Zoo Med Excavator Clay Burrowing Substrate, 10 Pounds

I mix this with soil and sand for my leopard gecko and it works great to keep everything together. If you use just this when wet you can make it into shapes and caves for your lizard.

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 belowFor 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 itselfCarefully 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 soilCombine 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.

I bought the excavator clay because it is safer to use with a Mexican black kingsnake (desert snake that likes to burrow) than sand. Sand (which is want I wanted originally) is really bad for them due to impaction. I honestly don't think she is a fan because is it very hard and fairly dense, so I did a half and half tank. It wasn't very easy to use- your hands will get dirty. I don't think she will be able to burrow because of the firmness. I did build a clay hut out of it.Probably great for lizards and guys that can actually dig. Probably skip if you want your snake to burrow in it because it is very dense. Other than that. I like the look which is what I was really going for.To the right is the clay while it was freshly wet from putting it in and in the corner is the clay hut. The left is Terra Sahara from biodude for her bioactive enclosure.I'd say it's worth it

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!

Our little girl loves this substrate. It allows her to dig to her heart's content and helps with heat distribution from the heat mat. Little Jormungundr is a very happy Giant Leopard Gecko. It's also a much better price here than at the pet store

I love this product! It is great for creating a natural landscape, lets your reptiles dig safely and can't be ingested easily. A few notes that might help other buyers out:Firstly 10lbs doesn't go very far. 10lbs would be ok for a 10gallon tank, maybe not super deep but there would be a little space to dig. I have an exo-terra terrarium that's 24" by 17" by 17" which needed 30lbs to get some landscaping. My suggestion would be to purchase at least 1lb per gallon tank you have and then if you want more digging space for your reptile(s) add an extra 10lb bag.Secondly use a mister or spray bottle to add water to this so you can mold it. It is very easy to add too much water which turns it into a mud swamp and it takes forever to dry out.

I bought 20lb n was only able to spread out in a 4x2 tank 3/4 of the tank floor with the thickness of 2 quarter stack on each other face down,gets super hard but you have to watch out for how much water you used or you be stock waiting for days to dry,easy to build IF only IF your crafty 😆😂 other wise is a nightmare .I didn't like the fact that it doesn't help with lowering the humidity n had like a weird dry sand smell that didn't go away.