How to store and pretreat substrate?

[MissterDog]

Just wondering how you guys store your substrate, especially ones that require water mixtures. The two substrates I'm considering getting are Reptibark and Reptichip.

Reptibark I'm sure you can just store/keep the portion you're not using in the bag. How would you store something like Reptichip? Would I just cut a portion of the brick I want used then store the rest of the brick dry?

For pretreating for mites I heard people either bake, freeze or/spray with prevent-a-mite. Seems straight forward with Reptibark or other dry substrates but at what stage do I treat water/damp based substrates like Reptichip? For example would I spray it with Prevent -a-mite after I've mixed it with water or after? And what about baking or freezing? Would I do that when it's dry/when it's a brick before mixing it with water?

[Sauzo]

When I used ReptiChips, I just left it stacked in the plastic covered bricks in the corner of the room with the snakes. If you order the stuff online, there is close to a zero chance of it having mites. Mites need a warm, humid area. A dry plastic bag of substrate being thrown around in the back of a cold FedEx truck for 5 days is not going to where they are going to want to lay eggs especially since I would have no idea how snake mites would live in the back of a FedEx truck.

I actually asked Bob at Pro Products about using PAM on ReptiChips or Eco Earth or stuff like that. He said it can be used on any substrate. Just the drying and outgassing time will vary. Not exactly what I was looking for in the answer but he did say he prefers paper as it easier and very effective.

I used big bails of American Excelsior aspen for years as well as Eco Earth and ReptiChips and I have never gotten mites from substrate. I do order it online though and the aspen I used to pick up from Bean Farm as I live close to them. Just avoid questionable pet shops. I mean like I said, think like a mite.....ok I got this sweet humid, warm cage with dark places to lay my eggs and an easy food source. Do I want to lay my eggs here or do I want to have to travel outside to the dry, cold, well lit area and lay my eggs in this place.

To answer your question though, I would either bake it at like 140F or freeze it. I don't think I would spray PAM on a substrate that will stay damp.

[MissterDog]

When I used ReptiChips, I just left it stacked in the plastic covered bricks in the corner of the room with the snakes. If you order the stuff online, there is close to a zero chance of it having mites. Mites need a warm, humid area. A dry plastic bag of substrate being thrown around in the back of a cold FedEx truck for 5 days is not going to where they are going to want to lay eggs especially since I would have no idea how snake mites would live in the back of a FedEx truck.

I actually asked Bob at Pro Products about using PAM on ReptiChips or Eco Earth or stuff like that. He said it can be used on any substrate. Just the drying and outgassing time will vary. Not exactly what I was looking for in the answer but he did say he prefers paper as it easier and very effective.

I used big bails of American Excelsior aspen for years as well as Eco Earth and ReptiChips and I have never gotten mites from substrate. I do order it online though and the aspen I used to pick up from Bean Farm as I live close to them. Just avoid questionable pet shops. I mean like I said, think like a mite.....ok I got this sweet humid, warm cage with dark places to lay my eggs and an easy food source. Do I want to lay my eggs here or do I want to have to travel outside to the dry, cold, well lit area and lay my eggs in this place.

To answer your question though, I would either bake it at like 140F or freeze it. I don't think I would spray PAM on a substrate that will stay damp.

Thanks so much for the reply! I'm paranoid about mites but hearing how they have a low survival durrimg shipping is reassuring! I think atm Reptichip is only available to me online so let's hope that Fedex truck murders most of them for me lol.


How responsive is Bob btw? I was thinking of going to him for my RHP and I heard you can drop ship your RHP to Animal Plastics to get installed? I just have no idea who'd I'd contact first lol


For the Reptichip, would I freeze/bake it before or after I've mixed it with water?

[Sauzo]

Thanks so much for the reply! I'm paranoid about mites but hearing how they have a low survival durrimg shipping is reassuring! I think atm Reptichip is only available to me online so let's hope that Fedex truck murders most of them for me lol.


How responsive is Bob btw? I was thinking of going to him for my RHP and I heard you can drop ship your RHP to Animal Plastics to get installed? I just have no idea who'd I'd contact first lol


For the Reptichip, would I freeze/bake it before or after I've mixed it with water?

Bob usually answers within a day. I have a Pro Products PH3 RHP in my Pro-Line cage but its just my QT cage as I keep my house warm so flexwatt works better for me. I got 3 Animal Plastics T10s and 3 T8s that I use flexwatt in.

You can have the RHP drop shipped to AP. I would call Ali at AP and ask her. I ordered all my cages by calling her as the LED lights isn't listed on their website so you have to actually talk to her to have them out on. My guess would be you would talk to Bob and after you figure out the size RHP you need, tell him to drop ship it to AP. Then call Ali and give her a heads up so she can add a notation to the order.

You would want to bake or freeze the ReptiChips before water, otherwise you are going to have one heck of a sauna in your oven or a block of ice you are going to need to thaw out lol.