found in substrates with high clay contents. I'm curious if a substrate like this could be benificial for T's like mine since it would seem to be closer to what they exist on in nature than the compressed coconut fiber substrates I currently use. It would, however, likely be a lot heavier.

If no-one has anything bad to say about it, I'll probably pick up a bag once it shows up in the local stores or at the next herp show I attend.

-Alice

 

[bkirchner81]

ZooMed

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you should change the title of this post to " Zoo Med substrate" (capitol "M")

do the Aphonopelmas thrive in sand as well as clay? It's funny sometimes how these creatures adapt to conditions which are nothing like what the species evolved in- so maybe sand wouldn't hurt as bad some think, and maybe coconut fiber isnt as bad as you think..
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[C_Strike]

actually cocnut fibre and a bit of sand works very well in my experience..probaably the best tbh

 

[aliceinwl]

I'm happy with the cocconut fiber, I'm just wondering if this would be an improvement. My T's basically dig themselves out of house and home; they keep excavting under their hides until they undermine the ceiling. I've combatted this by affixing legs to the stone tiles I give them to burrow under.

This ensures there are no cave-ins no matter how much digging they do. The entrances to their lairs, however, do not match the shape and orietation and are not webbed like they are in the wild. They also cannot expand the chamber beyound the 6x6 inch tile without risking a cave in.

I've also found that the ability of the cocconut fiber to hold a burrow decreases dramatically when its dry. Since my spiders are from rather dry environments I like to keep the substrate dry. It would be nice to have a dry substrate that held burrows well.

-Alice

 

[Amanda]

I can't see any reason why it would be "harmful." Lots of substrates could happily house a T, but this stuff looks great too. If you want it, go for it!