sponges

i saw on the do it yourself thingie it said to put sponges inside the hide to make it humid. Could you just put a few big sponges inside the cage to make the whole thing humid ? has anyone tried it ?

Yes, you can. You just have to cycle the sponges through because bacteria will grow on them like crazy. You can switch them out every day or two and run them through the dishwasher to clean them.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Marla

Yes, you can. You just have to cycle the sponges through because bacteria will grow on them like crazy. You can switch them out every day or two and run them through the dishwasher to clean them.

---

Exactly. On another note, they can be used for some very interesting cage decorations. I've actually bought fake plants and used the sponges as bases for them to "grow" out of :)

For that matter, they make a decent growing medium for various live seedlings that crave moisture.

yeah just be SURE to clean the sponges consistently like marla said. they are serious breeding grounds for mold and bacteria--one reason why i don't use a sponge to wash dishes. who wants to wash their dishes with a wet, bacteria filled mold haven? blech. on that note, i use reptile moss in my humid hide--do you think that stuff would grow a lot of bacteria too or is it safer because it is less porous?

Moss tends to grow in places of high humidity naturally, so I would think it would tend to be pretty mold and bacteria resistant, like coconut fiber is, but I ain't a botanist. I'd bet there are a number of people knowledgeable about moss in your area, though, seeing as the spanish moss is one of the tourist attractions.

The best moss to use in a hide situation would be Sphagnum it is very mold and fungal resistant also good for use in nest boxes due to its antifungal capabilities
and the best part is it is commonly available at garden centers (much cheaper than pet store reptile moss)

I use the sphagnum (unmilled) during shed times, and it works wonders.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Marla

I'd bet there are a number of people knowledgeable about moss in your area, though, seeing as the spanish moss is one of the tourist attractions.

---

yeah it is, but that stuff is nasty. there are all kinds of critters crawling in that stuff. sometimes you get a cute lizard hiding in there, but mostly itchy bugs. yick.

i'm gonna check tonight and see exactly what the moss i have is and pick up some of the sphagnum moss if that's not what i have.

Yeah, I didn't mean to suggest that you should use that, just that there are probably some people in the area who have studied up on moss in general. If, however, you find yourself needing chiggers, I definitely recommend picking up some spanish moss. :)