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Reptile Substrates

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Help and advice on shopping for: Reptile Substrates

Build the perfect foundation for your enclosure

Your reptile's substrate is often more important than you think and makes a huge difference to their health, happiness and quality of life. Our range of reptile substrates includes products from many leading brands including Arcadia, Exo Terra and Komodo.

What are reptile substrates?

Reptile substrates are the various solids that are used to line the floor of a reptile, amphibian or invertebrate enclosure. Most substrates are porous and allow water to drain through them creating a natural drainage system within your terrarium or vivarium.

Why should I buy reptile substrates?

Every enclosure needs a substrate to form the flooring for your pet’s home. Depending on the type of enclosure you’re creating you can choose different types of reptile substrates to either help insulate against the cold, retain humidity or encourage burrowing behaviour. Choosing the right substrate can feel daunting but when done correctly it can be extremely rewarding.

What are the main types of reptile substrates?

There are a lot of different types of reptile substrates including; rainforest substrates, desert substrates, aspen substrates, bark substrates, beech chip substrates, coco substrates, drainage substrate, sand substrates, softwood substrates, reptile moss, reptile cage carpets, incubation substrates and aquatic & turtle substrates. Rainforest substrates hold moisture and release it back into the air over time. Desert substrates are designed to be used in dry and high-temperature environments. Aspen substrates are traditional snake bedding. Bark substrates feature real tree bark and can be used in high humidity enclosures. Beech chip substrates use real beech wood to create a good substrate for burrowing. Coco substrates often need to be mixed with water and form soil that is ideal for either high humidity enclosures or dry ones. Drainage substrate is used in planted terrariums to prevent roots from rotting. Sand substrate is used for desert habitats. Softwood substrates are good insulators that sometimes also work well in high humidity. Reptile moss is used alongside other substrates in high humidity environments. Reptile cage carpet is an artificial lining that avoids many of the drawbacks of other substrates. Incubation substrates are used in incubators to help protect and warm eggs. Finally, aquatic & turtle substrates are designed to be submerged in water without muddying it.

What should I look for?

When choosing a substrate you should look into the native habitat of your pet and the sort of flooring they are used to. It’s also important to recognise the properties of each as using substrate smartly can help to overcome any weaknesses in your terrarium or vivarium setup.