Yard mulch

I have a question concerning the yard mulch some people use around the yards.I talked to a worker at that nasty pet store in peoria and she pointed out that the owner uses yard mulch as the substrate.I also talked to the owner himself and he said that "reptiles magazine" said its ok to use the yard mulch :O.I find this very hard to believe :confused:.In my opinion its just being a cheap *** and sadly the snakes will suffer as they will tell buyers of the snakes to use it also.So tell me your thoughts on this "yard mulch" ;)

I geuss it all depends on what type of woods

Sure he wasn't thinking of cypress? It's meant for flowerbeds and yards, and is mulch. In my area, it's only $2 for a 2cu. ft. bag.

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

Sure he wasn't thinking of cypress? It's meant for flowerbeds and yards, and is mulch. In my area, it's only $2 for a 2cu. ft. bag.

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Yea thats the same bag of stuff i saw there.

Just to keep everything together here is the thread i started about this petstore http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=56834

We use cypress mulch... :confused:

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

We use cypress mulch... :confused:

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But is it the same stuff that they use outside? This is what i am wondering ;)

Yes. We buy it in the garden center at walmart or home depot. 100% Cypress, then we take it home and bake the whole bag and store it for later.

LOL, I guess your confusing me. Where should I be buying cypress mulch from? Is there something wrong with using cypress mulch. So many people use it....

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Yes. We buy it in the garden center at walmart or home depot. 100% Cypress, then we take it home and bake the whole bag and store it for later.

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Ok then i asked the lady if they bake it and she said no ;).I do not know of anyone that uses this stuff

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Originally Posted by joepythons

I do not know of anyone that uses this stuff

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Really? That's odd. I know a lot of breeders that use cypress. For one, BHB. He's got pallets of the stuff.(not that I know him personally). Just about any breeders I've talked to at shows use it. Are you sure we're talking about the same stuff here? ;)

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Really? That's odd. I know a lot of breeders that use cypress. For one, BHB. He's got pallets of the stuff.(not that I know him personally). Just about any breeders I've talked to at shows use it. Are you sure we're talking about the same stuff here? ;)

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Well the bag i saw was the same bag of stuff people place around the bushes in the spring :P.

Yup, that's what we use. Granted it's not the dyed stuff that's red or black and such. But it is yard mulch. We scour the places looking for no blends, but 100% cypress. Like Becky said, 2 cubic feet for 2$. :)

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Yup, that's what we use. Granted it's not the dyed stuff that's red or black and such. But it is yard mulch. We scour the places looking for no blends, but 100% cypress. Like Becky said, 2 cubic feet for 2$. :)

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Hmm ok :D

talk about mite problems after that if you don't bake it long enough .What a cheap f***!
I wouldn't buy any snakes from that store .

Wood mites are different from snake mites, and the little white buggers wont hurt your snake. We bake it to avoid the wetness and potential critters running around the room. :)

It is recommended that any material not specifically produced as substate be place in an oven at 80-90 degrees centigrade at a maximum thickness of 3cm for 2-3 hours, this will remove excess water and kill any bacteria or mould. Hotter temperatures are not required and may burn the substrate releasing poisonous chemicals.

You should also be aware that some garden wood mulches contain chemicals to stop mould, deter slugs and snails, etc. These should not be used.

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Wood mites are different from snake mites, and the little white buggers wont hurt your snake. We bake it to avoid the wetness and potential critters running around the room. :)

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I did forget to add one thing about the way he uses this stuff.He keeps it soaked as thats what the reptile magazine said to do :confused:.I mean its SOAKED not just damp.I know wood mites are differant but would you want to buy something with any type of bugs crawling over it :O.

I used to use cypress mulch, that I had bought at a local nursery. It was marketed as garden mulch. It is an "OK" substrate in my eyes, but not ideal, as I was leary about it being swallowed as a snake ate. There are alot of breeders that I have seen, that use cypress. I just prefer newspaper for its non-danger of being swallowed, and cleanability.