Does Anyone Have Any Tips On Cypress Mulch?

[Andy-The-Snake-Daddy]

I'm getting the first BP that I have all the responsibility for soon (March 28th here we come!) and due to my previous experiences with BPs being from helping my uncle a lot, I don't know how he treated his substrate (which was cypress mulch.) I would ask him if he hadn't passed in August. I'm not sure if he did anything special, but I just want to be sure that everything is taken care of for my baby. If it helps any, this is the substrate I'm getting. I'm also adding some sphagnum moss due to the low humidity of the area I live in. So yeah, if anyone has any tips on how to treat it or what I should check for that would be wonderful!

[MD_Pythons]

I bake it at 400 degrees for about an hour or two before putting it in my enclosures. That's pretty much about all I do to treat my substrate.

[Hamsnacks]

I use Eco Earth for my terrarium and then I grab a few handfuls of Zoo Med Cypress Mulch and mix them around.

I personally don't bake the mulch as I never had any issues with Zoo Med and they come a bit wet so don't want to take that moisture away. But I do know a lot of owners that bake everything before they put it in their tanks to be safe.

[Sauzo]

I am getting 7 bags shipped here tomorrow for everyone and i plan to just throw it in the cages and see how they like it. I have never treated any substrate and never had a problem. Just dont buy from a store that is crawling from ceiling to floor in mites. In a store like that, i would be worried about bringing home hitchhikers on me over the substrate. That is the way i got mites the one and only time i ever got them.

[Godzilla78]

I just pour the cypress straight out of the bag, if it is winter and i need a humidity boost. It is quite moist though, right out of the bag, so if I don’t want a huge humidity boost, then I spread it out in a large tub and let it air dry for a day or two before putting in the snake enclosure.

[Godzilla78]

Sauzo, the fresh Zoomed cypress is quite wet, the Humidity will be near 99% if you dump it straight into the enclosure. Which isnt always a bad thing, but depending on the air flow, it could take days for the humidity to stabilize and you will have condensation everywhere, like a rainforest terrarium!

[Sauzo]

Sauzo, the fresh Zoomed cypress is quite wet, the Humidity will be near 99% if you dump it straight into the enclosure. Which isnt always a bad thing, but depending on the air flow, it could take days for the humidity to stabilize and you will have condensation everywhere, like a rainforest terrarium!

Lol sounds like what i experience when i use fresh made Reptichips haha. I'll probably just leave everyones door open while im down there. I usually do it anyways and half the time a few of the snakes will hang out at the litter dam just chilling. I also use only about 1/2 inch deep of substrate as i use flexwatt for everyone so hopefully that will help out. I can easily see if happening on my 4x2 cages but i think it will take quite a bit to steam up the 6x3 ones.

[Godzilla78]

Yeah Sauzo, the kids in your big enclosures will probably be fine, I like to keep the constrictors nice and humid anyway. I use rack tubs, so too much moisture can be a problem. If you are going to lay only a ½” in a big cage, then it should be fine straight out of the bags.

Post a thread for your Cypress experiment! Lol

[Crowfingers]

I use that exact stuff. I store mine in a deep freezer at work for a few weeks before use. Once it thaws I keep in in a rubbermaid under his tank, I stir it every other day or so as it dries just to help prevent any mildew and make sure its all aired out.

I know that you were just asking about mulch, but here are some tips of what works for me for cleaning/treating other decor too

For new logs/rocks/branches that I find or buy I toss them in the tub and submerge for 24-48 hours then allow to air dry for several weeks (in the case of wood - while watching for mold). To disinfect my terra cotta hides, water dish, rocks, and non-plastic decor I put it in a 5 gal metal bucket and pour boiling water over it and let it soak until cool enough to take out. The cage itself is disinfected with diluted chlorhexidine and rinsed well after I vacuum all the mulch dust out as needed. I spot clean daily - he likes to crawl through the water dish and make the mulch under it wet as well as drag chips into it in his midnight travels :/

hope this helps

I read this article by VPI (© 2006, Vida Preciosa International, Inc.) and it explained a lot about snake mites. http://vpi.com/publications/the_life_history_of_snake_mites