substrate...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:54 pm

Hi everyone~

I bought some of that... calcium terra something substrate, and well, it smells horrible. I saw someone mentioning that when this stuff gets wet, it starts deteriorating.. so maybe I should switch to something else.
How about play sand? But the next question is, where would I get that? Home Depot or something?

Also, my hermies don't eat a lot. I'm not sure if that's normal but they're still alive and I've had them for a month or so, and they're not dug down all the time so I don't think they're molting. I don't have any experience with hermies at all, and I have a bird at home who is visibly hungry and always eating, so maybe I'm unconsciously comparing them to him.

Thanks for any input

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 9:22 pm

Yeah, I used that stuff at first too. It was rank. It didn't deteriorate, but I also mixed it with something. If you put some of it other substrate it's fine, and I think sometimes the hermies eat it, so don't throw it away (unless you want to).

And yes, play sand is great. I use Eco-Earth and Play sand in mine. You just got to your local home improvement store (like home depot), and ask for play sand. It was around the cement, if I remember correctly. But anyway, it's like a 50 lb. bag for $3. Just check it for any impurities (it's usually pretty good, but it doesn't hurt to look) and your good to go.

And don't worry about them "not" eating. If you have small crabs, the portions they're taking are so small you probably can't see the crab marks. If you're really worried, smooth the substrate around the food dish and check for hermie prints. If they're there, they're eating.