I'm getting a two-toed Amphiuma (Amphiuma Means) on Tuesday, and will be working on the setup this week and over the weekend.
Upon research, and just knowing their habitats pretty well, I want to replicate it as much as I can. I am avoiding an aquarium, as this animal will be used for education for my reptile society, and the only time he will be on display is at our events.
Literally, the setup will be under my bed, in a large plastic container with wheels (LARGE- VERY LARGE.) They are nocturnal and don't appreciate alot of light. So I think it will be a great place for him/her to be setup!
I want to use mud, leaves, etc- I will be doing 50-25% water changes every few days (I already do this with all the turtles/fish and my axolotl so it's no biggie) I MAY use a filter if it won't upset the Amphiuma. I also plan on having a small amount of heat. I will either use a German heat pad (I have successfully used this with a water snake I was fostering) under one side and plan to keep the water around 75-78 degrees during the day, and letting it drop to room temp (our house never gets below 68) at night. He will have a 5-6" deep area of water, and one side with mud and leaves to dig in. If you guys have kept Amphiumas before, what do you think of this setup?
My question is: what kind of 'mud' or 'leaf' substrate do you guys recommend? I don't want any pathogens, so I was wondering if there were places online I could get some, or local sources I could get some that would be safe to use.
Thanks!
Upon research, and just knowing their habitats pretty well, I want to replicate it as much as I can. I am avoiding an aquarium, as this animal will be used for education for my reptile society, and the only time he will be on display is at our events.
Literally, the setup will be under my bed, in a large plastic container with wheels (LARGE- VERY LARGE.) They are nocturnal and don't appreciate alot of light. So I think it will be a great place for him/her to be setup!
I want to use mud, leaves, etc- I will be doing 50-25% water changes every few days (I already do this with all the turtles/fish and my axolotl so it's no biggie) I MAY use a filter if it won't upset the Amphiuma. I also plan on having a small amount of heat. I will either use a German heat pad (I have successfully used this with a water snake I was fostering) under one side and plan to keep the water around 75-78 degrees during the day, and letting it drop to room temp (our house never gets below 68) at night. He will have a 5-6" deep area of water, and one side with mud and leaves to dig in. If you guys have kept Amphiumas before, what do you think of this setup?
My question is: what kind of 'mud' or 'leaf' substrate do you guys recommend? I don't want any pathogens, so I was wondering if there were places online I could get some, or local sources I could get some that would be safe to use.
Thanks!