Eco Earth

Hey guys I finally found my favorite substrate and its name is Eco Earth... I know a few of you others use it... is Bed a Beast the same thing? I am looking to buy some of those cubes in bulk as locally it is about six bucks for one brick.

I'm glad you asked. I meant to buy EcoEartha and bought Bed-A-Beast instead. I'm experimenting with it on my Mex Black King and am thinking of using it for my other king, corn and soon to buy Blue-Tongue Skink. It seems to make a great burrowing substrate and you can modify if for use with either humidity loving snakes or make it drier for other snakes. I've heard many say they feed on it no problem - but they were talking about EcoEarth. I'm wondering if anyone has used them both and can say what/if any differences there are and if one is better.

Well they look almost the same, except Eco-earth is darker.

I use Eco Earth for my plated. It's awsome.

I have used eco earth in Jojo's house before and it was really messy. It stuck to his belly and got in his water. Oh then trying to clean his cage, i would rather use news paper. IMHO That stuff would be great for maybe an invertibrate or a frog but not for a ball python.

I'm afraid I don't know anything about bed-a-beast. Love the eco-earth, though. If I were you, I would check the ingredients and see if they match. If they do, then it's probably just two different brands of the same thing. If bed-a-beast is made of something different, then it should be checked out more carefully.

Darn Bed-aBest doesn't even list ingredients.....just says '100% natural' and stuff like that.

JLC, do you feed on the Eco-Earth like others I've talked to?

Yes, I've been recently feeding on it because my silly snake has become difficult to feed and I didn't want to add to the stress of feeding time by moving him. I made sure the eco-earth stuff claimed it was safe to feed on. So far I haven't seen any negative results, but don't want to proclaim it totally safe until I've had a lot more successful feedings.

I use Eco-Earth for my ssavanna monitor and my AFT gecko. I love the stuff. The only mild complaint I have it does get into my savannas water cause he likes to swim alot... and I do feed them on it. I have never had a problem with either of them feeding on it. It says it is all natural and digestable on the package.

EDIT/ADDITION:

Eco-Earth does take a bit to dry out once you wet it down to break up the brick...

That it does, it certainly took a while to dry out for me. I do feed on it because I have read many things on it and while a few do state worry of impaction most say it's fine. In my personal opinion though it does expand (you have to expand it just to use it) it looks much to tiny to cause impaction unless a full mouthful was swallowed. I honestly haven't seen my snake eat any and I montior every feeding... It only rarely shows up in the water but I change the water every morning. Also it is messy but I've found that if I put a layer of newspaper (like only 1 or 2 at most sheets thick) on the bottom I can just lift up the sides and empty out the substrate saving me scooping time. So far I have tried pieces of cocnut bark (don't feed on those by the way), astro turf (good but REALLY smells and takes a while to get the stink out also can get moldy), wood chips (NEVER cedar or pine), and finally eco earth. I find that eco earth looks better, doesn't really smell, is easy, isn't very expensive, is environmentally friendly, allows for spot cleaning, and isn't a danger if ingested (in almost all cases.. but again.. a full mouthful could be an issue but I'd be surprised if a BP died from impaction from Eco earth). It really looks like a fine dirt, looks like what you might find on a forest floor or something. :)

EDIT: Just found this link from a post by TigerGenesis! http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...al&Np=1&N=2006
Thanks Tiger!

how often do you change the whole substrate? So far my Mexican Black King seems to enjoy it. I really like too. Only negative is that it took forever for it to completely dry out since it's been raining everyday I couldn't sit it in the sun.

I just put it in but I plan on changing it once a moth or once every month and a half and spot cleaning when necessary. Yeah it took mine forever to dry out as well.

interesting - I may start buying bed a beast (I've heard many good things about it as well)

"Eco earth, bed a beast, and forrest bed are the same as far as ingredients...but bed a beast is the only one that is baked and puried...no insects and no fertilizers or chemicals"

links to buying bed a beast:

http://www.bigappleherp.com/Reptile_...st_278650.html

3 pack - http://lllreptile.com/v2/content/cat...ick-three-pack

http://www.reptilesonline.com/reptilebedding.html

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...&N=2006+113531

http://www.snakesatsunset.com/bedbeasbric4.html

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JamminJonah

interesting - I may start buying bed a beast (I've heard many good things about it as well)

"Eco earth, bed a beast, and forrest bed are the same as far as ingredients...but bed a beast is the only one that is baked and puried...no insects and no fertilizers or chemicals"

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Wow, where'd you find that info? Thanks, I guess I'll stick to it. I was thinking of experimenting and seeing what EcoEarth was like.

I got that info... geez I wish I could recall... I think I had put it on my clipboard with a handy ctrl C and just either forgot or lost the site... I believe it was at a forum but it could also have been in a care sheet - I've been reading lots of those lately. And I know this is a strage aside but I'm very happy to see you around again so much TG! I missed your shining Avatar face ;) :lol:

Thank you. I so love this Bed-a-Beast substrate and have been recommending it to everyone. I love how you can make it to suit whatever the humidity requirements of your snake. So far just my Mex Black King has it, but when my corn is out of quarantine he'll get it as well as my Cal King when she gets a little bigger.

i use eco earth also, mainly becuase it looks better than newspaper and that green carpet stuff. i dont feed on it (i feed on newspaper) and its kind of a pain when it gets in the water bowl but it doesnt matter too mmuch as long as u clean it out

Yeah its definately a pain in the butt when it gets in the water bowl >_< I change it every morning now. The other day I woke up and the water bowl had a TON of eco earth in it! Elysia must have slithered past, dragging a bunch of it in.

I feed on the eco earth, BUT not DIRECTLY on it. I have a log for a hide, and I dangle the mouse over the log and she has eaten it on top twice so far and no Eco Earth got in her mouth, at least none that I could tell. She absolutely loves slithering around in it. She actually makes piles of it, whether intentionally or not, in certain sections ^_^ However, I will be using newspaper for my BP when I get her.