# Excavator Clay Burrowing Substrate. NEED OPINIONS!



## tom12349333 (Sep 30, 2009)

Hey RFUK 

So, the on going argument of what substrate to use for leopard geckos is just tiresome. some people use sand and there okay, some people use it and they die, some people use paper towels and everything is okay etc. well atm im using paper towels but i hate the look of them! they look cheap, nasty and not in slightest bit natural so im constantly on the look out for something more natural to use and i came across Excavator Clay Burrowing Substrate. its by zoo med and you add water to it and it sets like clay. Leo's live on rock and clay in the wild so wouldnt this be the perfect substrate for them? or is there still a chance of impaction? ive watched a few youtube reviews on it but everyone seem's to use it in tropical setups rather than desert ones.
i think it looks great and sounds great but i dont wanna try it out before i get peoples opinions, cos i DO NOT want my leo's impacted at all, i love them too much! 

heres the info on it  TELL ME WHAT YOU THINKKK!?

Excavator? Clay Burrowing Substrate

thanks loads guys! 
Tom XO


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## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

i had leopard geckos for 4 years babies and adults and i used sand but not calcium sand. if you go to argos they got childrens play sand for like £2.50 for a big bag and put this in but wait for it to dry out before hand and when its dry then its very very fine so if they do swallow small amounts its alright

i have kept 6 leopard geckos like this with not a single problem


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## herper147 (Feb 7, 2009)

and about the clay i was gonna use it but its just more work and people have had complaints like it sets rock hard if not mixed perfectly i just used the sand much easier and a lot cheaper that stuffs expensive


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## fionayee (May 1, 2009)

I'm thinking of using clay as a substrate too but I doubt we have this Excavator Clay Burrowing Substrate so I'm going to use pottery clay instead.Now I need to find a place that sells pottery clay.


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## Geckogirl_88 (Apr 24, 2009)

I tried it and it didnt do what it said it would.
It crumbles in little clumps all over the place and its quite rought so even 1 of those little clumps would probs do loadsa dammage if ingested.
It also says you have to keep spraying it if you want it to stay solid, though I stopped that after a week and it's still solid enough. I think the spraying is to combat the crumbling, but that would up the humidity too much.
Plus it makes a mess everywhere.
x


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## fionayee (May 1, 2009)

Is mud natural for leos too?It'd be easier for me to get mud.I'm aiming for a dried ri.....not really river bed but you get the point


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

My big complaint with it would be hygiene. It would be impossible to clean properly as any fluid excreted by the Leo would soak into it and harbour bacteria / viruses etc. To properly clean the tank you would have to remove it every few weeks, which by all accounts is not very easy. I wonder also how well the heat from the heatmat would transmit through it.
Lino, slates or tiles for me


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## fionayee (May 1, 2009)

Hygiene would be one problem,I don't need heatmats as the weather here is just fine for them(note that I'm not from UK,I'm from Malaysia)
Tiles are flat so it wont really be that natural.


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## kirky1980 (Apr 4, 2010)

jools said:


> My big complaint with it would be hygiene. It would be impossible to clean properly as any fluid excreted by the Leo would soak into it and harbour bacteria / viruses etc. To properly clean the tank you would have to remove it every few weeks, which by all accounts is not very easy. I wonder also how well the heat from the heatmat would transmit through it.
> Lino, slates or tiles for me


i also wanted the natural clay look but im also unsure about hygiene of it and how well the heat would get through because after all if it drys out and heats up would it not start breaking up then? because keeping it moist all the time cant be good for the leo


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

I use it my my Leo viv, though I have it mixed with sand to make it look lighter in colour, it's mixed 1 part clay, three parts sand. It is rock hard, and prob the closest thing you will get to a Leo's natural habitat.

As for hygiene, there is always a solution : victory:

Jay


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## kirky1980 (Apr 4, 2010)

Pendragon said:


> I use it my my Leo viv, though I have it mixed with sand to make it look lighter in colour, it's mixed 1 part clay, three parts sand. It is rock hard, and prob the closest thing you will get to a Leo's natural habitat.
> 
> As for hygiene, there is always a solution : victory:
> 
> Jay


hi yeah iv seen pics of your viv and thats what made me think about clay also what do you for cleaning it? if you dont mind me asking.


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

kirky1980 said:


> hi yeah iv seen pics of your viv and thats what made me think about clay also what do you for cleaning it? if you dont mind me asking.


She always goes in her moist hide, and there is only sphagnum moss in there, so pick out the poos every couple of days, and change the moss every week : victory:

Jay


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## JustJordan (Jul 2, 2008)

I find it a waste of money!
It goes rock hard even if you mix properly, and even my beardies couldnt dig it up. 
Any poo stains, calcium marks, etc are impossible to remove and slowly the whole thing begines to erode giving a layer of multi sizes stones.
Not only that, the clay it self stains everything.


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## Geckogirl_88 (Apr 24, 2009)

yeh id agree with that.
My hands were orange for days from sculpting it lol
x


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## JustJordan (Jul 2, 2008)

Geckogirl_88 said:


> yeh id agree with that.
> My hands were orange for days from sculpting it lol
> x


Yeh, and if you make any caves or anything.... 3 weeks later it collapses.


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

JustJordan said:


> Yeh, and if you make any caves or anything.... 3 weeks later it collapses.


I wouldn't make hides with it, there are always other options;





























As for it staining...?

Jay


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## JustJordan (Jul 2, 2008)

Im going on my own experience here. I tried it with a number of species and a number of ways. The biggest issue with it is it a joke to clean, and doesnt stay as one peice, even on a flat surface. It breaks up on the surface after cleaning, general usuage and being near a heat source. 
Not only that it damages the vivs its in.

I personally will never bother with it again, Pendragon if it works for you then great, but I see way more negatives with it that positives.


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

JustJordan said:


> Im going on my own experience here. I tried it with a number of species and a number of ways. The biggest issue with it is it a joke to clean, and doesnt stay as one peice, even on a flat surface. It breaks up on the surface after cleaning, general usuage and being near a heat source.
> Not only that it damages the vivs its in.
> 
> I personally will never bother with it again, Pendragon if it works for you then great, but I see way more negatives with it that positives.


Here it is in my Beardie viv, it's being used to hold the plant pot in place, it hasn't broken up, and isn't a problem to clean;










Maybe it's not the clay thats the problem in your case :hmm:

:lol2:

Jay


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## Neoki (Feb 16, 2012)

I have found it goes Rock solid and it is fine with UTH. No overheating issues and only problem i have is cracks in the material.


















Moisture is due to me filling the cracks.


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