Substrate

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Reinz, I think you have me convinced to switch to that substrate as well.

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There are nicer and prettier ways to go, but not near this economical. I have 3 - 6 foot cages, 3 - 4 foot, and one 3 foot about to be replaced with a 4 foot. That's a lot of substrate for ME to buy.

Reptile / orchid bark can be cleaned and reused - it's quite a lot of work but worth it - if money is a major factor .


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Originally Posted by ShaneSilva

Nice I'll give it a try after I finish this brick of pro coco I just bought

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Shane, if by chance any of your setups are tanks, this Cypress is perfect on top of coconut as far as raising humidity and only adding water once every few weeks. The perfect combo!

Looks like this thread is going to cost the reptile substrate companies some $$$ lol!

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Originally Posted by Reinz

Shane, if by chance any of your setups are tanks, this Cypress is perfect on top of coconut as far as raising humidity and only adding water once every few weeks. The perfect combo!

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I only have one tank but it has a large water feature, live plants and moss here and there with most of the screen lid covered in foil so I don't have humidity issues. But I'll definitely be giving it a try for its cost effectiveness.

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Originally Posted by Reinz

The only thing I do is dump a bag into a tub drilled with many holes to help dry that darn wet stuff off. I also leave the lid off. I've never had any issues in the few years that I have used this cypress.

I know a local breeder that has been using it much longer than I have. He has had no problems either.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...49918be161.jpg

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Do you know the brand/label on the bag by chance? I'm only seeing a cypress blend in stock for my lowes and "blend" in the label makes me a bit skeptical. $3 for a bag would be a bargain if it's pure cypress!


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I think everything I looked at when shopping around said blend on the bag. I don't know the exact answer as what the actual blend is. My guess is the mill that grinds it just can't guarantee purity. Otherwise they would have to constantly clean their equipment and inspect for "strays".

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...17ed49dcf6.jpg
What my Loews has


As I'm filling cages I look for odd pieces. The only odd piece I have ever found was some bark that looked like pine. I'm not familiar with Cypress bark,except for the kind in rivers and swamps which looks different. Maybe "inland" Cypress bark looks like Pine bark, I don't know, but suspect so.

Bottom line is, neither me or the breeder I know has ever had safety issues.

Thats definitely something I'm looking into today. Thank you for the help n info

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If it worked for people for years, then that's the best kind of feedback you can get !! :)

The only thing that would bother me a bit is the "cypress BLEND" part. That usually means they blend it with whatever is the most readily available and cost effective wood they can get at the time.
"Pure" cypress is getting harder and harder to find.

As long as the other woods blended in are safe, its no big deal. But how would one know if cedar is ever mixed in ? Or untreated pine ?

Again, if it worked for people for years, its most likely "safe", I just wonder if it can sometimes vary from bag to bag, year to year or manufacture site ?

Owning a horse I know that the wrong wood bedding can have bad consequences, even for an animal who only comes in contact with it with its feet and not 24/7.

Has anyone ever been in contact with the manufacture about what other wood is blended in ? And if its consistently the "same formula" of wood blend ?

edited to add this link I've come across during reading up on "cypress blend" possibly containing pine. Seems that shredded pine can be a bad thing, perhaps no immediate issues, but longterm. Even for humans dealing with it ..
Is there a "pure" cypress mulch that is readily available at hardware stores ? (rather then overpriced at petstores)

http://www.ratfanclub.org/pine&cdr.html

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Originally Posted by zina10

If it worked for people for years, then that's the best kind of feedback you can get !! :)

The only thing that would bother me a bit is the "cypress BLEND" part. That usually means they blend it with whatever is the most readily available and cost effective wood they can get at the time.
"Pure" cypress is getting harder and harder to find.

As long as the other woods blended in are safe, its no big deal. But how would one know if cedar is ever mixed in ? Or untreated pine ?

Again, if it worked for people for years, its most likely "safe", I just wonder if it can sometimes vary from bag to bag, year to year or manufacture site ?

Owning a horse I know that the wrong wood bedding can have bad consequences, even for an animal who only comes in contact with it with its feet and not 24/7.

Has anyone ever been in contact with the manufacture about what other wood is blended in ? And if its consistently the "same formula" of wood blend ?

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I understand your reluctance. I was very skeptical at first.

As mentioned before, when I lay it out in the cage one handful at a time I inspect the wood. It all looks very consistent with the exception of some bark. In fact, the only difference I can tell between this blend and reptile cypress is that the pieces are much larger with the blend. Some pieces are even too big. I trash those, or if I feel like it I will use the large pieces on bottom and edges of the enclosure.

There are always trade offs and sometimes risks when economy enters the picture. I see no and have not experienced any risks. I'll take a huge economical discrepancy over the convenience of smaller and drier pieces AT THIS TIME.

I am always thinking of how to better things and make things easier, and willing to try new ideas. I've had failures, but not at the safety of my animals. But then, I've progressed as well.

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Originally Posted by Reinz

I understand your reluctance. I was very skeptical at first.

As mentioned before, when I lay it out in the cage one handful at a time I inspect the wood. It all looks very consistent with the exception of some bark. In fact, the only difference I can tell between this blend and reptile cypress is that the pieces are much larger with the blend. Some pieces are even too big. I trash those, or if I feel like it I will use the large pieces on bottom and edges of the enclosure.

There are always trade offs and sometimes risks when economy enters the picture. I see no and have not experienced any risks. I'll take a huge economical discrepancy over the convenience of smaller and drier pieces AT THIS TIME.

I am always thinking of how to better things and make things easier, and willing to try new ideas. I've had failures, but not at the safety of my animals. But then, I've progressed as well.

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Do the cypress pieces look very different from other wood ? Would one know ??
I'm looking into possibly, possibly getting a Blood Python once again, I miss the one I had :) And I know many people like them on cypress or give them a cypress box. That is why I'm so interested in this.

I haven't done any research yet aside from that link that popped up for "cypress blend" containing other woods.

Is "pure" cypress harder to find ? A lot more expensive ? I wouldn't want to buy it at the petstore if it is the same exact stuff then at the hardware store. Not paying premium for someone else repackaging it into smaller bags and sticking their own label on it ;)

I would just rather avoid pine and cedar, even for my own sake as well as the animals.

I might just see if I can somehow find a contact information for the "blend" and find out what they use and if its consistent.