Rescued Nile Monitor. Need advice.

[jarich]

If you were keeping it on just sand, that would be a problem, but not a humid soil/sand mix. The 60/40 (or 50/50) mix is so the soil holds a burrow better and also keeps from getting super compacted over time. Monitors seem to have an uncanny ability to know if the soil is going to be right for them even without digging. Don't worry, if you get the heat up and the humidity up, its not going to get impacted by the sand. The best and most experienced monitor keepers/breeders have been using this soil/sand mix for decades, so dont just take our word for it.

You'll also notice when you start feeding that these animals actually use the ground to help subdue their prey. Basically they grab the prey and then smash it into the dirt until its dead, then eat it. So they are used to getting dirty food and passing it out the other end without issue.