Make a burrow for your herp. They will love it and your terrarium will look great
Confused about what substrate would be best for your pet? Here is a chart that will clear up any confusion. Learn what habitat your pet is from by going to our Reptile Care at a Glance page.
Vita Sand is ultra fine to avoid compaction in reptiles.
This will tell you what the natural habitat of your herp is in the wild. Be sure to check out all of the care tips on the care chart. Then come back to this page and follow the chart below to find out what substrate will work best for you and your pet. Want to try a custom blend to make the habitat optimal for your herp? See some of our favorite substrate combinations below the chart. Still have questions about which substrate would be best, or perhaps other question about your herp? Please contact us, we love talking about reptiles!
| Tropical | Desert | Humidity Retention | Burrowing/ Tunneling | Absorbs Ordor | Reusable | |
| Eco Earth | X | X | X | X | ||
| Aspen Bedding | X | X | X | |||
| ReptiBark | X | X | X | |||
| Forest Floor | X | X | X | |||
| Eco Carpet | X | X | ||||
| Excavator Clay | X | X | X | |||
| ReptiFresh | X | X | ||||
| ReptiSand | X | X | X | |||
| Vita-Sand | X | X | ||||
| Frog Moss & Sphagnum Moss |
X | X | X | X | X | |
Does your reptile come from a forest habitat?
Eco Earth is a great substrate to help you raise the humidity for your pet.
Try mixing some Eco Earth with either Forest Floor or ReptiBark to add a realistic ground cover and provide the proper humidity. This mixture will allow the reptile to hide under the top layer just as they would in nature.
Does your reptile come from a tropical habitat?
Cover the bottom of your terrarium with ReptiSand, then add a layer of Eco Earth. The ReptiSand will hold shape so that your pet can burrow in the sand and the Eco Earth will add the humidity that tropical species need to be healthy.
Does your reptile come from a desert habitat?
Eco Carpet by Zoo Med can be washed and used again and again.
Everyone may know that ReptiSand or VitaSand would be the logical choice, but did you know that there are locations in all deserts which have more humidity? These are called micro habitats. You can recreate a micro habitat by using some damp moss in a hide. Your pet will appreciate your attention to this small detail by living a longer and healthier life. If your pet burrows in the Sand and you use an under tank heater or heat tape, please consider placing an Eco Carpet on the floor of your terrarium to protect you pet from burns.
Need to absorb a little odor?
Do Not Use Cat Litter! Cat litter is made to absorb moisture and this
Repti Fresh will help you control odor in your reptile’s enclosure.
can lead to real problems for some species of reptiles. Their skin is permeable which means your reptile can become dehydrated. Some cat litters clump. The litter can become stuck to your herp’s skin if there is any moisture on its skin, and can cause a impaction in the dietary tract if accidentally consumed which could lead to death. Instead try adding ReptiFresh to Excavator Clay or ReptiSand for desert terrariums. If you have a tropical set-up add ReptiFresh to Eco Earth.
Are you breeding desert species that like to burrow?
(Like Bearded Dragons or Uromastyx for example.)
Try adding some Eco Earth to the Excavator Clay. The Eco Earth will add some humidity to the burrows created in the Excavator Clay making a perfect nesting environment.
Do you have tortoises, box turtles, aquatic turtles or lizards that build nests for their eggs?
If you do, you will need to provide a substrate combination that will hold not only moisture to keep the humidity correct, but will also hold its shape when your pet digs her nest. We use a combination of Eco Earth, Forest Floor and ReptiSand for our reptiles and would recommend this mix to anyone with nesting herps.
As you can see here at Tom’s Reptile Supply we can provide you the right substrate, or recommend the right combination so that your pet will have the most natural habitat possible in a terrarium. If you have further questions, please contact us. We love talking herps.
