Eco-Earth Soil

[jenakle]

Last night I decided to try the Eco-Earth Soil in my 30gal breeder. I've never used it before but the aspen and cypress combined with a dry/heated house was just not keeping in the humidity, even with a tinfoil cover thanks to the extra heat lamp. I was tired of spritzing.

I followed the instructions, but used 3 liters of water instead of 4, hoping it would not get quite as wet and be able to install it the same night. Seemed like it worked...I poured out the extra water, fluffed it while breaking up the chunks that did not expand, turning it occasionally until it was a uniform moistness...not really wet, just damp, like a towel after showering.

It seems like Osiris LOVED it, he was all over the place last night, even knocking over the acurite in an attempt to skate his plastic hides across the floor, under and around the half log and all that. Yay for new smells/feels!

However, I guess the soil was still too moist, as the acurite just says 'HIGH'. Which concerns me -- I don't want him getting scale-rot, but I'm not sure how much exposure to a moister environment it takes for that to be a concern.

The warm side is holding a steady 94 degrees, and it seems that side is drying fairly quickly with the UTH. The cool side is 83ish, and I moved the 75watt red lamp around a bit to help dry various sections out last night.

Should I lay a layer of cypress in his hides until the humidity reaches a norm, or is it ok for a while? The good thing is, he's nearing a shed, so he does need a little extra humidity for now...


Thanks in advance for the advice!

[JLC]

I think it should be fine. I wouldn't layer any cypress over it, as that would just trap moisture at the bottom, which could lead to problems later. A few days of extra high humidity won't hurt him, so long as the bedding is clean, which is obviously is. Just be sure to "turn" it every couple of days...mix it up and bring the bottom layer to the top until the excess moisture is gone.

[Freakie_frog]

Last night I decided to try the Eco-Earth Soil in my 30gal breeder. I've never used it before but the aspen and cypress combined with a dry/heated house was just not keeping in the humidity, even with a tinfoil cover thanks to the extra heat lamp. I was tired of spritzing.

I followed the instructions, but used 3 liters of water instead of 4, hoping it would not get quite as wet and be able to install it the same night. Seemed like it worked...I poured out the extra water, fluffed it while breaking up the chunks that did not expand, turning it occasionally until it was a uniform moistness...not really wet, just damp, like a towel after showering.

It seems like Osiris LOVED it, he was all over the place last night, even knocking over the acurite in an attempt to skate his plastic hides across the floor, under and around the half log and all that. Yay for new smells/feels!

this is some good dtuff for holding humidity, How ever be warned in makes it hadr to see when they pee and makes for real hard spot cleaning. Hold humidity great and looks great I just it in my viv's just a lot more work than news paper or aspen.

However, I guess the soil was still too moist, as the acurite just says 'HIGH'. Which concerns me -- I don't want him getting scale-rot, but I'm not sure how much exposure to a moister environment it takes for that to be a concern.

With a 75 watt lith it should calm down quite quickly.

The warm side is holding a steady 94 degrees, and it seems that side is drying fairly quickly with the UTH. The cool side is 83ish, and I moved the 75watt red lamp around a bit to help dry various sections out last night.

Should I lay a layer of cypress in his hides until the humidity reaches a norm, or is it ok for a while? The good thing is, he's nearing a shed, so he does need a little extra humidity for now...


Thanks in advance for the advice!

I would leave him be let him enjoy the extra humidity during his shed.

Hope this helps.

[jenakle]

Wonderful -- Thanks for the super quick response guys! Now I can read my webcomics...er..WORK, I said work... with peace of mind knowing my scalykid is slithering safely at home

[Schlyne]

I found it to be great for humidity, however, I had the hardest time cleaning dry material out of the lip of the original tank I was using. Over a year later I was still cleaning bits of the dry material out of the tank lip.