Vote for BP.Net for the 2013 Forum of the Year! Click here for more info.

» Site Navigation

» Home
 > FAQ

» Online Users: 707

1 members and 706 guests
Most users ever online was 47,180, 07-16-2025 at 05:30 PM.

» Today's Birthdays

None

» Stats

Members: 75,909
Threads: 249,112
Posts: 2,572,162
Top Poster: JLC (31,651)
Welcome to our newest member, KoreyBuchanan
  • 07-23-2022, 03:56 PM
    Hines9905
    Do you freeze your substrate before using it?
    As I was shopping in the pet supply store the other day a lady asked if I put my substrate in the freezer before using it. I told her no, I hadn’t thought to do that and she proceeded to tell me how she didn’t until she found millipedes in her enclosure and was sure they came from the substrate and that I should just in case the substrate has mites in it. I need to run back to the store today to get some sphagnum moss (trying to get the humidity to maintain) but I’m wondering if I need to put it in the freezer first and for how long? Right now we have a layer of eco earth loose coconut fiber substrate and then mixed in a little bit of repti bark.
  • 07-23-2022, 06:52 PM
    EL-Ziggy
    Re: Do you freeze your substrate before using it?
    I use Reptichip and I don’t freeze it before using it.
  • 07-24-2022, 07:34 AM
    Santiago6621
    Re: Do you freeze your substrate before using it?
    I use reptichip and I toss that in the oven before use cause I read reviews of some other people having mites in it

    Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk
  • 07-24-2022, 07:43 AM
    bcr229
    You can either freeze or bake natural substrate to kill insect eggs. This time of year putting it into a black plastic trash bag and setting it in the afternoon sun for a few hours may even do it, as our high temp today will be almost 100*F.
  • 07-24-2022, 11:04 AM
    Bogertophis
    Yes! ^ ^ ^ And turning on the oven to bake substrate or wasting space in your freezer (displacing ice cream & ice cubes) for it this time of year makes little sense to me.

    Re- setting it in the sun: best way is putting it into or on top of a clean metal trash can in the sun, for maximum heat. Turn it over at least once.

    (I don't do either one, since I don't use the same substrates for my snakes that most of you do- & what I use -paper derivatives- does not harbor insects.)
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.1