# excavator clay substitute?



## scorpion-boy (Dec 14, 2009)

what else is there appart from excavator clay that can be used that is as good for my H.arizonesis - at the moment she has play sand but spends all night digging and getting nowhere - she seems to want some nice looking burrows but ends up pushing all the sand up against the viv doors so when i open them it poors out lmao - i can order some excavator clay but wonder if there is anything else just as good as i cant get it readily available in leeds and wanted something today really 

cheers


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## Stelios (Aug 28, 2009)

scorpion-boy said:


> what else is there appart from excavator clay that can be used that is as good for my H.arizonesis - at the moment she has play sand but spends all night digging and getting nowhere - she seems to want some nice looking burrows but ends up pushing all the sand up against the viv doors so when i open them it poors out lmao - i can order some excavator clay but wonder if there is anything else just as good as i cant get it readily available in leeds and wanted something today really
> 
> cheers


You could try mixing in some coco fibre or peat to make it more stable.


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

you can buy bentonite in health shops or online It's a kind of clay. I think you can mix it with play sand to get a texture that will hold burrows well.


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## scorpion-boy (Dec 14, 2009)

i wanna stay away from peat and coco fibers - want it to have a more natural desert sand appearence 

bentonite - hmmm isnt that some find of colon cleansing medicine


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## Hedgewitch (Feb 12, 2008)

scorpion-boy said:


> i wanna stay away from peat and coco fibers - want it to have a more natural desert sand appearence
> 
> bentonite - hmmm isnt that some find of colon cleansing medicine


It is, but it's also good for excavator substrates.

I was looking it up the other day for some reason, it's something like a 1:4 ratio of bentonite to sand to make a burrowing substrate.

AshMashMash uses it I think. But if you just do a google search you can find recipes for substrate that doesn't mean mortgaging your house.


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

scorpion-boy said:


> i wanna stay away from peat and coco fibers - want it to have a more natural desert sand appearence
> 
> bentonite - hmmm isnt that some find of colon cleansing medicine


I believe it can be used for that purpose, but I used to use it to clear home made wine of sediment (the bentonite clings to the sedient and makes it sink to the bottom)


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## Hedgewitch (Feb 12, 2008)

garlicpickle said:


> I believe it can be used for that purpose, but I used to use it to clear home made wine of sediment (the bentonite clings to the sedient and makes it sink to the bottom)


It's also used in metal casting.

I've always used cold tea to help a brew clear. That and waiting.


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## Paul c 1 (Sep 30, 2009)

Betonite is becoming a popular choice for arid 'burrowing' type scorps, I personally have had success with a method of using a mixture of fine calci sand, play sand and coir substrate i simply mix this together then lay a couple of inches down into the enclosure, then i spray the substrate with warm water and repeat the process of layering and spraying over again, once this has dried it forms a crust which is ideal for burrowing behaviour.... anyway this method works well for me... what you have to remember is that Hadrurus spp. are from rough, rugged scrubland terrain, where pure golden sands are rare, and although pure sand looks nice and is aesthetically pleasing it's not always best to use for your scorpion.


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

I use Lucky Reptile Herp Pottery for my little scorp and I must say, it looks great and does the job of supporting burrows really well.


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