Dig Box Instructions

Here’s how we made Margarita’s Dig Box

Materials Required:

• Bag of Spargham Peat Moss
• Bag of Washed Playsand
• Large Rubbermaid (approx 2 wide x 4 long x 2 high)
• Metal Top of some sort (Hardware cloth works great)
• Clamp style heat light, 100w bulb
• Water

Here’s how we made it:

1. Clean Rubbermaid well
2. Make a mixture of 60% Peat Moss and 40% sand
3. Wet mixture until it holds form when molded, adding more peat/sand if needed.
4. Pile mixture to a depth of 12 inches or so in one end of the Rubbermaid
5. Start a tunnel for the dragon in the lower portion of the dirt pile
6. Put clamp lamp on side of Rubbermaid, pointing all the heat towards the mound
7. Mould hardware cloth into a secure lid over the Rubbermaid (The stuff is stiff enough you should just be able to fold it over the edges of the Rubbermaid 2-3 inches and it stay that way)
8. Put new Dig Box in a quiet room such as a bathroom or out of the way bedroom, free from drafts, noise, and human/pet traffic.
9. Insert dragon when she’s digging frantically in her enclosure.
10. Leave dragon alone for several hours.
11. If dragon does not lay on day one, put her back in her house and try again the next day if you feel she is ready to lay.
12. After laying, dragon will very likely appreciate a nice bath to get all that dirt off and just generally clean up and rehydrate. Remember to feed dragon WELL with calcium rich veggies prior to laying and post-lay as well. Additional insects over the usual amount are also appreciated post-lay.

Any questions let me know. I will gladly snap pictures if need be as well. This lay box has worked for several dragons, beyond our own, and is easy to use. Its modified off a style Gina Gauvin taught me a long time ago – only real modification is using a Rubbermaid instead of a Aquarium – the aquarium was a royal PAIN to haul around and clean and was too “open” for the dragon to feel secure.