Zoo Med Excavator Clay Burrowing Substrate, 10 Pounds

This stuff is great, my bearded dragon loves this way more than the temporary paper towels she was initially on. When she’s particularly happy she’ll dig down into it and lay in a divot of the warm sand like a pancake. It doesn’t have any smell other than earth, one bag is enough for a 45 gallon tank, it’s easy to clean clumps with a scooper. Overall this was a great purchase.

Must use for any naturalistic arid reptile enclosure and is my Recommendation for Leopard Geckos, Bearded Dragons, and Uromastyx. It can be used by itself or mixed with soil for a more natural and soft substrate. Excavator clay holds tunnels extremely well, while allowing reptiles to act on natural digging instincts. There is little risk for impaction or accidentally being ingested with this clay as it is compacted and has very little loose grains once wet and dried. As for cleaning, Most Arid Reptiles have a drier stool that will sit on top of the substrate and can be simply picked up with a paper towel. If the "used" area begins to smell, Simply scoop up the clay in that spot and replace. (I always save a little dry clay for this reason) To heat from below For reptiles that require heat from below, This can be achieved with a little creative land planning. The spot that has belly heat needs to be between 1/8th and 1/4th in thick for enough heat to penetrate. This actually works better than Repticarpet or tile as the heat is evenly distributed and retained for longer. In the attached pictures, the right half has heat on an "on/off" thermostat and is able to maintain floor heat at 88-92 Degrees at all times. To use by itself Carefully empty into enclosure, go slow to avoid dust. Wet clay just enough to form caverns and hills, I feel it works best when combined with Driftwood, Slate, Stone or Cork bark to create better climbing opportunities and help build up hills. While drying, the clay may crack as it shrinks, just re-wet the cracks and rub smooth. To Redecorate or fix crumbling, just soak the area with a reptile safe spray bottle, and reform. To create a more naturalistic soil Combine equal parts Excavator clay and organic topsoil and moisten. Be sure there are no Fertilizers, Natural or otherwise in the soil. This mixture will not be able to form tall structures, But will hold Burrows extremely well and will be easier for reptiles to dig in. As with any Pet product PLEASE research thoroughly the needs of that specific animal before Purchasing.

For the longest time my dragon would just lay in the cool side of the tank and do absolutely nothing until I picked her up and put her under a heat lamp. If I didn't do this, she would stay there and not even eat. When I added hammocks, she would just pick a favorite hammock and then stay in the hammock. I first used a beginner kit to put a small hill in my bearded dragon's tank and watched her for a while to make sure she wasn't eating it. I seen her lick it out of curiosity a couple times, but not actually try to eat it. I waited a while to see if she had a healthy poop, as she took a few days to have one (sometimes poops more often and sometimes less often). She had a healthy bowel movement and a few more after that. She dug into the small mound of clay hoping to make a cave until all the clay collapsed since there wasn't enough. I was satisfied that she was not eating the loose clay particles and so I bought her more. She absolutely loves this stuff. Ever since adding it to her tank, she gets up on her own every morning and climbs all over her tank! It's made her so happy! She will sometimes sleep on the pile of clay I made for her, or she will bask during the day. She will dig into it a little. She will go back to the other side of the tank when she is too hot. She doesn't even want to poop in her tank now. She tries to climb out when she wants to poop so she doesn't get it dirty! I'm happy to see her be more active now, because she was healthy with no problems but just wanted to lay still all day. This is also the best price I have found for the excavation clay. So thank you so much!

Great alternative to loose sand which should be banned from sale for reptiles, but having to wait for it to dry is tedious (I'm the instant gratification type, heh) and if you ever need to remove it, it's nearly impossible if you don't have easy access to an outdoor hose. Would never recommend dumping this stuff into any plumbing, which was my only choice in the end, so this clay is still in the enclosure with cypress mulch tossed on top (my new crestie got my baby beardie's starter enclosure). In the end I converted to tile for my desert dwellers, but if you want that "hard packed desert" look and the ability to add some sculptural elements, and it's a permanent addition, I'd still recommend it. Aside from the suggestion to add burrows, which would be impossible to clean.

Used in a tank for 2 leopard geckos. Can easily build with the clay and sets hard like a stone. Lasts a long time as long as it's not getting too wet. Can handle some moisture. Easy to clean off glass and most surfaces when wet, but can stain.

I was hesitant about buying this, but it works really well. I mixed it with about 5lbs of reptile sand and five cups of organic potting soil, that helps it go a little further. 10lbs is a bit short for a 20 gal long terrarium like I have, I'd recommend going ahead and buying two of these or adding in a 5lb bag. Takes a LOT longer to dry than it says though, took mine over a week before it was fully dry. But when it dries it dries like concrete. If packed it down, there is very little loose particulates so the risk of impaction is minimal. I was able to create some pretty cool burrows and tunnels for my leopard gecko to explore using balloons and toilet paper rolls. I'm pretty happy with it so far!

Love this product. It's a great substrate for our breaded dragon, Duggy. We have not added water to it as wanted to leave it as a soft substrate. It's soft for Duggy and although like a sand, does not get mixed with his food so he does not digest it. It also looks good as the colour is very natural 😊

J’ai acheter ce substrat pour le terrarium de mon gecko léopard, le résultat et vraiment naturel, et très jolie, je me suis amusée à faire des grottes avec de simples ballons que j’ai gonfler, c’est top ! Le temps de prendre le coup de main et ça forme comme de la pâte à modeler, il faut juste faire attention à vraiment bien tasser la terre sinon en séchant ça va laisser pas mal de petits morceaux que le lézard peut avaler et risque de faire une occlusion intestinale, un coup d’aspi à la fin et c’est bon. Attention en séchant ça va plus ou moins fissurer et craqueler, c’est normal, moi j’ai colmater les fissures quelques jours après en mettant à nouveaux de l’Excavator. Ça met bien 1 semaine à sécher complètement, et 48/72h pour la surface. J’ai du prendre 3 sacs pour un terrarium de 90x45cm en sachants que les grottes demandent pas mal de matière. Produits bien emballer, pas de trous à la réception.

El mejor tipo de material si tienes una pogona vitticeps, cómodo de limpiar y si respetas el modo de secado no se agrieta y deja un buen suelo para el animal. El envío vino perfecto.

Molto modellabile...si può mischiare con fibra di cocco o sabbia per aumentarne il volume

Macht was es soll. Produkt in gutem Zustand