ReptiChip vs. Reptile Prime Size Comparison

[Godzilla78]

Ive used aspen, paper, cypress mulch, coconut husk and coconut fiber.

(I am not using brand names, just the generic description)

Aspen: didn’t help humidity, stuck to things, hard to clean off carpet. It didn’t absorb odor very well. I wont use again.

Paper: didn’t help humidity. easy to clean, but not very absorbent at all, pee would just get underneath it. Didn’t absorb odor at all, waste would stink immediately and stay stinky.
It is cheap and easy, so I would use it as a breeder, if I ever get 20 snakes, but I will never use it with just a few snakes.

Cypress mulch: excellent at humidity, fairly easy to spot clean, but chunky. Absorbed odor well. Overall Very good substrate, but not environmentally sustainable, so i wont use again.

Coconut husk: a lot like cypress mulch, even better odor absorbing. Sustainable. Highly recommended.

Coconut fiber: good for humidity, excellent at odor control, this stuff is amazing for waste. Feces and urine are instantly absorbed, and like soil, it encourages natural bacteria to begin composting action. It is very easy to spot clean, just scoop up the waste like kitty litter, and your done.
This is the stuff all the forum members rave about for good reason.
1 downside: it does get stuck in their mouth sometimes. I recommend laying down paper and offering the prey over the paper, so the snake doesnt get a mouthful of dirt! I had to use a Q-tip and swab the stuff out of Chuck’s mouth last week.


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[Alter-Echo]

What is the deal with reptile prime exactly? It looks like it's just really expensive eco-earth with Brian's face on it.

[zina10]

Has nothing to do with how delicate a snake is or not Both work perfectly fine.

Its really mostly personal preference. And priorities.

If finances are a priority, ReptiChip is cheaper.

Here is why I prefer Reptile Prime over ReptiChip.

I do NOT like having to wet that giant brick of ReptiChip. It leaves me with a huge amount of wet substrate. And it stays wet for quite a while. It raises the humidity like crazy, and that is not always a good thing. I much prefer to start out with DRY substrate and then mist as needed. When I used ReptiChip I would put the wet stuff in a giant tote and then turn it several times the day while trying to dry it out faster. Pain in the rear end. IF someone needs super high humidity and has a cage in which substrate dries out quickly, by all means, ReptiChip would be great. Also if you need a ton of substrate for many animals, ReptiChip may be the way to go, as you don't have to store that much of it.

I do NOT like the big chunks in ReptiChip. They don't feel comfortable. Also, they have different colors/shades. Some lighter, some darker. That in itself is not a problem, pleasing to the eye actually, but it makes spot cleaning harder. With The Reptile Prime I know exactly which part of the substrate is soiled. Its darker. With the ReptiChip I used to waste a lot more clean substrate, because of the chunks and not being sure which chunks are darker because they have urine soaked in and which of them are darker just because that's the way they are. I also find Reptile Prime soaks up messes much better, far easier to clean.

I HAVE found mold on ReptiChip. On the chunks. I have never had that problem with Reptile Prime.

So here you go. If some of those issues on either of those products are not a big deal to you, you can decide what works FOR YOU !! The snakes will be fine either way, if you adjust the humidity correctly.
I have low humidity in the house at times. When the AC runs a lot or the heater. Never had a issue though. I have one of those bigger spray bottles (pressure ones) and it takes seconds to mist.

Yes, sometimes you will have a piece of substrate in the snakes mouth. With either of the products. Only have seen that occasionally. With Reptile Prime it will be soft and most likely they can work it out of their mouth themselves just fine. If a bit gets swallowed, no big deal. They digest bones within days, a bit of dirt isn't going to cause an issue.

The only time I had to "dig out" a piece of substrate was actually a long but narrow chunk of ReptiChip. That was not going to just work its way out. Of course that was in Jags (3000 gr male) mouth and he was still in hunting/feeding mode. Fun fun.

[zina10]

What is the deal with reptile prime exactly? It looks like it's just really expensive eco-earth with Brian's face on it.

I used it before it had Brian's face on it and before he purchased it. Its not like the other substrates and I purchased a bunch of similar ones and made a post comparing them (with pictures) If I can find it, I will link you to it

[Alter-Echo]

I used it before it had Brian's face on it and before he purchased it. Its not like the other substrates and I purchased a bunch of similar ones and made a post comparing them (with pictures) If I can find it, I will link you to it

Ah, ok, I've never seen that thread, and am curious to see how they compare. I've always used eco earth for my humidity loving snakes, and aspen for stuff like hoggies and kings, and the reptile prime looks similar to eco earth from the pics I've seen.

[zina10]

Ah, ok, I've never seen that thread, and am curious to see how they compare. I've always used eco earth for my humidity loving snakes, and aspen for stuff like hoggies and kings, and the reptile prime looks similar to eco earth from the pics I've seen.

Here it is. Its on page 2 of this thread. Back then Reptile Prime was still called Herptopia.



https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...itters+crumble

[Aedryan Methyus]

Laying paper/paper plates/etc. down when feeding never sounded like a very feasible option to me, especially for the ones that eat live. A lot of my snakes are literally leaping up out of their tubs before I can even get them pulled out enough to feed them at feeding time. I suppose I would be able to pick them up and slide some paper under them once they've wrapped their prey. That just seems like it would be a huge pain for 15 - 20 + snakes... As fine, fluffy and light as this Reptile Prime seems to be it seems like it's bound to get stuck all over the rodent's fur even if the rodent is dry. I really do want to give this stuff a try, though. The way i've been handling humidity is a non-stop, never ending battle! Running a high output humidifier 24/7 is racking up my electric bill and I don't see how it could possibly last very long running it 24/7...

[zina10]

It doesn't get stuck all over the rodent

Next time I feed I stick one to the bedding and make a picture, LOL.

I feed frozen / thawed, the rodents are not soaking wet by any means, but not completely dry.

Not trying to over promote that stuff. Just trying to help in pointing out shortcomings of one and the others. I still believe its mostly up to the keepers preference and needs.

[SDA]

The deal with reptile prime is it is not a compressed brick you have to moisten or damp substrate in a bag. It is sifted to lower dust and comes dry so you can put it straight in the enclosure.

And yes Zina I was not serious about ball pythons being prima donnas even though they totally are. Such big babies that need special care or they get all pouty!

I like not having to worry about the substrate for 3 months so that is why I use reptile prime and a PVC cage, so much less hassle.

[Godzilla78]

Laying paper/paper plates/etc. down when feeding never sounded like a very feasible option to me, especially for the ones that eat live. A lot of my snakes are literally leaping up out of their tubs before I can even get them pulled out enough to feed them at feeding time. I suppose I would be able to pick them up and slide some paper under them once they've wrapped their prey. That just seems like it would be a huge pain for 15 - 20 + snakes... As fine, fluffy and light as this Reptile Prime seems to be it seems like it's bound to get stuck all over the rodent's fur even if the rodent is dry. I really do want to give this stuff a try, though. The way i've been handling humidity is a non-stop, never ending battle! Running a high output humidifier 24/7 is racking up my electric bill and I don't see how it could possibly last very long running it 24/7...

You are going to have to run a humidifier anyway in your severe case. It will not use as much energy if you get a cool evaporater, instead of a heated type.


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