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So today we're going
 to be talking about substrates.

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So what is a substrate?

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A substrate in basic terms is something

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that you line the base
 of the enclosure with.

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Typically, it's very absorbent
 within the reptile world.

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Substrates are a contentious issue,
 with people advocating

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for the use of loose substrates
 and non loose substrates.

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Today, we'll be tackling this topic
 using animal welfare science.

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So here we've got four different
 types of substrate.

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These are all loose substrates,
 and I'm going to briefly explain

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the roles that these have.

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So what we have here is Moss.

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So this is typically used for helping
 to maintain humidity within an enclosure.

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It's also used for Egg-laying
 so it can be popped in egg-laying boxes,

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or it can also be
 used as a incubation medium.

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The next one we have
 is a sandy soil mixture

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with nice pieces of hard, compact
 clay in there as well.

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So this is typically
 used with more arid species,

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so things like bearded dragons,
 leopard geckos, that sort of thing.

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Please note it is not just sand,
 it is a sandy soil mixture,

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and it's very important
 that we make that distinction.

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So the third one that
 we're going to be discussing is this one.

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Now this is topsoil. 

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Now this is used in a wide variety
 of bioactive enclosures.

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This is because it's really great
 at absorbing water

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and it's really good
 for plant growth as well.

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The fourth one that we've got here

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is aspen bedding
 Now this is used predominantly

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for snakes, especially those snakes
 that like to burrow.

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The only issue that we have
 with Aspen bedding is that over

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a long period of time,
 it can get a little bit dusty.

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However, this shouldn't be an issue 

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with regular enclosure
 maintenance and cleaning.

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When choosing a substrate,
 there are two main trends.

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Some people opt for use
 in reptile carpets or lino.

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This train of thought typically comes
 from people wanting to avoid impaction.

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However, by supplying the animal
 with this kind of substrate,

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it prevents the animal
 from expressing its natural behaviors.

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It is perpetuated by misinformation
 and folklore husbandry.

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As previously mentioned,
 this method is to reduce impaction.

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So what exactly is impaction? 

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Impaction is when debris becomes
 stuck in the gastrointestinal tract.

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However, loose substrates
 are not the sole perpetrator

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behind these impaction. Impaction

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is typically a secondary issue
 usually brought on by improper husbandry.

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For example, not supplying the animal
 with the appropriate diet,

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supplementation and correct
 lighting such as UVB.

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If we are looking at the guidelines set

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from the Animal Welfare Act of 2006,

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we see that we need to adhere
 to the five animal needs.

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These include the need for a suitable
 environment, the need for a suitable diet,

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the need to express or exhibit
 natural behaviors.

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The needs to be housed
 with or apart from other animals.

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And the need to be protected

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from pain, injury, disease and suffering.

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So one of the needs will be focusing on 

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today is the need to express
 natural behavior.

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Some species will naturally
 dig in the wild.

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This is so they can access microclimates

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and food that may be hidden
 under the surface.

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By not allowing this behavior. 

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We are simply not meeting
 the minimum requirements

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set out by the 2006 Animal Welfare Act.

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So what substrate is best to use? 

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The answer is it's very species dependent.

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For example, bearded
 dragons should ideally be kept

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on a sandy soily
 mix up with hard pieces of compact clay.

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The soil will keep the lower layer
 of the substrate moist and humid,

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allowing the bearded dragon
 to access other microclimates.

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Whereas a tegus should be mainly kept
 on a soil based substrate.

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This is so we can replicate the animal's
 natural habitat.

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Tegus like Mr Bags are endemic

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to humid rainforests in Argentina,
 so therefore supplying them

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with a more soil based substrate, it
 more closely replicates

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the natural environment. 

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The thicker the substrate as well

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the easier it will be to regulate
 the humidity spikes within the enclosure.