What clay to use with sand for burrowing scorpion?

[Troyboy9219]

Hey

First off I am redoing my scorpion tanks and I have desert burrowing scorpions on there way in. I was wondering if anyone could recommend me a brand or type of clay that you can buy in stores that is not excavator clay. Something that is safe to use with a scorpion that is found craft or hardware stores. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I would also like to know the best ways to mix.

 

[ShredderEmp]

Do you have a species name? Sometimes the makeup of the substrate is different for different species based on where they live.

 

[Troyboy9219]

One is the Giant desert hairy scorpion, Egyptian death stalker and the black spitting thick tailed scorpion. It's a variety. Also I have read that peat moss is a better choice to mix with sand rather than clay. Any truth to that?

 

[thevez2]

I use plain old regular cheap air dry modeling clay from the craft store, mixed with playground sand. Then you can mix it to have more or less clay to your specific needs. Worked great for my H. arizonensis.

 

[Troyboy9219]

More importantly how do I tell if the substrate is right? When I did it last time with calcium sand and excavator clay I couldn't tell. Is it supposed to be more or hard or more stuff. The current set up I have is sorta hard and soft. If I push my fingers into the substrate it can hold a burrow. Does that mean it is correct?

 

[thevez2]

You want to replicate the native soil composition. So think about the ground in Arizona for the Desert Hairy. The ground is sandy, yet it is very hard, compressed, and dense. It's not loose like a sand dune. That is because the ground is not just sand, it is a sandy soil that is comprised of sand, clay, dirt, and a bunch of other organic stuff.

My burrowing tank is set up so that the soil is hard. I can't press into it. Yet if I scrape at it with my fingernail, it easily comes apart. This makes it very easy for the scorpion to burrow, but when it does the substrate above it stays hard and will not collapse.

When you used excavator clay and sand mixed, did you add water? It needs to be mixed with water so it will set up.

 

[Troyboy9219]

Sadly I didn't mix it like that. I'm going to re do it today in a couple of hours. I put it all in the tank and added water on top. Is it recommended to do it in layers? I did it all at once by pouring in clay and sand at the same time and adding water. This next time I will mix it all in a bucket, squeeze all the excess moisture out and pack it in to the tank and dry it. Sound good?

 

[thevez2]

Sounds about right. I've never used excavator. I was planning on it, but I could not buy it locally. I found the clay/water approach to be cheaper. I'd just follow the directions on the excavator package, except dillute with sand prior to adding your water. Add water slowly and keep adding water until it is the desired consistency (per directions). You wont need to get rid of excess water like I needed to with my method. You can do it in layers, if you want. And let the layers dry in between. That will allow the whole thing to dry out. But it'll take forever. And really, you want a moisture gradient anyway. That's part of why these guys burrow, to find the best temp/humidity levels that they desire.

 

[shebeen]

If you can use Excavator Clay, a ratio of 1 part clay to 5 parts sand produces a suitable hardness. For an adult Hadrurus enclosure, I use a 50lb bag of play sand and a 10lb bag of Excavator Clay. Mix the two dry in a bucket or tub, then moisten the mixture until it holds its shape. It doesn't need to be soaking wet, just damp. The more water you add, the longer it will take to dry. Work in batches, you obviously won't be able to mix all 60lbs of substrate at one time, unless you have a really large bucket. Add the moisten substrate to your enclosure in 2 inch layers and tamp it down to compress it. It typically takes 2 weeks or more under a heat lamp to dry the substrate to the point it's ready for an occupant.

I haven't tried the clay-water technique so I can't recommend any brands or ratios. What you might want to do is get some modeling or pottery clay from a crafts store and moisten small (~1 cup) batches of sand with different amounts of clay dissolved in water. You could dry these in an oven, then test the hardness. If you can push your finger through it, it's too soft. If you can scratch a hole with your fingernail and the sides don't collapse, it's probably ok. If it takes a nail or screwdriver to scratch a hole, it's too hard.

 

[lancej]

This is a good thread with good advice, at least for the Hadrurus setup:

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?250397-Made-my-first-scorpion-care-video!

 

[Galapoheros]

Greenjewl's the man when it comes to H. arizonensis, good vid.

 

[The Snark]

Some food for thought regarding the sand-clay equation. There is no universal 'clay'. The same applies to 'sand'. With the exception of specially manufactured material sold for the express purpose of animals burrowing it is always going to take some trial and error experimentation on your part. Even using 'modeling clay', the cohesiveness of the material will always vary to some degree depending on the source of the clay like materials. The same applies to 'sand'. Sand can be any number of minerals of varying degrees of size. Some sands are coarse and porous while others are slick and smooth. Some adhere well with a given clay like mineral compound while others don't adhere at all well or adhere only when a certain amount of moisture is present.

If you look up clay and sand on the web you will find there are literally thousands of variations in the two materials. Thus there is never going to be one universal formula that will always work with any amount of moisture present. For example, the modeling clay used for animation is a completely different material than the clay used in celadon fine ceramics or the porcelain toilets and sinks are made from. The sand used for making concrete has an entirely different mineral composition from fine white beach sand.

The solution is trial and error experimentation. Make some molds or use the cardboard tubes in rolls of tissue and experiment with the materials you have available in your local area. Mix the clay and sand together wet, pack the compound into the mold and let it dry. Then test for the desired consistency, permeability and cohesiveness. Keep experimenting until you get your own perfect formula.