Reptiprime???

Been keeping BPs and other snakes for decades. I've only used aspen.

How long has Reptiprime been around, and what's the appeal? Also, are there any concerns or issues people have noticed with Reptiprime?

I use the same material (not Reptiprime brand) but for other exotics for well over a decade.

I'm surprised to learn it's being used for herps, it seems to have exploded in use for snakes.

The funny part is snake owners who own tarantulas are saying "might use it for my tarantulas"--- that's nothing new, been doing that forever.

Coco substrate whether it in fine form like Reptile Prime or Chips like Reptichips is still coco substrate which has been around forever, and while mainly used in horticulture people who are old school have been using those type of substrate for years.

What new? Now they are specifically marketed for reptile keepers, however good advertising and famous endorsements do not change what those products are (still the same coconut product) and this is what people are paying for.

I started when it was herptopia and loved it then. I have used Eco earth and there is a difference. I use reptile prime because it was herptopia not because Brian's face is on it. It works so much better than any other product I have tries. I have used aspen, soft wood shavings, eco earth, reptibark and it's not to all of them except the herptopia. Less dust, holds moisture better (if you need it), less clean up since you can spot clean easier, and bags last so much longer.

there's a nice long thread that discusses it here: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ize-Comparison

And yes Coco has been used for reptiles for a long time and it's the only substrate I've ever seen used for tarantulas :gj:

For ball pythons it is the best you cna use.

Reptile prime was called herptopia until Brian Barczyk bought into it and is still made by Midwest Organics outside of St Louis. They started making fertilizer and expanded into coconut fiber for cat litter, soil substitute, and exotics litter.

You can now also get it on Amazon. I have a 4x2x2 cage and use less than half a bag every 3 months and my ball python loves it. He digs in it, burrows down in it and is far more active on it than when I used cypress bark.

Do you have any concerns about feeding on it??

The only reason i am trying it is because i like to try all sorts of different substrates. I ordered one bag and we'll see how it works for my GTP. Pat took a huge poop(for his size) a few days ago and i found it on the ReptiChips without too much issue. His poops are always pretty close to a white urate so i can just scoop out about a 3-4 inch area and be confident i got it all.

I am trying it because its the middle road between big chips of ReptiChips and ground powder of Eco Earth. Whether i buy more, who knows but honestly for the price, it's comparative to cypress which so far i am liking and the snakes seem to be liking it. The difference is the Reptile Prime shipping is beyond ridiculous. With the cypress, i get free shipping. If Reptile Prime actually pulled their heads out of the dark place and offered combined or free shipping over X amount spent, it might be higher on my list.

Oh and the cypress laying flat is a big bonus. Caesar took a HUGE poop and it sat on top as well as all his pisses. Same with Rosey. Vicky tried to bury a piss but was only half successful. So the cypress so far has proven to be about 80% poop/pee bury proof lol.

Without actually having a sample yet(will get the bag tomorrow), my vote goes to cypress, then Rpetichips, then aspen. And also funny part is, i ordered 7 bags of cypress from Chewy.com and got free 2nd day shipping. I order 1 bag of Reptile Prime and pay $5 for shipping and it takes 1 week to ship to me......go figure.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

The only reason i am trying it is because i like to try all sorts of different substrates. I ordered one bag and we'll see how it works for my GTP. Pat took a huge poop(for his size) a few days ago and i found it on the ReptiChips without too much issue. His poops are always pretty close to a white urate so i can just scoop out about a 3-4 inch area and be confident i got it all.

I am trying it because its the middle road between big chips of ReptiChips and ground powder of Eco Earth. Whether i buy more, who knows but honestly for the price, it's comparative to cypress which so far i am liking and the snakes seem to be liking it. The difference is the Reptile Prime shipping is beyond ridiculous. With the cypress, i get free shipping. If Reptile Prime actually pulled their heads out of the dark place and offered combined or free shipping over X amount spent, it might be higher on my list.

Oh and the cypress laying flat is a big bonus. Caesar took a HUGE poop and it sat on top as well as all his pisses. Same with Rosey. Vicky tried to bury a piss but was only half successful. So the cypress so far has proven to be about 80% poop/pee bury proof lol.

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What Sauzo said! I use paper towels and i've always been opposed to using substrates for many different reasons, but due to the fact that i'm growing extremely tired of battling humidity during the winter months in my dry old house, i'm starting to consider substrate. Reptile Prime would be my first choice, but the shipping cost would make it cost waaay too much for me to have 15 - 20 snakes on this stuff!

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Originally Posted by Aedryan Methyus

What Sauzo said! I use paper towels and i've always been opposed to using substrates for many different reasons, but due to the fact that i'm growing extremely tired of battling humidity during the winter months in my dry old house, i'm starting to consider substrate. Reptile Prime would be my first choice, but the shipping cost would make it cost waaay too much for me to have 15 - 20 snakes on this stuff!

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Go to something like cypress or ReptiCHips. Stuff is cheap enough and free or cheap shipping. Plus the stuff hold humidity really well and with it being fairly cheap, you can throw it out every 2 months.

Best of all is with the cypress, my snakes cant hide poops and pees anymore!!!! The Reptichips was nice but my snakes were able to push their tails under it and drop a deuce or piss and then crawl away. Nothing like blindly fishing in substrate and sinking a finger into a 6+ inch cold turd that is about 1-2 inches thick :(

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

...Nothing like blindly fishing in substrate and sinking a finger into a 6+ inch cold turd that is about 1-2 inches thick :(

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LMAO!!! That is hilarious! :rofl:

Appreciate the feedback.

Not sure if Reptiprime is as dust free as they claim, is it?

How’s the poop odor of this stuff compared to aspen bedding?

Never used cypress either...

Reptile prime is 99% dust free. Like seriously dust free. I never know when either snake pees as I can not smell it.

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Reptile prime is 99% dust free. Like seriously dust free. I never know when either snake pees as I can not smell it.

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Originally Posted by Sunnieskys

Reptile prime is 99% dust free. Like seriously dust free. I never know when either snake pees as I can not smell it.

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Reptile prime is 99% dust free. Like seriously dust free. I never know when either snake pees as I can not smell it.

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Thank you! May try it with my Woma first.

Cypress is also dust free. ReptiChips is pretty much dust free too.

My advice is order a bag of it and try it yourself. You are going to get all kinds of different answers as everyones set ups are going to be different.

But i can tell you in 20+ years of keeping snakes, aspen has still been the best standby substrate for me. Yes, it is kind of dusty but you know what, i have never had an issue with the dust on any of my snakes. It is cheap and readily available which means you can throw it out every month or even every 2 weeks if you feel you need an ultra clean cage. You can mist it which will kill the dust and it wont mold unless it has been sitting soiled for a long time and wet. I personally would never let any substrate sit for over 3 months on a snake. You might not see poop or piss but you cant tell me the snake has not crawled across it at some point if it took a poop or piss in the middle of the night. Those particles of waste WILL get tracked around the cage even if you cant see it. Heck i think most of the substrates even tell you to change it out every 3 months at the longest.

Anyways, just order a bag and try it. just be aware that it is the least economical substrate so if you have lots of snakes, you will go broke using it unless you let the stuff sit in the cages for months on end which imo is kind of gross :)

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Cypress is also dust free. ReptiChips is pretty much dust free too.

My advice is order a bag of it and try it yourself. You are going to get all kinds of different answers as everyones set ups are going to be different.

But i can tell you in 20+ years of keeping snakes, aspen has still been the best standby substrate for me. Yes, it is kind of dusty but you know what, i have never had an issue with the dust on any of my snakes. It is cheap and readily available which means you can throw it out every month or even every 2 weeks if you feel you need an ultra clean cage. You can mist it which will kill the dust and it wont mold unless it has been sitting soiled for a long time and wet. I personally would never let any substrate sit for over 3 months on a snake. You might not see poop or piss but you cant tell me the snake has not crawled across it at some point if it took a poop or piss in the middle of the night. Those particles of waste WILL get tracked around the cage even if you cant see it. Heck i think most of the substrates even tell you to change it out every 3 months at the longest.

Anyways, just order a bag and try it. just be aware that it is the least economical substrate so if you have lots of snakes, you will go broke using it unless you let the stuff sit in the cages for months on end which imo is kind of gross :)

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When I did use aspen in the past, I had a metal window screen stapled to a wooden frame that I used to sift out dust from bags of aspen. Worked like a CHAMP.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Cypress is also dust free. ReptiChips is pretty much dust free too.

My advice is order a bag of it and try it yourself. You are going to get all kinds of different answers as everyones set ups are going to be different.

But i can tell you in 20+ years of keeping snakes, aspen has still been the best standby substrate for me. Yes, it is kind of dusty but you know what, i have never had an issue with the dust on any of my snakes. It is cheap and readily available which means you can throw it out every month or even every 2 weeks if you feel you need an ultra clean cage. You can mist it which will kill the dust and it wont mold unless it has been sitting soiled for a long time and wet. I personally would never let any substrate sit for over 3 months on a snake. You might not see poop or piss but you cant tell me the snake has not crawled across it at some point if it took a poop or piss in the middle of the night. Those particles of waste WILL get tracked around the cage even if you cant see it. Heck i think most of the substrates even tell you to change it out every 3 months at the longest.

Anyways, just order a bag and try it. just be aware that it is the least economical substrate so if you have lots of snakes, you will go broke using it unless you let the stuff sit in the cages for months on end which imo is kind of gross :)

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I’m aspen fan too for reasons you mentioned. I’m asking a few questions to clear some basics out of the way- I realize you need to try. Agreed on cost!!

I actually just got my single bag of the stuff which I'm going to test on pat my GTP. I'll let you know how i like it. First strike though is the giant pic of Brian on the bag. It's a lot bigger in person than on the website lol.

So i switched out the ReptiChips for the Reptile Prime. Stuff does seem pretty nice. It is nice and fluffy and is more or less dust free when i stirred it up. Stuff seems like it would be great for small to small/medium snakes. For any large constrictor like a boa or retic or burm, nope the stuff is way too airy, fluffy and light. It would be shoved into piles the second the snake started to move around and with it being so light, they could easily bury a turd or piss in it. But anyways, i think its great for smaller snakes but the shipping is a breaker. I'll stick to cypress for now but i will probably use it for Pat. Going to have to wait until he actually comes down to check it out at night.