ReptiChip vs. Reptile Prime Size Comparison

[zina10]

I just stumbled across that video last night, too. I watch most of his videos... This definitely wasn't exactly a very scientific test he conducted here (as far as dust), but I guess he did pretty much prove how much more absorbent Reptile Prime is than the other premium coconut bedding. I have no doubt that this stuff is probably amazing for absorbing urine and maintaining humidity. It's just a shame that it's so expensive. One thing i'm curious about, though, is, if you already have this stuff wetted down to maintain humidity, how would it be possible to find the urine?

When you mist it...you get it just slightly wet on top. When there is urine it's far more concentrated (as in amount of wetness in one spot) and leaves a dark/wet spot. The only time that wouldn't work is if you literally misted it until thoroughly sopping wet all over.


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[Alter-Echo]

So, I tried reptichip today for the first time, set up a bigger cage for Amora today and had the chance to get a brick when I bought her last week. So far, im liking it better than my old standby eco earth, it seems to hold moisture longer and doesn't stick to the snake. My brick wasn't dusty at all, and I used a screwdriver to flake away the amount I needed without soaking the whole brick. I may try reptile prime eventually if I can get it locally or at the Rexpo show in april. Seems the best way to judge these things is to try them out yourself.

[zina10]

Hah, just looked and found a fresh urine spot. This is from a 750 gr. Snake...with a quarter next to it to show how big the spot is. It stays contained in a small area. Next picture shows how I isolate that spot from the clean substrate and then I just scoop it out, wipe the bare spot down with a paper towel that I misted with f10 and push clean substrate back over the bare spot. 2 mins. Done. Now I just keep doggy poo bags by my cages because I don't have to dump huge loads of substrate with each cleaning...
Btw there are a few bigger chunks of ReptiChip still in there since I mixed the leftover I had with the Reptile Prime. But it is 90 percent reptile prime.





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[Sauzo]

They make 4 commercial products. Cat litter, industrial coconut fiber for drought control/moisture retention in plants (we can't buy it direct), reptile prime, and reptile prime fines (not sold on the site yet but it is out there, see my previous post).

The cat litter and reptile prime are the same quantity and same stuff off the same assembly line just pushed through different sifters

The thing is, there is no actual way to get a hold of the 'parent' company. According to Reptile Prime website, there is the email which didnt work.

Then there is the phone number which when i called was actually the Cat Spot litter company which has the litter bagged and ready for sale for cheaper than the reptile stuff and with free shipping. The Cat Spot is NOT affiliated with Brian at all, it is just a outlet for the cat product.

Then there is Mois company which is listed on the 'where to buy' as well. That is a lawn business which I'm assuming they use it for grass. Again nothing to do with the reptile stuff.

Then the last place listed is Midwest Organics which from the video looks like the manufacturing plant for the stuff. Problem is their website doesnt show it either.

Then there is FB which has no way to contact them and doesnt even have anything remotely to do with the product except the name. All the pics are of other peoples reptiles not even on the stuff lol.

So my question was how would I as the consumer get into contact with someone who matters if i had an issue or if my money was scammed or something like that? Not saying it would be but most companies have contact numbers and an actual parent company where you can call or write/email to with questions or problems.

I personally have never heard of this stuff except through you guys. On all the boa, retic and GTP FB pages I'm a member of recommend ReptiChips, cypress, aspen or paper.

I did order a bag of the stuff and i got confirmation that a product label has been out of Midwest Organics.

Now dont get me wrong. I am trying to down talk the stuff or project negativity on it. I am just curious why in this whole time, there was no clear channel for communication made between the consumer and the product.

I ended up just ordering a bunch of bags of Zoo Med Cypress to give everyone a change of pace including me lol.

[Sauzo]

Call Brian? LOL !!!

I might one day but for now, i just ordered a couple boxes of Zoo Med Cypress lol.

Olympus reptiles did a video comparing the products. He is in no way tied to Brian and is actually kind of a grump about corporate stuff so I take his review pretty straight forward.

I take all the videos with a grain of salt. Justin Kobylka loves ReptiChips and uses it on all his BPs at his breeding facility. And he is VERY well known for BPs and isnt tied to Brian. I personally just order a bag myself and try it and see how I like it vs what someone else tells me lol.

My biggest question mark though is in the post above i made so i'm not going to repeat it here lol.

[Sauzo]

So, I tried reptichip today for the first time, set up a bigger cage for Amora today and had the chance to get a brick when I bought her last week. So far, im liking it better than my old standby eco earth, it seems to hold moisture longer and doesn't stick to the snake. My brick wasn't dusty at all, and I used a screwdriver to flake away the amount I needed without soaking the whole brick. I may try reptile prime eventually if I can get it locally or at the Rexpo show in april. Seems the best way to judge these things is to try them out yourself.

Reptichips is nice stuff. A lot of retic guys rave about it or paper. It's nice in that is fairly cheap and you can just throw it out every month or two. I just got tired of having to prep it every time i wanted to use it lol. I mean you could just get 2-3 66 qt Sterilites and just mix up 3 blocks and have it ready. But that is really my only gripe about it. And one other thing, being big pieces, it does allow liquid to seep down some and big snakes can hide pisses in it. But for the smaller snakes, it works fine.

The only substrate i found so far that can contain a Caesar Tsunami is aspen. Anything else just cant hold up lol. I ordered cypress so we will see how Caesar handles that.

[Sauzo]

Hah, just looked and found a fresh urine spot. This is from a 750 gr. Snake...with a quarter next to it to show how big the spot is. It stays contained in a small area. Next picture shows how I isolate that spot from the clean substrate and then I just scoop it out, wipe the bare spot down with a paper towel that I misted with f10 and push clean substrate back over the bare spot. 2 mins. Done. Now I just keep doggy poo bags by my cages because I don't have to dump huge loads of substrate with each cleaning...
Btw there are a few bigger chunks of ReptiChip still in there since I mixed the leftover I had with the Reptile Prime. But it is 90 percent reptile prime.





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You call that a pee!!?? Caesar drops those daily..usually 2-3 times haha. I'm going to take a picture of a 'real' pee and poop to show you what you are missing Zina!!! Rosey took a poop last night and to give you a visual idea, fold a paper towel in half. Now lay that paper towel on top of the poop lengthwise. Now add about 1/4 of a poop head sticking out from under the paper towel like playing a game of peekaboo. Now you have the size of a Rosey poop lol. Now for Caesar, imagine that size but add another half to it.....and bump it up from every 2-4 weeks to every week LOL.

Retics are not cheap to keep Np one told me that when i got Caesar lol. But he is such a character...love him.

[Charles8088]

Those doggy bags come on sale every so often... on the deal sites I check often. Just an FYI.

[Godzilla78]

Finally something Sauzo and I can agree on! Zoomed Cypress is a great substrate product. I only switched to coconut husk and coconut fiber because I learned that Cypress is not environmentally sustainable.
But honestly, cypress worked great. If you like Cypress mulch, i would recommend coconut HUSK, (not fiber), it is virtually identical in my experience, but sustainable.
The coco husk i am using is COCO SOFT brand.

[Sauzo]

Finally something Sauzo and I can agree on! Zoomed Cypress is a great substrate product. I only switched to coconut husk and coconut fiber because I learned that Cypress is not environmentally sustainable.
But honestly, cypress worked great. If you like Cypress mulch, i would recommend coconut HUSK, (not fiber), it is virtually identical in my experience, but sustainable.
The coco husk i am using is COCO SOFT brand.

What the heck!!?? This agreement cant be!! I hate cypress!!! Lol.

Actually i havent tried the Zoo Med stuff so this will be a new experience for me and the 'kids'. I mostly just wanted something different. I still have 2 7 cu ft bales of aspen and half a bucket of Reptichips plus 1 bag of the Reptile Prime otw.

I need to find something that lays down flat like aspen but doesnt dry out as fast as aspen. The reptichips is great but like i said, it is bigger chunks so big snake liquid from a tsunami seeps down to the cage floor. From what i was told by people, the Zoo Med cypress lays flat like aspen does but is damp so it wont have all the voids or gaps that a chunkier substrate has.

And who cares about the sustainability!! I'll be long dead before cypress forests dry up and i bet the planet as a whole will be wiped out before then too. i mean we got that idiot Trump leading us and threatening North Korea with war when they finally figured out to make rockets and nuclear arms that can reach us. Either he is going to be backpedaling and looking like a blowhard kid if he doesnt commit to war if North Korea says 'kiss out behinds" or he is going to have to make good on his threats and take us to war which will probably end with the world going south quick.

And j/k about the sustainability. Figured I'd say it so Godzilla has something else to disagree with me on or heck maybe he loves Trump which in that case, we would have a lot to disagree on lol.