Cypress

[Elvyra's Keeper]

I just bought some cypress mulch. I was wondering if I should bake it before I put it in the cage and if so, how long at what temp?

[Enve]

don't think you need to bake it, I use it and never have. No problems yet

[Elvyra's Keeper]

It was kept outside and it has little holes in the bag. I heard people say bake anything that came from outside. Maybe I wasn't supposed to just buy the mulch from the garden section? Is there a certain "reptile" mulch?

[Sparky1]

There is you can buy it from just about any pet store, i am under the belief that it is all about the same. Personally i would say yes to the baking, i purchased some from a pet store a while back and it had wood mites. I am now of the understanding that this is always a possible, so i now bake it or treat it. To bake place a thin layer on a baking sheet and place it in your oven on low so around 250. Some people say 30-60 minutes, have seen others who say they do it for a couple hours. Personally i do about an hour or so, this process will dry the mulch and also kill anything living in it. Once you go to place it in the enclosure you can moisten it with a lil water without the fear of it molding. Idealy it would then look a darker shade of brown and not so dry feeling.

[Elvyra's Keeper]

Ok, thanks.

[NightLad]

Question: can wood mites be harmful to the snake at all? (And for future reference, what do they look like?)

Obviously it would be better to have backed (microwaved?) mulch, but I assume many people put it in the enclosure straight out of the bag, too.

[Elvyra's Keeper]

Can you really microwave it? Is it faster?

[Sunny1]

Question: can wood mites be harmful to the snake at all? (And for future reference, what do they look like?)

Obviously it would be better to have backed (microwaved?) mulch, but I assume many people put it in the enclosure straight out of the bag, too.

From what I have read in other threads, I don't believe that wood mites can harm a BP, they are more of an annoyance and kinda gross running around in your enclosure. But maybe someone else can expand more upon this. And what I have read also they are more white colored (as opposed to being black like the ones that parasitize a BP).

I normally buy the reptile type cypress mulch, but have heard others buy their mulch from garden centers. I have not looked very hard, but all the cypress mulch that is sold near me (that I have taken the time to read the bag to) are all cypress blends but never specifically say what the "blend" is, so I don't use those. But I would definitely bake any mulch that you use from a garden center. If you bake it at 350* for about 30 min you should be good, I bake any wood pieces I use in my bird cages at that temp and time and have not had any problems with unwanted critters or anything growing on it. The store bought reptile type that I use I normally make sure that the bag itself is not torn or has any holes in it before I buy it and usually I just use it straight out of the bag and have not had any problems.

And as far as microwaving, I am not sure that it would work. I would just go with the oven method.

[NightLad]

Thanks a lot, Sunny1!

I bought a bag of ZooMed cyprus mulch at a pet store and it seems to be great for what I need. Just a mist in the morning and one at night and the humidity is perfect, as well as the heat.

I have plants that require similar care, so this is no problem at all for me - and I get to keep him in a nice display enclosure. Yay!

I'll keep in mind to oven bake any wood items I put in the enclosure in the future, should I ever decide to. Although I don't think I will. For now, he seems content as much as a BP can get.

But you took a load off my mind, in case I ever see a wood mite in the future. (Of course, I'd change out the bedding with oven baked stuff ASAP, just to be on the safe side!)