Hi everyone -

I must have the most spoiled brat hissers on earth. I just posted about what food to feed them, and now I am wondering about substrate. I have two (so far) for pets and they have a pretty big enclosure. I have a big hut, a medium hut, and edible hut (for hamsters, they seem to like that one!) and I am having trouble with the substrate. I used the coconut and they didn't want to get off of their huts and walk around. When they did explore their housing, they went up the walls and around to the next hut. I am trying peat moss/potting soil now and same thing. They actually crawled up one arm, across my back, and down the other onto a hut to avoid walking on it.

Any suggestions or are they just the divas I am raising them to be?

Have you tried normal potting soil?

I forgot to mention that one. I did do potting soil. They don't mind walking on the stuff under the huts, but outside the huts, they will run or go up the walls rather than touch them.

I try to keep it a little damp, but not soaking wet. Do you think maybe it is still too wet for them? It is drier under the huts.

Mine are the same way. They usually hang out on the walls or on a fake plant stump i have in there.

At least they can reach the food and get to the other huts, so I am not too worried. I am going to try letting the ground dry out a bit too so it matches what it is like under the huts. It could be that I was misting and making it too damp for their liking.

Thanks!!

I keep mine on 2 inches of cypress mulch and they do fine.

I use peat moss too. I wet it down, compact it to the bottom, let it dry out and it works good. During the day all the roaches hang out on "stuff" in the tank and hide I think because it makes them feel secure. At night them roam around on the substrate frequently. I have no ideas what is causing your problem though...?

I may have just figured out part of the problem. The UTH I have for their enclosure doesn't seem to be working. I have a hermit crab tank throwing off some heat. The log they have been sitting on is against the wall next to the crab tank. I moved them a little closer to the heater, just enough to raise the temp in the tank a couple degrees and they are much more active than they were before!

That's good news! It's always good when you can find out what's wrong, but sometimes you just have to resort to trial and error.

Yes, it is a relief! New UTH is ordered and should be here in the next couple of days. Until, I guess I get a really warm room. LOL!