Coco Husk: a question for those with experience

I just starting to experiment with coco husk as a substrate. I currently use aspen as a substrate in my rack (shavings because I can get large a quantity for a fair price). The aspen is working out pretty good but I'd like to have a little extra humidity. Also I like the green aspect.

So I decided I would like to use compressed bricks so I can keep a bunch on hand. I tried it out last night. The instructions called for 3L of water and soak for half an hour. Well the water didn't get totally absorbed like it was supposed to. I left it an hour and still had water left over. Is this normal. Also I am letting it sit out for a day or two to dry out a bit before using it because I know it will be too wet right now.

I would love to hear about your experiences with this substrate. I chose the chunky type as opposed to the soil. I don't want a huge mess. I find aspen seems to get everywhere. I loved cypress but don't like the price here in Canada and also it isn't environmentally friendly.


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Coco husk works fine. I actually like to use it with my tortoise because I can grow grass seeds right in it!

It is nice because it can get wet/humid etc and not mold. It works well for keeping an enclosure humid to help aid shedding and whatnot.

Only thing I find is that when it is bone dry...it gets very dusty, youll be wiping down glass/plastic tubs quite often if you care to be able to see inside them without a brownish powder coat on it. As far as safety concerns go...its very safe.

If you're not using hot water, try that. It seems to really speed up the process with the compressed brick. Once it gets super tall, I usually break it in half and soak the other half at the same time. Did one last night and it only took about 20 - 30 minutes. As for using it as a substrate, I love it. It really holds moisture well. My BP likes burrowing in it too, especially under his water bowl.

i use it only for plants...... but.... use less water than they say you should, and more brute mechanical force in breaking it down (screwdriver works well). as i know it, its really moist stuff, and i dont think you will get a clean looking albino out of that enclosure, but then, its totally non-toxic and natural and plants love it. if you follow the instructions (where i live its sold as plant soil) it will be too wet, good for planting plants, not a good substrate for reptiles. so use less water and break it down with a screwdriver. its a nice material, totally natural and non-toxic, you just have to figure it out. the issue i see is that the pythons may like it, but you may not like the dark smudges it leaves on the pythons. the dirt would come off easily, but still, the snakes would often look quite dirty.

by the way, one of the reasons why this stuff is popular is because seedlings of a particular plant which grows rapidly, but only grows for a few months before it dies, which recently has been legalized in some states, really grows well in this stuff. *cough* mary joe *cough*. but then, it would not be the first or the last time that they check out a snake keeper based on infrared imaging, suspecting something else.

a house with a really warm room and some considerable electricity intake.... and coconut stuff moves in... thats a bit suspicious :)

I tried it once. For my location- New Jersey, it just made too much humidity. It took about two weeks to get the humidity going below 75 and that is after we removed scoops of it and blow-dried it. Then it held perfect humidity for a few weeks and I thought OK wonderful, but after that it dried out bone-dry and really needed a thorough soaking to bring the humidity up again. I did not like how wet it had to be to have my humidity at 50-60 much less how wet it had to be for 70%. Also, I was using the compressed brick and even after soaking it was rough on my python's scutes and the dust got inbetween them. After all of that I decided to switch to aspen which holds humidity well for my area.

I use it to create humid hides for the BRB's. I don't line the whole enclosure with it though. The BRB's really love the stuff. My only complaint is they always use the humid hide as a toilet.

Is the dust from the soil type of coco husk or the chipped more fibrous type?


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Whenever I'm using a fresh brick of coco husk I always add just a little more water. Once it gets all soaked in I just start grabbing the husk and squeezing really hard to get any left over water out and pop it into a small 10 gallon tank and let it dry. Once I get all the dirt I can grab I use a screen strainer to get any left overs. I tend to lose a little when I dump the water out but it's not that big of a deal for me.

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Originally Posted by whispersinmyhead

Is the dust from the soil type of coco husk or the chipped more fibrous type?


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I've found the more fibrous kind to be very dusty. The ground up type seems to stay put quite well.

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I like it due to the way it holds humidity so well.

Well I think that it will work out well. I most have it dry enough for the tubs. It looks great and I think if I make a few batches and keep it I hand it will work great. By keeping a bunch I will already have it dried out and ready to go for spot cleaning and monthly replacement.


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