Cypress mulch

[MitsuMike]

Been looking to switch from reptibark to cypress mulch for the cost, 20 bucks a bag is killing me.
I can't find a bag of cypress bark mulch anywhere.....HD, lows, tractor supply, etc.
Anyone got tips on where to get some cypress?
Maybe peat moss will work as well. Stuff on lowes good?

[kitedemon]

Look at Melaleuca mulch as well it is cheap last time I looked it was 3 bucks a bag and it is a invasive species so it can't be over harvested. For me I use coco peat as the shipping on Melaleuca is a killer!

[MitsuMike]

Yea I was debating on getting the peat moss

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Did you try home depot and walmart?

That's where I get mine.

[MitsuMike]

I tried home depot. They had cypress mulch but not cypress bark mulch. I was reading and can't remember who but someone said the hardwood mulch might poke an eye out vs bark is softer.

Also what brand do you buy.

[MitsuMike]

So been looking more and more into the cypress and it seems there is no pure cypress mulch.

I am looking at using the bedding for EVERYONE
Blue Beauties
Burm
Ball pythons

I LOVE the reptibark but at 60+ dollars a cleaning day it sucks
Also the aspen I switched from before was WAY to dusty and just wasn't a fan

I have found locally:
Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss
Cypress Hardwood mulch (not bark)

I'm almost at the point of putting all my ball on paper towels but that still leaves me with the problem on the Blues and Burm.

[MitsuMike]

Bought Timberline cypress mulch blend from Lowes for 2 bucks, went home baked like half the bag and then let it cool off. Put it in a tub with with my lesser and right then figured out that I HATED it. The hardwood mulch was WAY to long and sharp and it held humidity for my tubs WAY too much.
When the Burm gets bigger, I will switch him over to cypress but other than that all my BP's and burm are going on papertowels until I can order some unprinted newspaper.
The Blues will be on the reptibark b/c I love that stuff and now 1 bag will do both cages.
Hope this helps out any searches in the future.

Conclusion:

Aspen
Appearance: Looks nice and pretty for about a week or 2 then you have to change it
Humidity: Holds it about as well as paper towels
Absorbency: Good spot cleaning substrate
Cost: Petsmart the bag is 12 bucks for a HUGE bag
It was to dusty for my liking so that is why I switched, Kaytee seems to be the best

Reptibark
Appearance: IMO is the best looking substrate, I love the dark look
Humidity: Holds humidity like a champ, prob around +20% compared to Aspen
Absorbency: Good spot cleaning substrate
Cost: 18 bucks for a bag that will only fill about 3-4 41 qt tubs
Down fall is it's cost and doesn't absorb water as well as I would like, kinda pools on the tub floor

Cypress Mulch (HD or Lowes)
Appearance: Looks good, just like normal mulch
Humidity: Is always wet, too humid for me
Absorbency: Amazing
Cost: CHEAP
Hardwood/blend mulch pieces were to large for smaller snakes, if the bark is handy I would grab that.

Paper towels/News print
Appearance: Great, but has to be changed daily with bowel movements
Humidity: Holds decent and can be misted to up humidity during sheds
Absorbency: Needs to be changed after bowel movements
Cost: Printed is free, unprinted is cheap, paper towels well people know the cost
Most keepers end up with this........

[Muddyredneck]

hw about just putting your burm on the cypress? im not sure how big your burm is but i used it with my tiger till i couldent find it any more... so from 3-8 feet it worked awesome but my guy just laid on it and didnt really try to burrow any,

a side note tho make sure u bake that stuff REALLY good, cause a guy i know bought it to save cash and got some kinda mite infestation so bake it and rebake it i bake it at 350 for like 45 min stir and rebake for another 30 min to 45 min im wierd tho and enjoy the smell hahaa

[Lucas339]

i use that exact mulch for my balls, carpets, and GTP and have no humity or sharpness problems.

you can try a product called "no float" which is another cypress blend at Lowes. It is double milled so the pieces are smaller.

[MitsuMike]

hw about just putting your burm on the cypress? im not sure how big your burm is but i used it with my tiger till i couldent find it any more... so from 3-8 feet it worked awesome but my guy just laid on it and didnt really try to burrow any,

a side note tho make sure u bake that stuff REALLY good, cause a guy i know bought it to save cash and got some kinda mite infestation so bake it and rebake it i bake it at 350 for like 45 min stir and rebake for another 30 min to 45 min im wierd tho and enjoy the smell hahaa

I will but my guy is only about 6 months old and going to keep him on paper til he gets out of the 41 qt. Didn't end up getting the big tub just yet.

i use that exact mulch for my balls, carpets, and GTP and have no humity or sharpness problems.

you can try a product called "no float" which is another cypress blend at Lowes. It is double milled so the pieces are smaller.

If it was double milled then it would be fine, I just didn't like the big sharp pieces that were in it.