Sav monitor substraight

[slayer]

Baking dirt is silly. You want it to be biologicaly active.
Besides with the hundreds and hundreds of lbs of soil you'll need it would be a nightmare of a job.

[reptidude1]

I see what you mean, i just wanted to be sure thanks

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Speaking of biologically active.. Is that something that just normally occurs or do you need to help the process along? Like how I added a colony of springtails to my scorpions ecoearth to keep waste broken down so it wouldn't need to be changed.

Do you need to add the little bugs for the sav substrate?

[slayer]

As long as the dirt is not treated in any way it will naturally contain varius beneficial bacteria and soil mites that help in the break down of waste. Fluffing it up once in a while and keeping it moist at depth but dry on top is all that's needed.
You could add specific detris feeders like springtails if you like, but I tend to rely on the hitchhikers that come along with the leaf litter I collect from the woods and add to my enclosures every fall.

[wolfy-hound]

I really do love using a full sized hoe and shovel inside my house. "Fluffing" the dirt every so often really helps a lot but I just get a thrill out of using full sized garden implements inside. I'm considered odd though...

[slayer]

I really do love using a full sized hoe and shovel inside my house. "Fluffing" the dirt every so often really helps a lot but I just get a thrill out of using full sized garden implements inside. I'm considered odd though...

........... hahahaha using a shovel inside my living room is pretty much the only reason I got into working with monitors. Well that and a sick pleasure i have in putting my back through hell.

[mumps]

Great advice, guys!

To Reptiledude1 -

If you want your enclosure to last, coat the interior walls with something like Varathane Diamond Finish; 4 to 5 coats and let it cure for at least a week, preferably two. This will ensure resistance to the wet environment it will need to endure. I'm in the curing process myself for some new enclosures I'm making (for V. ornatus and V. acanthurus brachyurus).

Good luck!

Chris